RIYADH: The UAE has confirmed it is committed to supporting regional security and stability and protecting the region’s people from the repercussions of conflicts.
“The UAE has condemned in the strongest terms the unprovoked Iranian attacks and threats targeting the UAE and countries across the region, which included the launch of nearly 3,000 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones toward the UAE,” read a foreign ministry statement issued on Saturday.
The ministry said the attacks had resulted in civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure and were a clear violation of state sovereignty and a threat to regional security and stability.
The ministry also stressed: “All measures undertaken by the UAE have been within the framework of defensive actions aimed at protecting its sovereignty, civilians, and vital infrastructure, in line with the country’s legitimate right to safeguard its national security and maintain stability.”
It added: “Attempts at coercion or the promotion of malicious narratives and allegations will not undermine the UAE’s principled positions, nor deter the country from safeguarding its supreme national interest and upholding its sovereignty and independent decision-making.”
At a BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi on Friday, UAE Minister of State Khalifa bin Shaheen Al-Marar said: “The UAE does not seek protection from others and is fully capable of deterring this unprovoked aggression.”
He said his country rejected “any allegations or threats targeting its sovereignty, national security, or independent decision-making,” the Emirates News Agency reported.
The US and Israel began a military campaign against Iran on Feb. 28, leading to Tehran attacking Gulf neighbors, Israel and US assets in the region.
A ceasefire, announced on April 7, appears to be holding despite skirmishes.
