Emirati President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan appeared in a meeting with a US senator on Wednesday for the first time after rumors about his health spread following a now-deleted Turkish presidency statement.

Earlier this month, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan went to Saudi Arabia and was meant to later visit the neighboring United Arab Emirates, amid an ongoing rift between the two Gulf powers.

But on Sunday, Erdogan said he was postponing his Abu Dhabi trip because the Emirati leader had a “health problem” — in a statement that was later deleted.

The incident fueled rumors online about Sheikh Mohamed’s health, with his Wikipedia page even briefly being edited to say he had died.

On Wednesday, the presidential court shared video footage of the Emirati president, smiling alongside powerful US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham during a meeting at Qasr Al Shati in Abu Dhabi.

The UAE’s official WAM news agency also shared photographs of the meeting, in which Sheikh Mohamed appeared alongside Graham.

UAE President receives US Senator Lindsey Graham#WamNews https://t.co/yNuv6DUh6S pic.twitter.com/wTlChxsHLJ — WAM English (@WAMNEWS_ENG) February 18, 2026

UAE President receives US Senator Lindsey Graham#WamNews https://t.co/yNuv6DUh6S pic.twitter.com/wTlChxsHLJ

— WAM English (@WAMNEWS_ENG) February 18, 2026

To those who are perpetuating false narratives against the United Arab Emirates and President Sheikh @MohamedBinZayed personally, you are full of it. I met with him today for an hour and a half. Not only is he alive, but he is also well and as sharp as I’ve ever seen him. To… — Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) February 18, 2026

To those who are perpetuating false narratives against the United Arab Emirates and President Sheikh @MohamedBinZayed personally, you are full of it. I met with him today for an hour and a half. Not only is he alive, but he is also well and as sharp as I’ve ever seen him. To…

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) February 18, 2026

WAM said both men discussed regional developments and joint efforts to promote peace in the Middle East.

Graham, writing on X earlier on Wednesday, said he met the UAE president for an hour and a half and dismissed those “perpetuating false narratives against the United Arab Emirates and President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed” as “full of it.”

A growing rift between the UAE and Saudi Arabia has brought heightened scrutiny to Abu Dhabi, as prominent Saudi social media voices intensify criticism and accuse the Emirates of contributing to regional instability. Online commentary in the kingdom often targets Sheikh Mohamed personally.

The Emirati leader’s team on Saturday evening released photos taken the same day showing Sheikh Mohamed, known as MBZ, smiling and apparently in good health, with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the emir of Qatar.

If so, we have a request. 

Every day during the past two years of war and rising global anti-Zionism and antisemitism, our journalists kept you abreast of the most important developments that merit your attention. Millions of people rely on ToI for fact-based coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. 

We care about Israel - and we know you do too. So we have an ask for this new year of 2026: express your values by joining The Times of Israel Community, an exclusive group for readers like you who appreciate and financially support our work. 

We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.

You clearly find our careful reporting valuable, in a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.

Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically since October 7.

So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you'll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.

Thank you,David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel

1 Vance: Nuclear talks showed some progress, but Iran won’t acknowledge Trump’s red lines

2 US-Iran war could be imminent and take weeks, sources warn after latest nuclear talks

3 Iran’s FM says ‘guiding principles’ agreed on with US after 2nd round of nuclear talks

4 2026 Winter OlympicsJubilant Israeli team celebrates last-place finish in Olympic 2-man bobsleigh event

5 Madrid museum ejects 3 elderly Israeli tourists who displayed Israeli flag, Star of David

6 ExplainerWhat to know about key waterway that Iran declared closed as it holds military drill

7 10 settler rabbis warn against ‘violence of any sort,’ amid attacks on Palestinians

8 Inside storyReunifying Arab parties aim for more power, but may wind up with more Netanyahu

Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

UAE United Arab Emirates

© The Times of Israel