Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at the United Arab Emirates’ economic embargo of Iran, renewed calls for a presidential election in Ukraine, and a potential breakthrough in U.S.-Canada trade talks.

The United Arab Emirates halted all trade and financial transactions with Iran on Wednesday until further notice. Having long held close economic ties with Tehran, Abu Dhabi’s decision marks a significant shift in Persian Gulf relations, and it places further global pressure on Tehran to surrender its war ambitions.

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at the United Arab Emirates’ economic embargo of Iran, renewed calls for a presidential election in Ukraine, and a potential breakthrough in U.S.-Canada trade talks.

The United Arab Emirates halted all trade and financial transactions with Iran on Wednesday until further notice. Having long held close economic ties with Tehran, Abu Dhabi’s decision marks a significant shift in Persian Gulf relations, and it places further global pressure on Tehran to surrender its war ambitions.

According to an Emirati Foreign Ministry spokesperson, the embargo is in response to “regional escalations that undermine regional and international peace and security.” Last Saturday, Abu Dhabi accused Tehran of attacking an Emirati oil tanker traversing the Strait of Hormuz, and on Tuesday, the UAE’s Defense Ministry claimed that Iranian forces fired two ballistic missiles at “maritime traffic,” one of which fell into Emirati waters. Tehran denied the latter attack.

In the early weeks of the Iran war, the UAE bore the brunt of Tehran’s retaliations against the United States, as the UAE hosts a major U.S. military base, Al Dhafra Air Base, as well as the U.S. Navy’s busiest and largest port of call in the Middle East. Emirati authorities have since reported more than 2,700 ballistic missile and drone attacks from Iran.

The UAE has taken several measures to discourage Iran from continuing its assaults. In March, Abu Dhabi ordered the closure of a cultural club, several schools, and a historic Iranian hospital in the UAE’s largest city, Dubai, that were allegedly connected to the Iranian government. Later that month, the Emirati........

© Foreign Policy