Iran’s Foreign Ministry has issued a sharp warning to the United Arab Emirates and other Middle Eastern countries, saying that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Abu Dhabi will have “highly dangerous consequences” for regional security (Astro Awani, 2026).
The warning came in a statement on Tuesday, two days after Netanyahu’s previously undisclosed visit to the UAE, which was confirmed by both Israeli and Emirati authorities. The Iranian Foreign Ministry described the visit as “provocative” and accused Israel of carrying out military attacks against Iran while escalating violence in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon (Pars Today, 2026).
The statement said: “At a time when West Asia is experiencing one of the most fragile and sensitive periods in its history due to the Israeli regime’s military aggression against Iran and the escalation of its occupation and genocide in Islamic lands, particularly Palestine and Lebanon, the presence of a criminal whose hands are stained with the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent people and who is being pursued by international courts is extremely dangerous and alarming” (Pars Today, 2026).
Iran called on regional governments to “refrain from facilitating the Israeli regime’s destabilizing presence” and not allow their territories to be used as a platform for actions against other countries. The ministry added: “Regional security is a collective and indivisible matter, and any move that facilitates the entry of destabilizing actors into the region will ultimately harm all regional countries and lead to greater division, insecurity and instability in West Asia” (Pars Today, 2026).
The Visit That Sparked the Warning
Netanyahu travelled to Abu Dhabi on Sunday at the invitation of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to confirmation from both countries. The two leaders discussed bilateral relations and regional developments, with a particular emphasis on Iran (Astro Awani, 2026).
According to Associated Press reporting, the visit was not primarily about bilateral cooperation. Netanyahu reportedly sought to persuade Sheikh Mohamed to publicly deny reports that the UAE had warned Israel about the October 7 attacks before they occurred. Israeli television Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu’s office made repeated requests for the meeting, but the UAE viewed the matter as an internal Israeli political issue and was reluctant to intervene ahead of Israeli elections (Gazete Oksijen, 2026).
After his meeting with Sheikh Mohamed, Netanyahu reportedly held expanded discussions with senior officials from several Middle Eastern nations, including Saudi Arabia and Jordan, to discuss regional cooperation against Iran (Astro Awani, 2026).
Saudi Arabia Denies Involvement
Saudi Arabia moved quickly to distance itself from the reported expanded meeting. A Saudi official told AFP: “No official meeting, no conversation, nothing. Our position regarding Israel has not changed” (Gazeta Express, 2026).
The denial followed Israeli media reports that Saudi representatives had participated in broader talks covering Iran, Yemen’s Houthis, security cooperation, and regional defence systems. Riyadh has consistently linked any normalisation of relations with Israel to the creation of a Palestinian state, and the normalisation process was suspended after the war in Gaza broke out (Gazeta Express, 2026).
Jordan also denied that its officials had attended any such meeting.
The UAE is one of the Arab countries that maintains official diplomatic relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords, signed in 2020. The two countries have deepened military and intelligence cooperation in recent years, particularly after Iran launched retaliatory strikes against Israel and US military bases in the Gulf (Astro Awani, 2026).
The Island Dispute
The diplomatic tensions are compounded by a long-running territorial dispute over three Gulf islands: Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb. Iran took control of the islands in 1971, and the UAE has consistently claimed sovereignty over them (Shafaq News, 2026).
Addressing the UN General Assembly, UAE Minister of State Khalifa Shaheen Almarar called for resolving the dispute through direct negotiations or the International Court of Justice. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi rejected that assertion, saying it would not alter Tehran’s sovereignty over the islands (Shafaq News, 2026).
Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, warned the UAE that hosting Netanyahu would have “no positive consequences,” adding: “Just as hosting American military bases has not brought you security, hosting the ‘Butcher of Gaza’ will also have no good consequences. Learn from the last war, stop starting wars, and stop making baseless claims about the Iranian islands” (Shafaq News, 2026).
Trump Claims Record Oil Flow Through Hormuz
As the diplomatic crisis escalates, US President Donald Trump claimed on Tuesday that American forces had extracted record quantities of crude oil from the Strait of Hormuz in recent days. “We took more oil out of the Hormuz Strait over the last couple of days than at any point in history,” Trump said (Yeni Şafak, 2026).
Trump dismissed speculation about an immediate Iranian concession but predicted Tehran would eventually capitulate under mounting pressure. “They are in very bad shape. I don’t know if they are ready to give up, but they will eventually give up,” he said (Yeni Şafak, 2026).
What This Means
The warning to the UAE is the latest in a series of Iranian statements directed at Gulf states since Netanyahu’s visit. Iran’s message is clear: any country that facilitates Israel’s presence in the region risks becoming a target in the broader confrontation between Tehran and Jerusalem.
For the UAE, the balancing act is delicate. It maintains diplomatic and economic ties with Israel, hosts American military bases, and shares Iran’s concerns about regional stability. But it also has deep trade links with Iran and a large Iranian expatriate community. Abu Dhabi has denied Western media reports suggesting it participated in US-Israeli airstrikes against Iran (Astro Awani, 2026).
The coming weeks will show whether Iran’s warning is rhetorical or a signal of something more concrete. For now, the Gulf remains a chessboard, and every move is being watched.
