UAE will review global ties, 'determine who can be relied upon': Gargash

[Editor's Note: Follow Khaleej Times live blog for the latest regional developments with the US-Israel-Iran ceasefire now in effect.]

The UAE has begun reassessing its security posture and alliances following Iran’s attack earlier this year, days after a ceasefire brought a halt to the US-Israel-Iran war.

In a statement, top UAE diplomat Dr Anwar Gargash said it was still “premature” to draw full lessons from what he described as a “treacherous Iranian aggression,” but stressed that the country is already working to reinforce its national resilience and defence.

"We proceed to entrench the concept of the state that has enshrined the success of the UAE and its model, and we work to enhance our ability to safeguard this homeland and defend it," Gargash wrote on social media platform X.

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His remarks come after a ceasefire was declared in the early hours of April 8, ending 39 days of intense war involving the United States, Israel and Iran that had rapidly escalated across the region.

The urgency of that review is underscored by the events since February 28, when Iran launched missiles and drones targeting the UAE — a direct strike on Emirati territory that at the time raised fears of a wider regional spillover.

Gargash said the UAE would now carefully reassess its regional and international relationships, determining “who can be relied upon,” while also strengthening its economic and financial systems to enhance resilience.

"The rational review of our national priorities is our path to the future," he added.

Gargash on April 7 also said Iran targeted Gulf neighbours despite efforts to avoid war, describing it as a “treacherous regime that cannot be trusted.”