Name: Is the UAE powerless against Iran's attacks? | DW News
Uploaded: 2026-03-17T17:13:10.000Z
Duration: 14 min 23 s
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What's the first thing that you think of if you think about, say, Abu Dhabi or Dubai, maybe the world's tallest skyscraper or the world's busiest international airport.

But now that glamorous image is under attack.

The United Arab Emirates, or UAE is right in the middle of a war zone.

And that airport and a crucial seaport have both been forced to suspend operations because of drone attacks coming from Iran.

And is it condemned to being a victim, or can it shape events?

Well, let's speak now with the UAE's ambassador here in Germany and a former senior official in the Foreign Ministry, Ahmed Al Ata.

Ambassador Al Assad, thank you very much for speaking to dw.

So let's start off with what's been going on in the last day or two.

I mean, we have had these missile and drone attacks coming in.

The Defense Ministry says it's something like a couple of thousand missile and drone attacks or altogether coming in from Iran, making the UAE the hardest hit of all of the Gulf states.

What is the UAE doing to fend off these attacks and defend its people?

Well, the UAE has been preparing, obviously, for a scenario like this since a long time.

It has one of the most comprehensive air defense systems in the world.

that's why we've seen, compared to a lot of other areas in which attacks have taken place, the impact in terms of impact on the UAE has been rather minimal.

And this goes to the investment that the UAE has made in defending its local population and its residents by really being prepared for its defense.

That's something the UAE takes seriously.

I mean, when you're a successful hub with a great image like the UAE is, you expect to have that image challenged.

And this is one of the ways in which there is an attempt, very clear attempt, to challenge this successful image by individuals who are misguided in what it means to have a successful and prosperous and stable region.

Yeah, I mean, I'd love to get to the kind of motivations behind what Iran is doing in just a moment, but

you're emphasizing UAE's successes there.

But still, we have seen really in the last 24 hours or so, this huge airport brought to a standstill, also this very, very important port of Fujairah, which is important to providing the world's oceangoing ships with oil to power them.

Are these not signs that there are gaps in your defenses?

In terms of our system judging it versus the total amount of projectiles which have been thrown at it, it has been the most successful in history to do so in such a short time.

So I think judging by our system, there are no gaps.

It's actually been airtight compared to a lot of other systems which have been deployed globally.

People are on the beach, going out for picnics, eating outside, and the government is vigilant and proactive.

And I think this proactivity that the UAE is characterized by has paid off in this instance.

But is the UAE considering also taking this fight back to Iran, hitting targets in Iran?

I think what distinguishes us from the side which is launching these attacks is that we are deeply committed to our country's defense and the other side is not committed to their country's defense.

Attacking a country which has repeatedly tried to de escalate the conflict in the region is akin to shooting yourself in the foot when you're trying to lean on countries to de escalate the situation.

And the UAE is time and time again shown instances of goodwill towards Iranians or the Iranian government in this instance.

And to be attacked by in this way is bad enough, but

escalation for the sake of escalation is not in our DNA.

So if I understand that being an implication that you're not intending to hit Iranian targets, there's also been talk of potentially freezing billions of dollars worth of Iranian assets in the uae.

Can you confirm that that is being considered?

We reserve the right to defend ourselves and take any and all necessary procedures to defend our people, our country, and

to send a strong message that such behavior, which we've seen in the last couple of weeks is unacceptable.

The UAE will not be compelled to do any action based on that.

Yesterday you would have seen that there was a release of a map of several civilian areas in the Gulf states by the other side that seemed to say that these are places where American troops were based and these are civilian areas in which mixed populations live to target intentionally civilians and civilian areas in the GCC states, as is happening now.

And the UAE as well as is not a well guided behavior and it constitutes in many respects it constitutes a war crime to intentionally target civilians.

But I just want to come back to the question of what steps you're willing to take.

So I didn't hear an answer there to the question of are you considering freezing Iranian assets?

Anyway, I think we are a country which doesn't like to talk, it likes to do.

And if any steps are taken in the future, they will become very visible when we want them to be visible.

Let's step back to the question of motivation here because you've obviously been very critical of Iran there.

A question that is coming to us from DW users is about Iran's motivations.

What do you believe is Iran's strategy in hitting the UAE so hard?

What does Iran hope to achieve through hitting your country?

I think there's no strategy because hitting the UAE implies that there is no strategy.

And I think that's the most concerning part of all of this.

Publicly there is a announcement about U.S. bases and basing facilities and U.S. troops.

But if you see the recent release of targets on civilian areas, we are shocked and appalled by this unreasonable and actually counterproductive behavior from the Iranian side.

I mean, the understanding if there is a strategy is that Iran wants the UAE and other countries in the region to feel pain so that they put pressure on the United States and the Israelis to stop this war.

Is that a strategy that you see perhaps behind this?

And is that something you are suggesting to the Americans?

Well, we don't give in to blackmail and coercion, not now, not never.

And if they wanted us to speak to anyone in the region, the best way would have not to been fire, have firing drones and missiles at us.

So I'm afraid the more they fire at us, the further and further that gets away, that option gets away and the less and less likely we are to even consider such an option and the more it goes off the table.

So it's counterproductive, this campaign against a country, by the way, which hosts one of the biggest Iranian populations.

One Iranian was injured in this attack today.

Tragically, one Palestinian man was killed in Abu Dhabi.

And always the rhetoric on the other side is that they're doing this for Palestine.

And I don't think this is a clear way to display that.

So do you support the US and Israel in continuing with their strikes?

We support a resolution to this conflict and we support the re establishment of peace and stability so we can get to the very important business of continuing to play an important role in the world economy, which is our primary goal as the uae.

And any steps which can be taken to de escalate the situation in the region in a way that ensures that violence is not the status quo and not the typical response that states are subjected to.

When a state has A problem with another state is, I think, something that is worth exploring.

But do you think this has already gone too far with these attacks by Iran on the UAE and other Gulf states?

Has it gone so far that the ultimate solution has to be regime change?

After all, do you think you can ever live in peace alongside this regime after what's happened?

We are not, as the uae, interested in the internal affairs of countries.

We don't meddle in the internal affairs of countries.

And that is a clear red line for us as uae.

So as to anything to do with regime change or whatever that question is, we want a change of behavior towards us and I think we are correct in making that a key demand of ours.

And that includes, you know, it's a very reasonable base desire to not be a target in future campaigns.

Let's also focus on the US side of things because been very critical of Iran.

The US behavior here also obviously has critics.

Do you feel that what has happened here with this war that has been launched with quite unclear goals?

Do you feel that this exposes the United States as a force for instability in the Middle east more than a force for stability?

The situation is so complex that I don't, that angle of the conflict is not something within my expertise.

I'm afraid I don't know is the best answer I can give you.

I mean, it's hardly a stirring endorsement of the United States, is it?

I mean, it has, I think that's not, I think my limited ability to engage on the subject is not an endorsement or dis.

This situation has added to debates around whether the Gulf states need to have a stronger defense arrangement between themselves, a kind of a Gulf NATO style alliance.

Is that a debate that you see growing as a result of this war?

Cooperation in between the Gulf states has always been present and active and able.

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Is the UAE powerless against Iran's attacks? | DW News

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