Name: UAE minister to Iran: ‘We will not respond to bullying by backing down’
Uploaded: 2026-03-14T23:02:33.000Z
Duration: 11 min 54 s
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Your Excellency, thank you for taking the time to speak with us in these difficult times.

There's been another attack just today striking a building in Dubai.

Relative clauses (Restrictive vs. nonrestrictive)

Lay out for me the scale of the onslaught that the United Arab Emirates has faced in the last 10 days.

Thank you for having me on the show, Kir.

And as a resident of Dubai, I think you will have been observing how well the UAE has responded to what has been a really disgusting illegal onslaught on the Gulf countries and Jordan by Iran.

Over 1,800 projectiles aimed at the UAE that have been mostly intercepted by our fantastic UAE Armed Defence Forces with partners from around the world, of course, in our self defense.

So yes, it has been unacceptable, it has been illegal, it has been shockingly aimed at civilian infrastructure, but

Of course it's tense, of course, it's challenging, but

pretty normal considering we're all back at work, our kids are in online school heading into their spring break, and

we have shown not only the resilience of the UAE and its community and its leadership, not only the effectiveness of our defence capabilities, but

our adaptability as a country to crises and the willingness to come through it and come out stronger at the end of it.

1800 projectiles, so almost 2000 that the UAE has faced.

And you do believe that the targeting of civilian infrastructure, hotels, for example, the airport, that's been deliberate.

The UAE leadership said right at the start of this that it didn't want this war, that it didn't want escalation in the region.

The UAE was working before this escalation on diplomatic efforts to encourage Iran to negotiate with the United States.

I was there in the beginning of February to relay a number of messages, wide ranging political consultations, the offer of economic partnerships and agreements with Iran, should they come through to a successful conclusion of negotiations on the things that have been plaguing this region in Iranian foreign policy for a long time.

its ballistic missile weapons program and its support for non state actors in the region.

Prior to the start of this recent escalation, Iran used to say the ballistic missiles weapons program was nothing to do with the international community.

I think the last 14 days have proven definitively that there is no world where Iran can safely coexist with its regional neighborhood or the international community or with such a ballistic missile weapons program.

And I think we can see that in what has been aimed at Gulf countries and Jordan and the wider region in the course of the last 14 days, we've tried to de escalate prior to this, but

since we have been attacked alongside other countries in the region, we have assertively defended our communities here in the UAE, including 75,000American residents who also reside here.

So however this ends, you will not accept Iran ever having the kind of missile and drone capability that it has had and has turned on the UAE in future.

I think it's very clear that that has to be a big topic in the conversation for any diplomatic engagement going forward.

Right now, the UN Security Council has resoundingly rebuked Iran for its behavior over the past 14 days.

It has called for Iran to stop its unlawful and egregious attacks on the region.

And it has called for Iran to allow the freedom of navigation, for maritime navigation in the Straits of Hormuz to continue unimpeded.

So everything Iran is doing in the Straits of Hormuz is now legally mandated by the Security Council to be reversed.

And it's economic warfare that doesn't just impact the region.

It's economic warfare that impacts the global economy.

The Straits of Hormuz are not only a waterway where a fifth of the world's energy supplies pass through.

This is a waterway where fertilisers for food production pass through minerals, petrochemicals, shipping containers.

So laying down mines is absolutely the behavior of a rogue state and must be stopped.

Do you believe they're doing that mining the Strait?

There's been some credible reporting that they are doing that.

And I think the statements coming out of Iran have demonstrated that they're willing to use the Straits of Hormuz as part of their economic warfare, not just against the region, but

And you will see that impact not only petrol prices, but you will see it impact grocery bills.

You will see it impact general cost of living around the world, including in the most poor countries.

So this is not just a regional global energy issue.

It is a regional economic lifeline issue.

And that's why the UN Security Council has determined it is an issue of international peace and security, and

But how are you going to get your oil products from the Arabian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz to your customers?

Because effectively, it is effectively closed at this point.

The oil price is close again to $100 per barrel.

Yeah, well, look, I think without going into too many details about the flow of energy, I think it's really clear that in 14 days in the UAE's economy has shown incredible resilience.

I think we are committed to continuing to supplying the global energy markets through those commitments that we have made, as have other countries in the region.

But there are obviously reassessments ongoing at the moment about how we safely do that.

The quickest way to get the flow of supply back on the markets, which we are committed to doing, is to enforce UN Security Council Resolution 2817.

Enforce that Security Council Resolution 2817, which is now a commitment on Iran as a member of the United nations and we can go back to a global economy that is robust and growing.

Now in the uae we can weather those shocks.

We have weathered other shocks in our past.

And we have always adapted and become more resilient as a result of those shocks.

How long can the UAE sustain this resistance?

The UAE is no easy prey, as His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan said recently.

So I urge Iran to reconsider this course of action.

They are today isolated on the international stage.

136 countries, 2/3 of the world came out and co sponsored a UN Security Council resolution.

That's the highest number in the history of UN Security Council resolution sponsorships.

The EU has come out saying they fully back enforcement of the Security Council resolution.

The world is united against this economic warfare that Iran is pursuing and that's leaving aside the unlawful military attacks that they're propagating on the entire region.

So I think it's very clear where Iran stands on the world stage and where the UAE and other countries stand on the world stage.

What happens if the Iranians don't listen?

I think then you're in for a longer period of protracted tension of challenges.

I think we will do far better in that than Iran will.

There's a reason 700,000 Iranians have chosen to live in the UAE rather than Iran.

You're talking about two resource rich countries at the crossroads of three or four different continents.

We are a global hub for 150 destinations out of Dubai.

Our port ship containers around the world.

Our GDP is 78% non oil, 5.1% growth in our global economy last year.

We will survive and actually we will grow and prosperity.

I think the question for Iran and its people is what will happen to them if they don't choose a different course of action.

I believe we have UNPARALLELED firepower, unlimited ammunition, and plenty of time.

Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags.

Is that a sentiment that you would support?

I think we all agree President Trump has a unique diplomatic messaging style.

I won't try and emulate it, but essentially our message to Iran is UN Security Council Resolution 2817.

You are attacking the peacemakers in the region who were involved most in mediating a diplomatic solution prior to this escalation.

This wasn't a war that we encouraged or that we are part of.

But now that you have begun it, we will fully and assertively defend our country, our people.

And more than that, the model that you are trying to attack in this region, a model of coexistence, of prosperity, of tolerance, we will not let that go down because Iran wants to bring the region down with it.

The new Ayatollah Khamenei said in his statement from Iran that was read by Iranian media.

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UAE minister to Iran: ‘We will not respond to bullying by backing down’

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