UAE "doubling down" on US partnership after Iranian attacks kill seven

The United Arab Emirates is “doubling down” on its agreements with the United States following Iran’s attack on the Gulf Arab nation, the UAE’s Minister for International Cooperation Reem Al-Hashimy said on March 15.

Asked by Australia’s ABC in a televised interview whether the Iranian attacks on the UAE will make it reconsider hosting US bases, the minister said: “Quite the contrary," Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

“Our relationship with the US is a longstanding strategic partnership. It’s a partnership that doesn’t falter in moments of crisis, but has been built on decades of trust and mutual respect,” Al-Hashimy said, adding that “this doesn’t deter us, because we’re also a resilient bunch, and we don’t take to being bullied around, either.”

Al-Hashimy described Iran’s attack on her country as “almost unhinged” and said it will not change the “dynamics” of Abu Dhabi’s agreements with the US and Israel.

“If anything, we are doubling down on our friends. We are further cementing the strong ties that bind us,” she said.

The UAE has pledged $1.4 trillion in US investments over the next decade. It normalized relations with Israel under the 2020 Abraham Accords and backed President Trump’s Board of Peace with a $1.2 billion Gaza pledge.

It also hosts thousands of US troops at Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi, which has become a target for Iran.

Over more than two weeks, Iran launched nearly 2,000 projectiles at the UAE, including ballistic missiles and drones. The strikes led to the killing of 7 people, including 5 civilians, the UAE’s defence ministry said on March 16.

The UAE had been targeted more than any other country into the region including Israel. The vast majority of Iranian projectiles were intercepted by the UAE’s air defence system.

By Sabina Mammadli