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Any political solution to address Iran's aggression against Gulf states must include clear guarantees that such actions will not be repeated and must establish the principle of non-aggression, Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Sheikh Mohamed, said on Sunday.
The solution must also include Iranian compensation for the targeting of civilian and vital facilities, as well as civilians, Dr Gargash said in a post on X.
“Iran deceived its neighbours before the war about its intentions and revealed a premeditated aggression despite their sincere efforts to avoid it,” he said, adding that these two paths were essential in confronting what he described as a regime that has become the primary threat to security in the Arabian Gulf.
Dr Gargash’s comments came as the UAE intercepted 16 ballistic missiles and 42 drones launched from Iran on Sunday, the Defence Ministry said.
It marks a significant increase in the number of interceptions – last Sunday, four ballistic missiles and 25 drones were intercepted. However, the numbers remain much lower than those recorded in the initial days of the Iran war.
Since the start of the Iranian attacks, UAE air defences have engaged 414 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,914 drones. Iran's attacks and threats have also almost entirely halted ship movements through the Strait of Hormuz, affecting Gulf states' energy exports.
Reparations paid by Iraq for Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and seven-month occupation amounted to $52.4 billion. The payments, managed by the UN Compensation Commission, were funded by a 5 per cent tax on Iraqi oil sales, covering damages to individuals, companies, and government assets.
Noura Al Kaabi, UAE Minister of State, described the attacks that began on February 28 as “truly an unprecedented moment in our nation’s history”.
She said the UAE wants a guarantee that this will never happen again, with lasting security arrangements including disarmament, the permanent preservation of freedom of navigation, and “a framework that enforces accountability rather than merely recording condemnation”.
Writing in The National, she said: “For years, Iran insisted its ballistic missile programme was a domestic matter. The past month has demonstrated the opposite with devastating clarity. There is no credible argument that such capabilities can coexist safely with regional or international stability when they are used in this manner – indiscriminately, irresponsibly, and in violation of international law.
“While the UAE has faced the largest number of unprovoked attacks during this escalation, our response remains measured, responsible and focused on protecting our people. The UAE remains safe, secure and well-protected.
“But resilience, by itself, is not a foreign policy. A simple ceasefire is not enough. Diplomatic signals issued while missiles are still being launched are not de-escalation – they are aggression.”
Ms Al Kaabi asked: “Do we want to leave our children a region where this cycle simply continues? Where every decade brings a new escalation, a new set of funerals, a new resolution that is noted and then forgotten?
“Moments of pressure reveal what nations are made of. This past month delivered a clear answer about the UAE. The months ahead must deliver an equally clear answer from the international community, not another statement, but a structure that ensures this warning was the last one necessary.”
