United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Gulf state targeted by 137 Iranian missiles and 209 drones, resulting in casualties and disruption to civilian aviation.
Last refreshed: 3 April 2026 · Appears in 2 active topics
Can a country absorb 1,900 intercepted projectiles without going to war?
Latest on United Arab Emirates (UAE)
- What is the UAE?
- The UAE (United Arab Emirates) is a federation of seven Emirates in the Gulf region, founded in 1971. Its largest cities are Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It is a major global hub for aviation, trade, and finance.Source: background
- Has the UAE been attacked in the Iran conflict?
- Yes. Since 28 February 2026 the UAE has sustained sustained Iranian strikes on Dubai Airport, Abu Dhabi Airport, the Fujairah pipeline, the Shah Gas Field, a US consulate in Dubai, and the Burj Al Arab. By 15 March, 7 people had been killed and 142 injured.Source: background
- Does the UAE host US military bases?
- Yes. The UAE hosts Al-Dhafra Air Base near Abu Dhabi, one of the US military's primary regional strike platforms, and Al-Minhad Air Base. Iran has cited this basing arrangement as justification for striking UAE territory.Source: background
- What is the Abraham Accords and the UAE's role?
- The Abraham Accords (September 2020) normalised relations between the UAE and Israel, the most significant Arab-Israeli diplomatic breakthrough in a generation. The UAE has maintained the framework despite absorbing Iranian strikes Tehran links directly to that normalisation.Source: background
- How many missiles has the UAE intercepted?
- By 15 March 2026 the UAE military had intercepted 298 Ballistic Missiles, 15 Cruise Missiles, and 1,606 drones — a total of approximately 1,919 projectiles — since the conflict began on 28 February.Source: background
Background
A federation of seven Emirates founded in 1971, the UAE is anchored by Abu Dhabi's oil reserves and Dubai's logistics and aviation infrastructure. Its population of 9.9 million is over 88 percent expatriate. Between 2019 and 2023 it pursued parallel normalisations with both Israel (Abraham Accords, 2020) and Iran, reopening its Tehran embassy in 2022 and expanding bilateral trade.
Since 28 February 2026 the UAE has been among the most heavily targeted states in the Iranian campaign. Cumulative intercepts reached 457 Ballistic Missiles, 2,038 UAVs, and 19 Cruise Missiles, with 12 people killed — ten foreign workers from six nationalities and two military personnel. Dubai International Airport took concourse damage in the opening salvos and the Habshan gas facility was struck by debris. The ADNOC Habshan-Fujairah bypass pipeline has reached 71% utilisation, with a 42-million-barrel underground storage cavern near completion, routing crude to the Indian Ocean coast.
The UAE has responded with a sweeping rupture of Iranian influence: IRGC-linked money changers arrested, licences of five Iranian schools revoked, residency permits for Iranian nationals cancelled, the Tehran embassy closed, and Iranian nationals barred from entry and transit. The contradiction at its core remains: it hosts Al-Dhafra Air Base — the stated Iranian justification for targeting it — while remaining Beijing's most important Gulf commercial partner, weighing direct strikes on Iranian launch sites without formally joining offensive operations.
