Emirati oil executive calls Iran’s chokehold on Strait of Hormuz ‘economic terrorism’

By AP 26 March 2026, 8:14 am

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Emirati oil executive Sultan al-Jaber, who leads the massive state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., hardens the United Arab Emirates’ rhetoric as the war nears its one-month mark.

“Weaponizing the Strait of Hormuz is not an act of aggression against one nation,” al-Jaber says in a speech for an event hosted by the Middle East Institute in Washington.

“It is economic terrorism against every consumer, every family that depends on affordable energy and food. When Iran holds Hormuz hostage, every nation pays the ransom, at the gas pump, at the grocery store and at the pharmacy. No country can be allowed to destabilize the global economy in this way. Not now. Not ever.”