&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "UAE has ‘right to defend’ but ‘exercising restraint’, senior official says")
The United Arab Emirates has the right to defend itself against the Iranian strikes but chooses to restrain, a senior UAE official said late Saturday (Mar 14). This comes as Tehran continues to engage in retaliatory strikes across the Gulf. Since the war began, Iran has fired over 1,800 missiles and drones at the Emirates, more than any other nation targeted by Tehran.
“The UAE has the right to defend itself against this imposed terrorist aggression, but it is still prioritising reason and logic, continuing to exercise restraint and seeking a way out for Iran and the region,” presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said on X. He added that the UAE “made sincere efforts until the very last moment to mediate between Washington and Tehran to avoid this war.”
Since the war began, Iran has launched attacks in the UAE on several targets, including Dubai International Airport, Fujairah oil port, and the iconic Palm hotel.
On February 28, the US and Israeli military launched strikes on Iran, killing Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei and several other top Iranian officials. The operation was named ‘Epic Fury’ by the US and ‘Lion’s Roar’ by Israel. The attacks came amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran and ongoing talks over Iran’s nuclear program. In retaliation, Iran launched attacks on Israel and US military bases in the region, including in Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Azerbaijan.
In recent days, US President Donald Trump has claimed victory in the war with Iran. On Friday (Mar 13), the US forces struck Kharg Island, Iran’s key oil export terminal located in the northern Persian Gulf. Trump said that the US was striking military targets on Iran’s “crown jewel”. He added that “for reasons of decency”, he did not “wipe out” the oil infrastructure on the island. He further warned that he would reconsider his decision if Iran interfered with the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
The attack came after Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, on Thursday (Mar 12) warned the United States and Israel, saying that Tehran will “abandon all restraint” if its islands in the Gulf are attacked.
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Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, the US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.
