The president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said his country was well in a time of war and told his enemies that it was no easy prey, in his public comments since Iran
launched missiles at its Gulf neighbour amid US-Israeli strikes.
“The UAE is attractive, but don’t be misled by the UAE’s appearance. The UAE has thick skin and bitter flesh – we are no easy prey,” Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is also ruler of Abu Dhabi, said in comments, made on Friday when visiting those injured in strikes, aired on Abu Dhabi TV on Saturday.
“We will carry out our duty towards our country, our people, and our residents who are also part of our family,” he said. Al Nahyan also vowed that the UAE would protect everyone in the country.
#رئيس_الدولة يؤكد أن دولة #الإمارات تضع أمنها وسلامة شعبها والمقيمين فيها وزوارها في مقدمة أولوياتها، وسموّه يتوجه بالشكر للقوات المسلحة والأجهزة الأمنية والفرق الوطنية على جهودهم، مشيداً بوعي أفراد المجتمع من الإماراتيين والمقيمين الذين عبَّروا عن حبهم للدولة 🇦🇪 pic.twitter.com/kHPdcvotyB
— UAEGOV (@UAEmediaoffice) March 7, 2026
The UAE president made the remarks while visiting five civilians injured by the Iranian strikes in the hospital. One of the injured civilians was an Indian. “I promise everyone that we will emerge stronger than before, without doubt,” he said.
After the US-Israeli attacks on February 28, Iran launched retaliatory missile and drone attacks, targeting US and Israeli infrastructure in other Gulf countries – including the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and more.
The UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Iraq have all reported drone or missile attacks over the past week. On Saturday, the UAE defence ministry said that it destroyed 15 ballistic missiles and intercepted 119 drones from Iran, after several parts of the country – including Dubai – came under attack.
The Emirates airline briefly suspended flights to and from Dubai on Saturday, and Dubai authorities cited a “minor” incident resulting from a fall of debris after an interception, without saying where the incident happened.
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Iran Apologises To Gulf Countries
The UAE president’s remarks came after Iran made an unusual apology to neighbouring states for its recent attacks, apparently seeking to calm regional anger at Iranian strikes on Gulf civilian targets.
“I apologise… to the neighbouring countries that were attacked by Iran,” Pezeshkian said in a speech broadcast by state television. The Iranian president said the country had adopted a policy of refraining from attacks on neighbouring nations unless those territories were used to launch strikes against Iran.
However, US President Donald Trump cast Iran’s apology as a surrender, while saying the country would be “hit very hard” on Saturday. Pezeshkian’s office reiterated that Iran’s military would respond firmly to attacks from US bases in the region.
Hours after Pezeshkian’s announcement, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said their drones struck a US air combat centre at Al Dhafra Air Base, near Abu Dhabi. Iranian attacks on UAE energy sites have also threatened oil storage, refining, and shipping infrastructure.
(with inputs from Reuters)
