UAE envoy to US says ‘ceasefire not enough’ and calls for escalation in Iran war
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) ambassador to the US has said “a simple ceasefire is not enough” in the ongoing Israeli-US war on Iran, calling instead for a “conclusive outcome” against Tehran.
Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Yousef al-Otaiba did not mention who initiated the war and seemed to pin blame on Iran, while framing the UAE as being "on the front line of this conflict".
“We need a conclusive outcome that addresses Iran’s full range of threats: nuclear capabilities, missiles, drones, terror proxies and blockades of international sea lanes,” the Emirati diplomat wrote, signalling support for continued military action.
“Iran has launched more than 2,180 missiles and drones at the Emirates, far more than at any other country,” Otaiba wrote.
Earlier this month, Seyed Emamian, an assistant professor at Tehran Polytechnic University, told Middle East Eye that "One of the reasons that Iran is attacking the UAE is not only because of the American bases; it's because of the Israeli bases there."
Long cultivated quietly, ties between the UAE and Israel were formalised as part of the Abraham Accords in 2020.
Since then, Abu Dhabi has emerged as one of Israel’s closest regional partners, drawing criticism from across the Gulf, particularly in Saudi Arabia, where an academic linked to the royal court recently accused the UAE of throwing itself "into the arms of Zionism" and acting as "Israel's Trojan horse in the Arab world".
“Iran’s nuclear capabilities have been degraded. Its proxies have been weakened. More needs to be done to remove the missile and drone threats,” Otaiba said, in what appears to be a call for further escalation.
The UAE has also faced criticism from analysts and rights groups over its role in regional conflicts, including backing armed groups in Sudan, Libya and Yemen, and supporting breakaway regions in Somalia.
Despite warnings that the war on Iran could usher in a period of economic hardship for the UAE, Otaiba reaffirmed Abu Dhabi’s $1.4 trillion investment commitment to the US, adding: “The stronger our economic ties to America, the stronger both nations become.”
'Antagonising the Iranians'
The Wall Street Journal article comes amid increasingly sharp rhetoric from Emirati officials, exposing its widening fractures with traditional Gulf positions.
Anwar Gargash, adviser to the UAE's president, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, openly questioned the silence of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, asking why there had been no support “while our countries and peoples are subjected to this treacherous Iranian aggression?
“In this absence and impotence, it is unacceptable later to speak of the decline of the Arab and Islamic role or to criticize the American and Western presence,” he wrote on X.
'The UAE now want to reassure residents and businesses that they are in "control"'
- Andreas Krieg, King's College London
Former Dubai police chief Dhahi Khalfan Tamim went further, criticising Arab states and calling for closer ties with western powers and Israel.
“This war has proven that western countries are the friendly countries... and that those we call sister countries... are actually separate from us,” he said.
For analysts, the UAE’s messaging reflects a deeper strategic gamble.
The country has built its economic model on projecting stability, security and openness to global capital. But Iran’s retaliatory strikes have punctured that image.
“The UAE now want to reassure residents and businesses that they are in ‘control’ when they are really only responding verbally to what is a reckless military campaign by Iran against the country,” Andreas Krieg, associate professor at King’s College London, told MEE.
Despite the increasingly assertive tone, “there is very little substance in what al-Otaiba is saying, as the UAE on their own lack the strategic depth and capability to make a meaningful contribution to any military campaign against Iran,” Krieg said.
US President Donald Trump has also signalled he could sideline Gulf partners in any future arrangement, suggesting earlier this week that he and Iran’s leadership could “jointly” control the Strait of Hormuz.
The UAE’s push to position itself as a “reliable military partner that can and will support the US no matter what” carries risks, Krieg warned.
“They [UAE] might win some credit with neo-cons in the GOP [Republican Party] in Washington while further antagonising the Iranians,” he said.
In doing so, Abu Dhabi risks drifting away from Gulf consensus while tying its security and political future ever more tightly to Washington – a bet that could leave it increasingly isolated in its own region.
This article was sourced from Middle East Eye.
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