‘War Is Not With Your Neighbours’: UAE Presidential Adviser Slams Iran Over Airstrikes

Last Updated:March 01, 2026, 14:54 IST

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, asked Iran to act with sense as the country is not at war with its neighbours.

West Asia Conflict: A senior United Arab Emirates (UAE) official warned Iran for targeting several areas of the country with its missiles, saying Tehran’s retaliatory attacks had isolated the country at a critical moment.

Taking a sharp jibe, Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, asked Iran to act with sense as the country is not at war with its neighbouring states like the UAE, news agency AFP reported.

“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," Gargash said as quoted by the news agency.

“Return to reason, to your surroundings, and deal with your neighbours rationally and responsibly before the circle of isolation and escalation widens," he added.

His remarks came as Iran launched fresh strikes across parts of the Gulf region after US-Israeli joint strikes killed the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Following Khamenei’s death, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a strong warning against Israel and the United States. The force vowed what it described as the “most ferocious offensive operation in history".

Red alert sirens were activated across Israel’s Negev and Dead Sea regions on Sunday as the conflict in West Asia escalated.

IRGC said on Sunday that it had targeted 27 American military bases in West Asia. “We targeted 27 sites of US bases in the region," the force said.

According to media reports, several loud blasts were also heard in Dubai and over Qatar’s capital Doha as Iran launched fresh strikes. The United Arab Emirates and Qatar are US allies, and Iran’s offensive was described as a message to neighbouring countries that siding with its enemies would have consequences.

Earlier on Saturday, Dubai’s iconic Burj Al Arab Hotel, considered the world’s only 10-star hotel, was engulfed in flames after debris from an intercepted drone hit the building.

Zayed Airport in the UAE’s Abu Dhabi and Dubai Airport, the world’s busiest for international traffic, also suffered damages following overnight Iranian attack across the Gulf states.

Many flights in and out of the Middle East have been cancelled due to US missile attacks on Iran and subsequent counter strikes targeting American bases in the region. As per airport authorities, one Asian national was killed and seven others were injured at Abu Dhabi airport, while four injures were reported at Dubai airport.

Videos showed panicked passengers running along concourses as smoke spread through the airports, as water triggered by smoke alarms collected on the floor.

(With inputs from agencies)

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