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Watch: UAE not part of Iran conflict, will continue to defend itself, says senior officer
The UAE's military involvement in the ongoing conflict is 'not necessarily' off the table, he added
- PUBLISHED: Fri 3 Apr 2026, 6:24 PM
[Editor's Note: Follow Khaleej Times live blog amid US-Israel-Iran war for the latest regional developments.]
The UAE is not part of the US-Israel-Iran conflict that erupted on February 28, 2026, but will continue to defend its territories, a senior Emirati officer said.
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The UAE's military involvement in the ongoing regional conflict, however, is “not necessarily” off the table. In an interview with an international media outlet shared on Instagram, Major General Abdul Nasser Al Humaidi, spokesperson for the UAE Ministry of Defence, said the country has been targeted by Iranian aggression.
“As we iterated earlier, we’re not part of this conflict. We just got aggressed by the Iranians, so we will continue that posture in defending our territory, along with our international partners and close allies and also GCC members,” he said.
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The comments reinforce the UAE’s stated position of maintaining a defensive military posture while reserving the right to respond to any direct threats.
When asked whether joining the conflict was off the table, Al Humaidi said: “Not necessarily, but the UAE preserves its right of self-defence upon any aggression that aims at the UAE, and that’s the primary role of the military and armed forces.”
Interceptions of missiles and drones
The spokesperson said the UAE has successfully intercepted the vast majority of incoming threats.
According to the interview, the country has intercepted 99 per cent of missiles and 95 per cent of drone attacks launched towards it, which he described as “unlawful” targeting of civilian infrastructure.
Watch the full interview here:
No attacks on Iran from US bases in UAE
Al Humaidi also rejected claims made by Iran that US strikes on Iranian territories were launched from bases in the UAE.
“I think the UAE government were really clear from the beginning of the conflict that UAE territory will not be used for any attacks against Iran and will continue to do so,” he said.
“From a military standpoint, that’s not correct, and it’s not happening.”
