File Photo: An Emirati flag fluttering above Dubai. AFP
In a statement, the Emirati Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that "the UAE’s international relations and defence partnerships are an exclusively sovereign matter", and that no party has the "right to use them as a pretext for threats, interference, or incitement".
The Ministry emphasised that any rhetoric involving direct or indirect threats to the country’s security, its civilian and critical infrastructure, or the safety of its citizens, residents, and visitors constitutes unacceptable conduct that contravenes the principles of good neighbourliness, international law, and the United Nations (UN) Charter.
The foreign ministry added that the "UAE reserves its full sovereign, legal, diplomatic, and military rights to address any threat, allegation, or hostile act".
The Ministry further affirmed that "attempts at coercion, levelling accusations, or promoting malicious claims will not undermine the UAE’s principled positions, nor deter the country from safeguarding its supreme national interests and upholding its sovereignty and independent decision-making.|
Tensions between Iran and the UAE have sharply escalated following missile and drone strikes and a stern warning from Tehran. Statements carried by Tasnim News Agency quoted an Iranian military source cautioning the UAE against aligning with Israel, warning of severe consequences if provoked.
The Emirati statement came in response to a previous Iranian foreign ministry statement accusing the UAE of "demonstrating conspicuous cooperation with the aggressive American side and posed a threat to Iran’s national security and interests—an approach contrary to the principle of good neighbourliness and in violation of the fundamental principles of the UN Charter".
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