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Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, said his country would not allow itself to be blackmailed as Iranian missile and drone attacks continue.
His statement came as Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Sheikh Mohamed, criticised Iran's "thuggery" and questioned the absence of some allies at a time of war.
"We will never be blackmailed by terrorists," Sheikh Abdullah wrote on X.
Since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran, the UAE has been attacked by more than 2,000 Iranian drones and missiles. The vast majority have been intercepted.
Tehran claims it is launching strikes on US bases in the Gulf, but the attacks have hit infrastructure and residential buildings, as well as killing and injured civilians. UAE officials have vowed to continue defending the country against terrorist attacks.
On Sunday, Dr Gargash said Iran's attacks on Gulf states have “profound geopolitical repercussions” and highlight the threat posed by Tehran as a central focus of strategic thinking in the region.
“The missiles and drones and the aggressive rhetoric are Iranian,” Dr Gargash added. “And the result is to bolster our national capabilities and the joint Gulf security, as well as to solidify our security partnerships with Washington. This is the cost of Iran's misguided calculations.”
Last week, the US fast-tracked the sale of an extensive defence package worth more than $8 billion to the UAE. Included in the sale, which Secretary of State Marco Rubio approved under emergency measures, are F-16 fighter jet munitions, Thaad air defences and anti-drone systems.
The UAE and other Gulf states have mainly relied on their defensive capabilities, with support from countries such as France and the UK, to shoot down Iranian drones and missiles. On Monday, Dr Gargash questioned the absence of other allies, particularly among Arab and Islamic partners.
"We in the Gulf states have every right to ask: where are the institutions of joint Arab and Islamic action – foremost among them the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation – while our countries and peoples are subjected to this brutal Iranian aggression? And where are the so-called major Arab and regional powers?" he asked in a post on X.
Beyond a ceasefire
"In the face of this absence and failure, it is no longer acceptable to speak later of a declining Arab and Islamic role, or to criticise the American and western presence. The Gulf states have been a pillar of support and a partner to all in times of prosperity … so where are you today in this time of hardship?" he added.
Beyond an end to the war with Iran, the UAE is seeking a comprehensive and sustainable security arrangement. "Our thinking does not stop at a ceasefire. Rather, it turns towards solutions that ensure sustainable security in the Arabian Gulf – curbing the nuclear threat, missiles, drones and the bullying of strategic waterways," he said. "It is unreasonable for aggression to become a permanent state of threat."
Gulf countries are working to end the conflict in the short term while also considering what regional security might look like in the long term. What is clear is that any future agreement with Iran will no longer focus solely on the nuclear issue, but must also address Tehran’s missile programme.
An Emirati official, speaking on condition of anonymity earlier this month, explained that Iran’s missile capabilities are now under scrutiny after Tehran’s assault on Gulf countries showed they are designed for attack rather than defence.
“Any new negotiated settlement with Iran will no longer be confined to the nuclear aspect,” the official told The National. “Missiles are now centre stage, because missiles are not seen as self-defence.”
Many Middle Eastern officials have warned that a nuclear deal alone will not suffice, as Iran's nuclear capabilities cannot be viewed in isolation from its ballistic missile programme and its network of regional militant proxies.
Last week, the UAE State Security Apparatus announced the dismantling of a “terrorist network” funded and operated by Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iran, and the arrest of its members. The network had been operating in the UAE under a fake commercial cover and had tried to infiltrate the national economy and conduct “external schemes” aimed at undermining the country’s financial stability, state news agency Wam reported.
