Iran and the UAE have a complicated relationship stretching back decades. The most persistent flashpoint has been the dispute over three islands in the Persian Gulf — Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb — which Iran seized from Sharjah in 1971, just before the UAE's formation. The UAE has never accepted Iran's sovereignty over these islands.

Despite this territorial dispute, the UAE maintained pragmatic economic ties with Iran for years. Dubai served as a major re-export hub for Iranian goods, and a large Iranian expatriate community lived in the UAE. However, relations deteriorated sharply after the 2011 Arab Spring and the UAE's growing alignment with Saudi Arabia's more confrontational stance toward Iran.

The UAE's decision to normalize relations with Israel in 2020 (the Abraham Accords) further strained ties with Tehran, which viewed the deal as a regional security threat.

The United States maintains its largest military presence in the Gulf region at Al Dhafra Air Base near Abu Dhabi. The base hosts approximately 5,000 US personnel and serves as a critical hub for CENTCOM operations across the Middle East and Central Asia.

Al Dhafra houses advanced fighter aircraft, surveillance drones, and aerial refueling tankers. It has been used for operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and for surveillance of Iranian military activities. Iran has repeatedly warned that Gulf states hosting US military installations would be considered legitimate targets in any conflict.

The UAE also hosts US Navy vessels at Jebel Ali port — the largest port in the Middle East and a critical logistics hub for the US Fifth Fleet. The proximity of military assets to major civilian population centers has been a growing concern.

Following the outbreak of hostilities, the US deployed additional THAAD and Patriot batteries to the UAE, and CENTCOM declared an elevated force protection posture across the region.

Iran's nuclear program has been a central source of tension for over two decades. The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) temporarily eased concerns by limiting Iran's enrichment activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

The US withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018 under President Trump, followed by the reimposition of “maximum pressure” sanctions, pushed Iran to gradually exceed the deal's enrichment limits. By 2024, Iran was enriching uranium to 60% purity — just a technical step from weapons-grade.

Diplomatic efforts to revive the deal continued through 2025 but collapsed in January 2026 after Iran rejected new conditions proposed by the US and European partners. The IAEA reported a significant acceleration in Iran's nuclear activities in early 2026, raising fears that Tehran was approaching a nuclear breakout capability.

This nuclear brinkmanship created a volatile backdrop. The Gulf states, particularly the UAE and Saudi Arabia, felt increasingly vulnerable and accelerated their own defense cooperation with the US.

Iran's network of regional allies and proxy forces — often called the “Axis of Resistance” — has long been a source of tension with Gulf Arab states. This network includes Hezbollah in Lebanon, Shia militias in Iraq, and the Houthi movement in Yemen.

The Yemen conflict has been particularly relevant. Since 2015, the UAE participated in the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels, who receive Iranian weapons and support. In January 2022, the Houthis launched drone and missile attacks on Abu Dhabi, killing three people — a stark demonstration that the UAE was within range of Iranian-aligned forces.

While the UAE scaled back its direct military role in Yemen after 2019, it continued to support local forces. Iran viewed this as ongoing aggression against its allies. The Shahed drone technology that Iran provided to the Houthis — and later used extensively in Ukraine — proved devastatingly effective and cheap.

In the current conflict, Houthi forces have launched concurrent attacks on Saudi Arabian targets, opening a second front and stretching regional air defense capabilities.

The collapse of nuclear talks in January 2026 set off a rapid escalation. The US imposed new sanctions targeting Iran's oil exports and financial sector. Iran responded by announcing it would enrich uranium to 90% purity and expelled IAEA inspectors from key facilities.

In early February, the US repositioned naval assets in the Persian Gulf, including an additional carrier strike group. Iran declared this a “direct threat” and put its military on high alert. The Strait of Hormuz saw several tense naval encounters.

On February 25, an explosion at an IRGC facility in Isfahan — widely attributed to sabotage — killed several senior military officers. Iran blamed Israel and the US, vowing retaliation against “all nodes of aggression,” explicitly naming UAE bases hosting US forces.

On February 28, Iran launched its first wave of ballistic missiles at Al Dhafra Air Base and surrounding areas. Multiple civilian casualties were reported. The UAE declared a national state of emergency, and NCEMA activated full crisis protocols.