Missiles fly over Gulf, Dubai airport shuts as Iran war tests UAE’s alliances

The world’s busiest international airport, Dubai International Airport, suspended operations on February 28 as missiles streaked across West Asian skies following coordinated US and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation.

Dubai — long regarded as a neutral sanctuary for global commerce — found itself abruptly drawn into the widening conflict. More than 700 flights were cancelled, with services halted indefinitely at both Dubai International and Al Maktoum International Airport, also known as Dubai World Central.

Images circulating on social media showed flames at the five-star Fairmont The Palm in Palm Jumeirah, underscoring the extent to which the regional confrontation had reached the Gulf’s commercial nerve centre.

Among those stranded were Indian badminton star PV Sindhu and Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, as airspace closures rippled across the region.

As the Israel-US-Iran confrontation intensifies, questions are mounting over where the United Arab Emirates stands — and how its strategic relationships position it in an increasingly volatile landscape.

UAE’s ties with Israel: Pragmatism over politics

The UAE became the first Gulf Arab state to normalise relations with Israel under the US-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020. It marked only the third Arab-Israel peace agreement since 1948, following deals signed by Egypt and Jordan.

Abu Dhabi’s condition for signing was that Israel suspend its plans to annex parts of the West Bank. Then Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the annexation proposal had been suspended — though not permanently scrapped.

For many Muslim-majority nations, normalizing ties with Israel carries reputational costs. For the UAE, however, strategic anxieties over Iran, expanded trade prospects with Israel, and deeper security cooperation with the United States outweighed domestic and regional hesitations. Bahrain and Morocco soon followed suit.

After the Gaza war erupted in 2023, the UAE publicly criticized Israel and dispatched humanitarian aid to Gaza, but it stopped short of severing ties. According to the Doha-based Middle East Council on Global Affairs, the UAE is now Israel’s largest Gulf trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching $3.2 billion in 2024 — an 11% increase over the previous year.

Strategic anchor: UAE’s deep security partnership with the US

The UAE’s alignment with Washington remains central to its defense posture. A Library of Congress report designates the UAE as a US “major defense partner,” hosting American forces and purchasing advanced US military equipment, including missile defence systems and combat aircraft.

Between 1950 and 2023, the United States executed more than $33.8 billion in Foreign Military Sales to the UAE, making it the 11th-largest US defense customer globally by value.

At the heart of this partnership lies Al Dhafra Air Base, located south of Abu Dhabi. The base hosts the US Air Force’s 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, comprising 10 aircraft squadrons and drones such as the MQ-9 Reaper. It serves as a critical operational hub and is shared with the UAE Air Force.

Al Dhafra also hosts airborne early warning and control aircraft, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, and aerial refueling units. The Gulf Air Warfare Center, based there, provides region-specific military training to roughly 2,000 personnel annually.

Meanwhile, Jebel Ali Port — along with other UAE ports — routinely accommodates US Navy vessels and provides key logistical support.

A delicate balancing act in a widening war

The UAE has sought to position itself as both a commercial crossroads and a diplomatic bridge in a fractured region. But as direct confrontation between Iran, Israel and the United States escalates, the room for neutrality appears to be narrowing.

With its deep security ties to Washington, economic partnership with Israel, and geographic proximity to Iran, Abu Dhabi now faces one of its most complex strategic tests in years — even as Dubai’s grounded runways signal how quickly distant conflict can land on Gulf soil.