Anwar Gargash: UAE Has the Right to Defend Itself Against Iranian Aggression

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, issued a firm public statement on Saturday condemning Iran’s missile strikes on Fujairah as “terrorist aggression” while maintaining that the UAE was still prioritising restraint and seeking a diplomatic resolution. Gargash’s comments came after Iranian ballistic missiles struck the emirate’s major oil port, suspending loading operations and sending dark smoke rising over the coastline. His statement reflected the difficult balancing act facing Gulf states caught between American security guarantees and Iranian military pressure.
The UAE has been one of several Gulf countries drawn into the conflict that began on February 28, hosting US military forces while trying to avoid becoming a direct target. Iran’s decision to strike Fujairah — one of the world’s most important ship-refuelling hubs — was seen as a deliberate signal that no Gulf state was safe from retaliation as long as it hosted American forces or cooperated with the US military campaign. Iran’s foreign minister reinforced the message by calling on all Arab states to expel US forces from their territory.
The United States continued its campaign against Iran on Saturday, bombing Kharg Island for the second consecutive day. President Trump said in public remarks the facility had been effectively demolished and left open the possibility of further strikes. He called on China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the UK to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran had closed since the war began. His appeal was the first public suggestion that the US might need multinational naval support to reopen the waterway, which carries roughly 20 percent of global oil and gas.
Israel conducted dozens of airstrikes across Iran, killing at least 15 people in Isfahan. Iran fired rockets at Israel in return and maintained its assault on the UAE simultaneously. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described Iran’s leadership as “desperate and hiding” and claimed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had been wounded. Iranian officials confirmed the injury but disputed its severity. Analysts at the International Crisis Group described the regime as structurally intact and pursuing a deliberate strategy of prolonged conflict.
The war’s human and economic toll was severe and growing. More than 1,400 Iranians had been killed in sustained bombing, with Lebanon adding 800 more dead and 850,000 displaced from Israeli strikes on Hezbollah. Thirteen Israelis and roughly 20 Gulf residents had also died. The US embassy in Baghdad was struck by missiles, and Americans in Iraq were ordered to leave immediately. Six US troops died in a military aircraft crash in western Iraq. Oil prices were approaching $120 per barrel and threatening to climb higher, with global economic stability increasingly at risk.