Al Habtoor, founding chairman of the Al Habtoor Group—one of the region’s most prominent conglomerates with interests in hospitality, automotive, real estate, education, and publishing—began his message with a direct question to the US president.
“Mr. President Donald Trump, a direct question: Who authorized you to drag our region into a war with Iran? And on what basis did you make this dangerous decision?” he wrote on Facebook.
He asked whether Trump had calculated the collateral damage before “pulling the trigger,” and whether he had considered that the first to suffer from such escalation would be the countries of the region.
Al Habtoor also questioned the reasons behind the war, writing, “The people of this region have the right to ask as well: Was this your decision alone? Or was it the result of pressure from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government?”
He accused the US president of placing the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the wider Arab region at the centre of a danger they did not choose.
“Thank God we are strong and capable of defending ourselves, and we have armies and defenses that protect our homelands,” Al Habtoor wrote. “But the question remains: Who allowed you to turn our region into a battlefield?”
He continued his questions by pointing to a contradiction between Trump's calls for peace and the current escalation.
“Before the ink had dried on the Board of Peace initiative you announced in the name of peace and stability, we now find ourselves facing a military escalation that endangers the entire region. Where did those initiatives go? And what is the fate of the pledges that were made in the name of peace?”
Al Habtoor added that most of the funding proposed in those initiatives had come from countries in the region, particularly Gulf states, which contributed billions of dollars to support stability and development.
“For that reason, these countries have the right today to ask: Where did this money go? Are we funding peace initiatives, or are we funding a war that puts us in danger?” he said.
He warned that the consequences of the war would not only threaten the people of the region but could also affect Americans.
“The American people, whom you promised peace and prosperity, now find themselves in a war funded by their money and taxes,” he wrote.
Citing the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), Al Habtoor said the cost estimates for direct military operations range from $40 to $65 billion and may reach $210 billion, including economic impacts and indirect losses if the conflict lasts four to five weeks.
He added that the war could even lead to “sacrificing Americans themselves in a war that has nothing to do with them.”
Moreover, Al Habtoor criticized what he described as Trump’s departure from earlier promises not to become involved in foreign wars and to focus on the United States first. He said that during his second term, Trump had ordered military interventions in seven countries: Somalia, Iraq, Yemen, Nigeria, Syria, Iran, and Venezuela, in addition to naval operations in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific Ocean.
“You have carried out more than 658 external airstrikes in your first year in office, equivalent to the total number of strikes during the entire presidency of Joe Biden, whom you criticized for dragging the United States into foreign wars,” he wrote.
“Mr. President, these numbers have had a strong impact on your approval ratings among Americans, which have fallen since your second inauguration, dropping by 9 percent in just 400 days,” he added.
“These figures say something clear: Even within the United States, there is growing concern about being drawn into another war and about exposing American lives, the economy, and the country’s future to unnecessary risks.”
Al Habtoor concluded that true leadership should not be measured by decisions of war but by wisdom, respect for others, and efforts to achieve peace.
“If these initiatives were launched in the name of peace, then we have the right today to demand full transparency and clear accountability,” he said.
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