United Arab Emirates response to Iranian attacks

At an information meeting for Euronews and media selected in Abu Dhabi, Emirates officials say the country was prepared for instability long before recent escalation, Telegraphy broadcasts.

“We are getting ready. Not expecting war, but preparing for some kind of emergency, like the one we're facing today. The United Arab Emirates are a country that is preparing and we have long been prepared because of our assessment of the situation in the region. We are prepared in terms of food stock, in terms of objects, and so on”, a United Arab Emirates official said.

Comments offer a rare mirror of how the country predicted the possibility of a broader regional crisis, even though it followed diplomatic commitment with Tehran.

“We have acted in a very much way, let's say, constructive with Iran, along with other GCC countries”, the official said.

Despite these preparations, the rate of attacks has come as a shock. What we've seen is something we didn't expect. Time proved that we were ready for it, but we definitely didn't. We did not think Iran would actually jeopardise the relations of all its neighbours”, the official said.

Officials say the United Arab Emirates are now focused on protecting their population and infrastructure, keeping the broader conflict contained.

The United Arab Emirates want Iranian aggression against non-combat states, Gulf states, to be completed immediately”, the official said.

In all of the United Arab Emirates and neighbouring Gulf states, air protection systems have seized inflowing threats.

“The Iranian strategy is to try to create regional chaos”, but they “did not expect air protection in the Gulf to do so well. Our air defense has done a great job. We have a multiethnic system”, the official said.

These defence operations have included international partners.
I have to say, the French support has been excellent. You know, their Raphares have come into power from the first day. They have fulfilled their agreement with us from the first day. They're part of our continuous air patrols, falling, you know, rockets and falling mostly fears, etc. This is something the French demonstrated when Huth attacked in 2021. And on the other hand, this once again, this has started functioning”, the official said.

Authorities say the priority remains the country's defence by maintaining stability throughout the economy and daily life.

We will continue to protect the country, protect everyone here and make sure that we slowly return to normal. We're watching more flights develop. They are still not close to the number of flights being carried out. We are still looking at several moving ports”, the official said.

At the same time, officials warn that the attacks could reform the way the region approaches negotiations with Iran in the future.

Any new solution negotiated with Iran will no longer be limited to nuclearly alone. The rockets are now in the spotlight, because the missiles are now not seen as self-defense”, the official said.

While the United Arab Emirates have stressed the need for protection and prevention, officials also say the country does not want the conflict to expand.

“in a conflict region, we have often seen that the conflict does not really solve issues, critical issues”, the official said.

Any kind of escalation is disturbing. We want to contain the war. We don't want the war to expand. We want to start with Iranians, realizing they're not helping themselves attack their entire neighborhood, and stop here and understand this. And I think it will also open more ways towards active mediation in my opinion”, he added. /Periscope