Live updates: Follow the latest news on US-Iran war
The UAE has intercepted seven ballistic missiles and 16 drones launched from Iran since morning, the Defence Ministry said on Monday.
An Indian citizen was injured after debris from an intercepted ballistic missile fell on Al Shawamekh in Abu Dhabi, the emirate's media office reported.
Missile alerts were sent to residents in Abu Dhabi and Dubai shortly before 7am on Monday, with the public asked to move to a safe place and stay away from windows and open spaces. Another alert was sent in the capital around 3.10pm.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, said the Emirates would “never be blackmailed by terrorists”.
His statement came as Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Sheikh Mohamed, condemned Iran's “thuggery” and questioned the absence of some allies at a time of war.
Iran's attacks across the region have made it “public enemy number one” in the eyes of the Gulf states, an Emirati scholar said.
“Perhaps there is a division of labour, some differences there, about how we deal with this,” they added. “But we are all in this together.”
The scholar said Gulf nations need to collaborate and be “part of an international coalition to open up” the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one fifth of the world's oil was transported, before war broke out and the unofficial Iranian blockade came into force.
Since the start of the Iranian attacks on February 28, UAE air defences have engaged 352 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,789 drones.
Meanwhile, supermarkets nationwide are being adversely affected by soaring shipping fees and delays due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the head of one major chain said.
However, Choithrams chief executive Mark Mortimer-Davies said shelves remain largely stocked with fresh and frozen produce.
“We're trying to manage it as best we can but there's obviously pressure,” he told Dubai Eye radio's Business Breakfast show. “We've changed [supplier] countries, we're sharing shipments with other retailers. We're looking at every way we can to get volumes up and keep costs manageable.”
