The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has suspended all forms of trade, commercial ties and financial transactions with Iran until further notice. On Tuesday, Afra Al Hameli, Director of Strategic Communications at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that these relations with Iran were halted in light of escalating regional tensions. About two hours prior to this official statement, a warning alert was sent to the mobile phones of residents across the country.
The alert warned of a potential missile attack and advised everyone to seek shelter in the nearest safe building. However, the warning was lifted shortly thereafter. News agency AFP reported this development. This marked the first such alert since a false alarm in June and a warning in July regarding an attack that did not actually enter UAE territory; the last genuine missile alert prior to that had been issued in early May.
Meanwhile, fuel tankers belonging to the state-owned oil company ADNOC have repeatedly been targeted in attacks over the past few weeks. When hostilities flared up in the Middle East on February 28, the UAE became a primary target for Iranian attacks, with approximately 3,000 missiles and drones launched towards the country. However, following the implementation of a memorandum of understanding between the two sides in June—which later collapsed—the UAE reported no further attacks on its territory, although other Gulf nations did fall victim to such strikes.
On Tuesday, the UAE alleged that Iran had fired two ballistic missiles targeting maritime traffic in the Gulf. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that one missile landed outside UAE territorial waters, while the other fell within them. In a subsequent assessment, the UAE claimed that both missiles were aimed at vessels navigating the sea. Iran, however, has categorically denied these allegations. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei flatly rejected the UAE’s claims, stating that such assertions are detrimental to efforts aimed at establishing regional trust and security.
