UAE condemns Iran missile strikes, warns 'your war is not with your neighbours'

Pezeshkian says Khamenei assassination is an “open declaration of war”

A senior official from the United Arab Emirates has warned Iran against targeting areas within the UAE with missile strikes, saying Tehran’s retaliatory actions had further isolated it at a critical time.

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, urged Iran to act with restraint, noting that the UAE is not at war with its neighbouring states, AFP reported.

Echoing that stance, Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said, “The Iranian aggression against the Gulf states was a miscalculation, and it isolated Iran at a critical juncture. Your war is not with your neighbours,” he said. “Return to reason, to your surroundings, and deal with your neighbours rationally and responsibly before the circle of isolation and escalation widens," he further added.

Strong statements from the UAE followed Iran’s missile strikes on several provinces, carried out in retaliation for joint US-Israeli military action that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. On Saturday, Iranian missiles struck the Al-Dharfa US Base in southern Abu Dhabi, while other parts of the emirate were also rocked by impacts the same day.

Meanwhile, Qatar voiced “strong condemnation of the Iranian attacks” targeting Oman’s commercial port of Duqm and an oil tanker off its coast.

“Qatar considers these attacks a violation of Omani sovereignty, an unacceptable escalation, and a cowardly act targeting a state that plays an active role in mediation efforts,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.