Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan was so “suspicious” of Saudi Arabia that he asked the United States to intervene and stop the Saudi leadership from making territorial claims against its Gulf allies, declassified British documents show.

Since the foundation of the UAE in 1971, the Gulf state has been entangled in territorial disputes with Saudi Arabia. In 1974, both countries signed the Jeddah Treaty, under which the kingdom recognised the Emirates as an independent state and relinquished part of its claims over the oil-rich Al-Buraimi Oasis, an area located between northwestern Oman and the UAE.

In exchange, Riyadh acquired the Al-Huwaisat Island in the Gulf and the revenues from the Shaybah oil fields, which extends into Emirati territory.

However, the UAE has never ratified the Jeddah Treaty, disputing it since 1975 due to discrepancies between the oral agreements and the written text, instead it has repeatedly tried to renegotiate the agreement.

Tensions between the two Gulf States have escalated in recent years, particularly after Abu Dhabi unilaterally demarcated its maritime border, an action that Riyadh strongly rejected as a violation of the Jeddah Treaty.

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In April 2024, Saudi Arabia filed a complaint with the United Nations after the UAE declared a contested maritime area a “protected marine area.” In a letter to the UN Secretary-General, Riyadh also rejected a 2019........

© Middle East Monitor