United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Monday claimed that it was being targeted “in a very unwarranted manner” and stressed it would “not partake in any attacks against Iran”. “Our bases are not being used to attack Iran,” claimed Jamal Al Musharakh, the UAE’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, reported AFP.
“The UAE does not seek to be drawn into conflict or escalation,” he said.
The UAE ambassador’s comments come amid the ongoing tensions in West Asia – which followed after US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on Saturday, 28 February. Hours later the same day, Iran launched retaliatory strikes – with explosions reported across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia – among other key Middle Eastern hubs – which are also home to US military bases.
UAE destroys 12 missiles, intercepts 17 drones
Earlier in the day, UAE Ministry of Defence said the country’s air defence systems detected 15 ballistic missiles on Monday, of which 12 were successfully destroyed while three fell into the sea.
Musharakh said the UAE had been subjected to more than 1,400 attacks since the conflict began – including attacks with cruise and ballistic missiles, and drones – of which “the vast majority were intercepted and neutralised” by the country’s armed forces.
He said the “unprovoked targeting” of civilian infrastructure such as desalination and energy plants, was “unacceptable”.
“Tragically, these attacks have resulted in four civilian fatalities, as well as 114 minor injuries,” the ambassador said.
“The UAE and other Gulf countries are not parties to the conflict… There is no legal basis for targeting third-party states that are not involved in hostilities.”
‘Very clear before and leading up to…’
Besides his claims that the UAE is being targeted, Musharakh also said the Gulf nation was calling for a return to the negotiating table.
“We’ve been very clear before and leading up to the current events we are witnessing in the region that as the UAE we will not partake in any attacks against Iran from our territory, and that we will not be involved in such a conflict,” he told the UN correspondents’ association ACANU.
“We were one of the countries that constantly called for the need for a negotiation, the need for diplomacy, the need for de-escalation,” Musharakh said.
“And we have constantly informed that our territories would not be used for any attacks against Iran. Yet we are being targeted, frankly, in a very unwarranted manner.”
The United States and Iran held a third round of indirect talks through Omani negotiators, on Iran’s nuclear programme, in Geneva on February 26.
Two days later, the United States and Israel launched the first wave of attacks in a war that has seen Iran strike targets in multiple countries around the Gulf, including in the UAE.
(with inputs from AFP)
