Sunday, 12 July 2026 08:41
By ARN News Staff
The UAE has welcomed the US government’s decision to elevate the UAE to an ‘A5’ export control designation, highlighting that it advances the decades of bilateral cooperation in technology, security, trade and investment.
The upgraded status allows the UAE and approved commercial entities with "licence-free exports, reexports, and in-country transfers", according to the US Department of Commerce.
It will also allow licence-free transfers and access to "certain commercial satellites and spacecraft and dual-use items useful in oil and gas production, desalination, and civil nuclear power generation".
In a statement, Minister of State and UAE Ambassador to the US Yousef Al Otaiba stated that the bilateral relationship between the two nations has extended across six presidential administrations.
He noted that in 2024, the US designated the UAE as a major defence partner, a status which is held by only one other nation, reflecting the deep-rooted ties between the two countries.
Al Otaiba also added that the UAE is America's largest trading partner and export destination in the MENA region, with the US recording a $23.8 billion trade surplus with the UAE, considered its fourth largest globally.
The UAE minister also stated that the US has entrusted the country and its companies to acquire its "civilian nuclear energy technologies and to deploy the most advanced US defence systems".
"This action opens new doors for joint research and development, deeper technology cooperation, expanded trade, and an enhanced defence partnership," he said.
"We look forward to building on this foundation together to create a stable, secure, and prosperous future for the people of both nations."
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