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UAE tycoon rules out Abu Dhabi joining Iran war in scathing attack on US MEE staff on Mon, 03/09/2026 - 14:25 Khalaf al-Habtoor says that while Donald Trump and Lindsey Graham may 'risk their country for Israel's interests', the Emiratis would not do the same Khalaf Ahmed al-Habtoor, chairman of the United Arab Emirates' Al Habtoor Group, gestures during a press conference at Beirut airport on 20 March 2007 (AFP/Haitham Mussawi) Off In a scathing statement on X, Khalaf al-Habtoor, a prominent Emirati billionaire, has ruled out the UAE getting involved in the war on Iran, and accused the US of putting Israel’s interests over its own.  Habtoor noted that US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham had in recent days called on Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to join the US and Israel in its war on Iran.  “I say to him clearly: We know full well why we are under attack, and we also know who dragged the entire region into this dangerous escalation without consulting those he calls his ‘allies’ in the region,” he wrote.  Habtoor is not a government official, but the Dubai-based billionaire is close to ruling circles. Public expression in the UAE, particularly at this level, is tightly controlled by the government.  In response to the US and Israel's war, Iran has retaliated by launching drones and missiles at every country in the Gulf.  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Habtoor said that the UAE did not deny Iran’s threat to the region, adding that it does not trust Tehran.  “But this is a dirty game in which several powers clash at the expense of our region, with no honor in it and no transparency,” he said, calling out Iran, Israel and the US for prioritising their own interests over others in the region. “And for this reason, we say it clearly: We will not enter this war to serve the interests of others, nor will we sacrifice our sons in a conflict that could have been avoided through diplomacy and political solutions.” He said that the UAE does not treat the lives of “our sons” as collateral damage, “as some do”.  'We will not enter this war to serve the interests of others, nor will we sacrifice our sons in a conflict that could have been avoided through diplomacy and political solutions' - Khalaf al-Habtoor “If President Donald Trump and Senator Graham are prepared to risk their country and the lives of Americans for Israel's interests, that is their choice,” he said. “As for us, we will not do the same.” On Sunday, UAE officials denied Israeli media reports that Abu Dhabi had taken part in an air strike on an Iranian desalination plant.  In a statement issued on Sunday, the Emirati foreign ministry said the country was acting “in a state of defence” in response to attacks from Iran but “does not seek to be drawn into conflicts or escalation”. The statement came after several Israeli media outlets, citing anonymous sources, reported that the UAE was behind an attack on a desalination facility in Iran. 'We do not need your protection' Habtoor noted that Graham, in an interview with Fox News, said that Arab countries benefit from US protection.  “And I say to him: We do not need your protection. All we want from you is to keep your hands off us,” the tycoon said.  He added that the US selling weapons to the UAE was not a favour nor charity, and that Abu Dhabi invested billions in its security.  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); He also referenced another portion of Graham’s remarks to Fox News, in which he spoke about the US’s oil interests.  “Venezuela and Iran have 31 percent of the world’s oil reserves. We’re going to have a partnership with 31 percent of the known reserves. This is China’s nightmare. This is a good investment,” Graham told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo. There was no nuclear threat. US-Israeli war on Iran is blind vengeance Read More » Habtoor responded: “Only then does the picture become clear. And only then do we understand why they want this war.”  The billionaire concluded by stating that anyone listening to Graham’s remarks “might think you’re a member of the Israeli Knesset”.  “You defend Israel's interests more than you defend the interests of the American people themselves,” he said.  “We will not accept being forced down the path of war, nor will we accept being fuel for others' battles.” Habtoor last week accused Trump of dragging the Gulf partners into “danger” by unleashing a war on Iran that they did not want and betraying the American people by putting war at the “top of your priorities”. Habtoor owns one of the UAE’s largest conglomerates, Al Habtoor Group. The censure is all the more notable because the UAE businessman has no record of criticising Trump or his policies. On the contrary, he publicly embraced Israel after Trump brokered the Abraham Accords. The UAE normalised ties with Israel under the 2020 accords, which also saw Morocco and Bahrain establish formal relations. The Habtoor Group was one of the first UAE companies to look at partnering with Israeli airlines. It also signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Israeli tech company Mobileye. The UAE, in general, is seen as the Gulf state closest to Israel. War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

US-Israel War on Iran Follows Gaza Playbook  IMEU Policy Project

Shamali, who worked for Qatar Radio, killed in an Israeli air strike on central Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp.

Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade tells oil tankers to go through the Strait of Hormuz: "Show some guts and go through that strait and and do it"  Media Matters for America

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Israeli Foreign Minister asked if new supreme leader is a target for assassination  CNN

US spent almost $6 billion in first week of war on Iran  The New Arab

WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that Australia was "making a terrible humanitarian mistake" by allowing Iran's national women's soccer team to be sent back to Iran and called on Australia's prime minister to give asylum to team members. (Reporting by Katharine Jackson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

NEW YORK, March 9 (Reuters) - Turkish state-run lender Halkbank and the U.S. Justice Department have reached a deferred prosecution agreement, the judge overseeing the long-running U.S. criminal case against the bank said in a court filing on Monday, without providing further details of the deal. In the case, prosecutors had accused of fraud, money laundering and conspiracy for allegedly helping Iran evade American economic sanctions. Halkbank's case has long been a thorn in U.S.-Turkey relations, with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan calling it an "unlawful, ugly" step.

(Corrects to read 'last year' (not 'this year'), paragraph 11) March 9 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has begun oil output cuts, sources said on Monday, becoming the latest Gulf producer impacted by the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran which has halted ship traffic in the region and sent oil prices up nearly 30% to $119 a barrel on Monday. Adding to market jitters were Tehran's hardline succession plans which cooled hopes of a quick end to hostilities.

Hezbollah members who were arrested in Lebanon last week were released on a nominal bail under pressure from the group.

As toxic clouds and rain smother Tehran, analysts say Israel’s aims is to break the resilience of the Iranian people.

Holed up in Iraqi mountains, militants voice ambivalence about US intervention but say they're in contact with Americans; no current plans for ground offensive The post Kurdish rebels say they’re prepared to ‘resist’ Iran, while awaiting uprising appeared first on The Times of Israel.

IN PHOTOS | Day 10: U.S.-Israel war with Iran  CBC

Troops describe damaged, overcrowded protected spaces, with pictures showing groups of troops taking cover in open areas; IDF says additional solutions being deployed The post Soldiers claim lack of proper shelters leaves them exposed to missile attacks appeared first on The Times of Israel.

US-Iran war live updates: Iranian death toll passes 1300 as Khamenei’s son named as successor; global sharemarkets tumble  SMH.com.au

Under a banner bearing the portrait of Iran's slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the words "your path will continue", crowds gathered in Tehran to pledge allegiance to his son and successor. Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, was named the Islamic republic's new leader on Monday, 10 days into the war that began when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran and has since ensnared the Middle East.

Dozens Wounded in Bahrain as Arab States Condemn Iranian Strikes  The New York Times

France sends ships to re-open Strait of Hormuz as war sends oil price soaring and US-Israeli strikes batter...  Daily Mail Online

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