UAE warns of 'potential missile threats', urges citizens to take shelter and 'remain in safe place'

The UAE has issued its first missile-related warning in several months, urging residents to move to safe locations after its air defence systems detected a potential threat targeting the country. The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) said on X that the country's air defence systems had detected a missile threat. "UAE air defence systems detected a missile threat targeting the county. Please remain in a safe location and follow warnings and updates issued through official channels," the statement read.

The warning came a day after the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Iran and the United States, which was aimed at ending the fighting in the Middle East, expired on Monday. The UAE Interior Ministry also issued a separate alert, citing the "current situation" and "potential missile threats". It advised residents to seek shelter in the "closest secure building". The Emirati Defence Ministry separately confirmed that it had "detected a missile threat directed towards the country".

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The latest warning comes months after the previous missile alert in May. In June, residents received a false missile warning after a technical malfunction in the country's national early warning system mistakenly triggered emergency phone alerts. When the Middle East war began on February 28, the UAE was among the countries most heavily targeted by Iran, with nearly 3,000 missiles and drones directed at the country, more than against any other nation in the region. Following the implementation of the June memorandum between the two sides, which has now collapsed, the UAE reported no further attacks, even as other Gulf states continued to face attacks.

What did the MoU say?

US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed the agreement on June 17, seeking to halt more than three months of fighting that had killed thousands and disrupted commercial shipping across the Gulf. The conflict also severely affected oil and gas shipments through the region, raising concerns over global energy supplies and trade.