On the 7th of last month (local time), even after the United States and Iran entered a cease-fire, Iran continued missile and drone attacks targeting the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Since the cease-fire deal, the only Middle Eastern country Iran has attacked is the UAE. Attention is focusing on why Iran is singling out the UAE.
According to major foreign media on the 15th, the UAE shot down drones and missiles launched from Iran on the 4th, when the United States began its "Liberation Project" operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. In the process, a fire broke out at an oil facility at Fujairah port, the UAE said. The UAE added that even after that, some areas were hit multiple times by ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones from Iran.
The UAE has been the Gulf country hit by the most attacks since the war with Iran broke out at the end of February. Iran has launched more than 2,800 missiles and drones toward the UAE. That is more than Israel, a party to the war, as well as any other Gulf country.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) said, "The UAE has emerged as the most openly confrontational country against Iran in the Gulf region and has maintained close military cooperation with the United States throughout the war." The analysis is that the UAE has become a main target for Iran because of its close alignment with the United States.
In fact, the UAE has maintained close ties with the United States on security. For years, U.S. forces have stationed a substantial contingent on UAE territory centered on Al Dhafra Air Base on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi. Thousands of U.S. troops and advanced equipment are deployed at Al Dhafra, and the base is also known to host radar and intelligence systems that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed as attack targets during the war.
Another factor seen as provoking Iran is the UAE's move to openly strengthen cooperation with Israel. In 2020, the UAE signed the "Abraham Accords," which centered on normalizing relations with Israel, and established official diplomatic ties. While other Middle Eastern countries maintain unofficial relations with Israel, Bahrain and the UAE differ in that they moved to normalize relations openly.
Since establishing diplomatic relations, the UAE and Israel have also strengthened cooperation in the military field. Israeli defense company Elbit Systems set up a local subsidiary in the UAE, and during the war Israel provided the UAE with Iron Dome missile defense system technology and personnel. Al Jazeera said, "The UAE is the only Arab country to receive such measures."
Because of this, the UAE has been perceived by Iran as another hostile country. On the 14th, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi aimed at the UAE, saying it "directly intervened in acts of aggression against our country," and claimed that "the UAE provided its territory so that the United States and Israel could use weapons and equipment targeting Iran."
The fact that the UAE took direct military action against Iran after the war broke out also contributed to making it a key target for Iran. According to the WSJ, on the 8th of last month, before the United States and Iran agreed to a cease-fire, the UAE secretly carried out an airstrike on a refinery on Lavan Island off southern Iran. It was also reported to have coordinated with Israel at least twice in the process of attacking Iran.
There is also speculation that if the U.S.-Iran cease-fire ends, the UAE could again become a major target for Iran. The Guardian in the United Kingdom, citing reports of the UAE's attacks on Iran on the 12th, said, "If the cease-fire is scrapped and the United States and Iran clash again, the UAE could become a core target of Iran's attacks."