UAE Halts All Trade With Iran as Tehran Warns Gulf States Over US Bases

3 articles · Updated · Middle East Eye · Aug 21

All trade, commercial exchanges and financial transactions between the UAE and Iran were halted Tuesday, with Abu Dhabi citing regional escalation after saying two Iranian ballistic missiles landed off its coast.
Iran rejected the missile claim and warned Gulf states that any help for US military operations would amount to participation, saying it was fully aware of activity at regional bases hosting US forces.
The rupture deepens a broader UAE pullback from Tehran: Abu Dhabi has already recalled its ambassador and shut Iran-linked schools and a hospital since the war began in late February.
US basing in the Gulf is also under review, with the Washington Post reporting the Trump administration is weighing troop withdrawals after Iranian drone and missile attacks on major regional installations.
The standoff reaches beyond the Gulf as Iran keeps the Strait of Hormuz closed pending US commitments, while South Korea said Trump’s military-drill cutback appeared tied partly to pressure over the Iran war.