Witkoff meets powerful UAE official amid crackdown on Iran
White House Envoy Steve Witkoff met last weekend with the national security adviser of the United Arab Emirates to discuss next steps on Iran, according to two sources with knowledge of the meeting.
Why it matters: The talks, which weren't announced by the White House and haven't been reported until now, took place amid the Trump administration's push to reopen the Strait of Hormuz while choking Iran economically.
Witkoff met with Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed al Nahyan (TBZ) on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia.
The UAE has been the key partner in the U.S.-led operation to reopen and guide oil tankers through the strait.
It is also critical to the success of the U.S. economic pressure campaign against Iran.
TBZ is one of the UAE's most powerful figures: He is the brother of President Mohammed bin Zayed, the country's national security adviser and deputy ruler of Abu Dhabi, and oversees the UAE's vast investment and technology interests.
Witkoff and TBZ brainstormed next steps in the Iranian crisis and discussed other issues, the sources said.
The White House didn't respond to a request for comment.
Driving the news: The meeting took place several days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced "Operation Economic Outcast" — a vow to level punishing sanctions on countries and entities that do business with the Islamic Republic.
Bessent spoke to TBZ ahead of the announcement, according to a source with knowledge of the call.
On the day of Witkoff's meeting with TBZ, the Treasury Department moved to cut off the UAE branches of Egypt's Banque Misr from the U.S. financial system over its business with Iran.
The proposed action would block the bank's dollar transactions.
The UAE central bank said it would conduct an "urgent examination" of the transactions that the Egyptian bank's branches had with Iran.
Zoom in: Several days before the Trump administration's sanctions announcement, the UAE decided to halt all trade, commercial exchange and financial transactions with Iran.
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