A senior official from the United Arab Emirates said Monday that the U.S.-Iran war was unlikely to be decisively settled for a “long period.”

Dr. Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the president and a senior figure within the administration of the United Arab Emirates, said Iran was facing “one of the most serious challenges” in its history, with an ailing economy, pressure on its leadership and a “fundamental dispute” with the U.S. and international community over its nuclear capabilities.

“These factors make a comprehensive political settlement difficult,” he said, referring to the ongoing war. “We should therefore prepare for a long period of uncertainty in which neither a decisive resolution nor a stable regional order can be taken for granted.”

The UAE always opposed the war, he added in his remarks at the Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate event on Monday, according to a transcript provided by the Emirati foreign ministry.

“Our assessment was guided by a fundamental understanding of the region. Wars begin through deliberate decisions, but their consequences rarely remain within the calculations of those who initiate them,” he said.

Gargash said it was “perhaps too early to fully assess the impact of the U.S. midterm elections on Washington’s approach toward Iran,” and added that the UAE would “reinforce efforts to pursue diplomatic solutions that can ensure lasting peace and stability in the Gulf.”

Authorities in the city of Khor Fakkan closed a beach Monday after an oil spill was found along the coastline of the United Arab Emirates city, which is only about 20 miles south of the Strait of Hormuz.

Reuters cited a notice posted by municipal authorities on social media announcing the closure, without providing any further details.

Numerous oil tankers and other commercial vessels have been attacked and disabled during the war by both Iran and the United States, each claiming to act in enforcement of their respective restrictions on the key shipping lanes of the Strait.

Most of the ships that have been hit by missiles or sea mines in the southern waters of the strait, in or near shipping lanes close to the Omani and UAE coasts, have been struck by Iran. Tehran rejects the southern routes endorsed by the U.S., warning ships against using the lanes and demanding that they instead transit the strait via northern routes closer to its coast.