How a Trump phone call turned a quiet Gulf rivalry into an open Saudi-UAE rupture

US President Donald Trump

For years, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates managed their differences privately, even as their regional ambitions drifted apart. That changed after a phone call from Donald Trump to Mohammed bin Zayed in November. According to multiple people briefed by Emirati officials, Trump relayed that Mohammed bin Salman had asked him to impose sanctions linked to the war in Sudan. From Abu Dhabi’s perspective, the message was explosive: a former ally was now lobbying Washington against them.

Saudi and US officials dispute that account, saying the request concerned sanctions on Sudanese armed groups rather than on the Emirates itself. But whatever was said, the effect was immediate. A rivalry that had simmered beneath the surface for years spilled into the open, the New York Times reported.

Sudan as the trigger, not the cause

The disagreement centres on Sudan’s civil war, which has raged since 2023. Saudi Arabia backs the Sudanese armed forces. The Emirates is widely viewed as the main external supporter of the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group accused by United Nations-backed experts of atrocities in Darfur that bear the hallmarks of genocide.

The Emirati government denies providing military support to the RSF, saying its involvement is limited to humanitarian aid and ceasefire efforts. Riyadh, however, sees Sudan as a growing security threat across the Red Sea and has spent years urging Abu Dhabi to cut ties with the group. When that failed, Saudi officials turned to Washington.

Trump’s willingness to “look into” the conflict during Prince Mohammed’s White House visit raised fears in Abu Dhabi that US pressure — possibly sanctions — could follow.

From trusted partners to strategic competitors

A decade ago, the Saudi crown prince and the Emirati president were close collaborators. They intervened together in Yemen and coordinated a regional blockade of Qatar. Over time, that alignment frayed.

Prince Mohammed shifted Saudi priorities inward, focusing on economic diversification and regional stability to support projects like NEOM and a broader push to attract global capital. Those ambitions increasingly clashed with Dubai’s role as the Middle East’s financial hub.

Sheikh Mohammed, by contrast, pursued a more assertive foreign policy, driven by a deep hostility toward political Islam and a willingness to project Emirati influence far beyond the Gulf, especially across Africa.

Sudan became the point where these diverging strategies collided.

Fallout spreads to Yemen

After the November call, relations deteriorated rapidly. The most dramatic consequences played out in Yemen, where Saudi and Emirati interests had already diverged.

In December, a separatist group backed by the Emirates launched an offensive near the Saudi border. Riyadh viewed the move as a direct threat and responded by bombing what it said was an Emirati weapons shipment. Abu Dhabi denied sending arms and soon announced the withdrawal of its own troops from Yemen, leaving its local allies exposed as Saudi-backed forces advanced.

Saudi officials believe the Emirati-backed offensive was driven by anger over the alleged sanctions request. Emirati officials dismiss such claims as exaggeration.

A problem Washington did not plan for

The rift complicates Trump’s Middle East agenda. His administration wants cooperation from both Saudi Arabia and the Emirates on Gaza, Iran and regional security. Instead, it now faces two powerful partners openly suspicious of each other.

The Biden administration had previously worked quietly to contain tensions between the two Gulf states. The Trump administration, so far, has avoided taking sides, even as both countries deepen business ties with the president’s family.

Why this feud matters beyond the Gulf

Saudi Arabia and the Emirates are not just neighbours; they are heavyweight actors with the capacity to move markets, shape conflicts and redraw alliances from Yemen to the Horn of Africa. Their rivalry has already reshaped Yemen’s war and risks further destabilising Sudan and nearby regions.

What began as a contested recollection of a phone call has become something larger: proof that the Gulf’s old alignments no longer hold, and that even small diplomatic signals from Washington can have outsized consequences.

When Trump says this dispute is “easy to settle,” the reality on the ground suggests otherwise.