The UAE today faces an acute dilemma. It is increasingly drifting away from the very Gulf geography where its roots, prosperity and long-term security ultimately lie. The Iran-US-Israel war has exposed this reality brutally. Iran attacked the UAE repeatedly during the conflict. Emirati infrastructure and strategic assets came under pressure. Regional trade routes faced disruption. Yet instead of moving closer to the Gulf, Abu Dhabi appears to move further away from it.

In the weeks after the war, the UAE has deepened security coordination with Israel under the Abraham Accords, quietly pushed for stronger military responses against Iran and then welcomed Narendra Modi with renewed discussion about defence cooperation. This happens even though India itself struggled to maintain credible deterrence even against Pakistan during last year’s conflict. At the same time, Abbas Araghchi has publicly praised Chabahar as a gateway connecting India to Central Asia and Europe. Abu Dhabi, therefore, appears to embrace a country that Tehran itself still treats as an important strategic partner.

The contradiction becomes difficult to ignore. Israel is not the UAE’s neighbour. India is not the UAE’s neighbour. Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the rest of the GCC are. The Emirates can build relations with extra-regional powers, but its long-term security will still depend upon stability inside the Gulf rather than permanent confrontation around it.

The UAE’s anger toward Iran is nevertheless understandable. Among all Gulf states, the Emirates has remained one of the most open environments for Iranian business, commerce and sanctioned capital. Dubai has functioned for years as an economic breathing space for Iranian networks. During the war, however, Iran targeted the UAE more aggressively than many expected. A deep sense of betrayal naturally emerged within sections of the Emirati leadership and policy community. Gulf countries, including even Oman, are becoming much clearer about the dangers posed by Iranian conduct, though they differ in how they respond to it.

Even then, the wiser response should be immediate reconciliation with Saudi Arabia over the growing differences that emerged after the Abraham Accords. Yemen, Sudan, Somaliland and the Red Sea competition have gradually widened the distance between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh. The war has exposed the cost of that drift.

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© The Friday Times