The United Arab Emirates is expanding eastern ports, pipelines, rail links and alternative trade corridors to limit the threat that disruption in the Strait of Hormuz poses to its energy exports. UAE presidential diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash said at the Hili Forum in Abu Dhabi on September 7 that freedom of navigation is a baseline requirement for the region and that Abu Dhabi will not allow its oil trade and broader economic activity to be held hostage. The strategy builds on the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline, which moves crude from inland Abu Dhabi fields to Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman without crossing the strait. The UAE had restored oil exports to roughly 85% of pre-war levels by early June, following disruption after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 and Iran's subsequent missile attacks on UAE territory and interference with tanker traffic. Abu Dhabi suspended all financial transactions with Iran in August, deepening the economic rupture between two countries whose commercial ties had previously supported Iranian trade. ADNOC is also building its West-East pipeline, designed to raise Fujairah export capacity to roughly 3.6 million barrels a day by 2027. Gargash said rebuilding trust with Tehran could take decades, while the wider conflict and threats to the Strait of Hormuz continue to underline the importance of alternative export capacity for Gulf producers.