As the war between Iran and the United States and Israel approaches its second week, the United Arab Emirates has emerged as the primary target of Tehran's retaliation, absorbing nearly half of all Iranian drone and missile strikes across the region.
According to official figures compiled by Gulf governments, the UAE has been struck by 1,728 Iranian missiles and drones, representing 44% of all attacks launched by Iran since the conflict began.
Kuwait has been the second-most targeted country, accounting for 24% of the strikes, while Israel has received about 14%. Bahrain has been hit by roughly 9% and Saudi Arabia about 5% of the total barrage.
The scale of the attacks has stunned regional leaders, who initially expected Israel or American bases to bear the majority of Iran's retaliation after U.S. and Israeli forces launched strikes on Iranian nuclear and military facilities late last month.
Instead, the Gulf states — and particularly the UAE, a staunch U.S. ally — have found themselves on the front line.
Analysts say Iran's strategy appears designed to pressure Washington indirectly by inflicting economic and political costs on its Arab partners.
By targeting cities, infrastructure, and oil facilities across the Gulf, Tehran hopes neighboring governments will push the United States to end the war.
"Iran is trying to extract a global cost for threatening its regime," said Jessie Moritz of the Australian National University's Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies.
Disrupting international commerce and travel in hubs like Dubai, she said, is intended to increase pressure on Western governments to de-escalate the conflict.
Iran has repeatedly warned that any attack on its territory would ignite a wider regional war.
The United States and Israel either doubted that threat or judged the risk acceptable when they launched their strikes.
Eleven days later, it is the Gulf states — especially the UAE — that are paying the price.
UAE on the Front Line
More than 1,700 drones and missiles have been fired toward the Emirates, according to the UAE Defense Ministry. The country says over 90% of the projectiles have been intercepted by a combination of Patriot and THAAD missile defense systems, fighter jets and helicopters.
Even so, many strikes have penetrated defenses.
Iranian drones have hit areas near Dubai International Airport, residential towers in the Dubai Marina, and industrial sites including the Ruwais energy complex, where operations at a refinery processing hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil per day were temporarily shut after a drone strike sparked a fire.
At least four civilians have been killed and more than 100 wounded, according to government figures.
The attacks have shaken a nation that built its modern identity on stability, security and global connectivity.
Dubai — the UAE's largest city — has become a central focus of Iranian attacks.
With roughly 4 million residents, more than 90% of whom are expatriates, the city is one of the world's most international urban centers. It hosts millions of tourists annually and serves as a global hub for finance, aviation, trade and luxury tourism.
"Dubai is really the epicenter of globalization," said Fawaz Gerges, professor of international relations at the London School of Economics. "Iranian leaders view Dubai as a foundation of the Western global economic system. If you rattle Dubai, you rattle the world economy."
The psychological impact of the attacks has been amplified by dramatic scenes — smoke rising near airport terminals, drones falling into high-rise districts and missile alerts sounding across beaches and shopping districts.
Even when casualties are limited, the symbolism is powerful.
U.S. Military Presence
Iran has justified its strikes by pointing to the UAE's deep military ties with Washington and its close relationship with Israel, along with Bahrain as a founding signatory to the Abraham Accords.
The Al Dhafra Air Base near Abu Dhabi hosts American aircraft and has supported U.S. surveillance missions and regional operations for years.
Meanwhile, Jebel Ali Port in Dubai is the largest port of call for the U.S. Navy in the Middle East, frequently hosting aircraft carriers and other warships.
Thousands of U.S. personnel rotate through facilities in the country.
Sanam Vakil of Chatham House said targeting the UAE allows Iran to strike at both American strategic interests and a key Western partner simultaneously.
"By striking the UAE, Iran signals that even countries hosting millions of expatriates and serving as global financial hubs cannot remain insulated from this conflict," she said.
Iranian Threats Escalate
Iranian officials have openly acknowledged that Gulf states are now central to their war strategy.
Mostafa Khoshchem, an Iranian security expert speaking on Iranian state television this week, warned that Tehran would intensify strikes on the region.
He said Iran was already targeting the city center of Dubai and warned that the UAE and the United States would be hit "very, very hard," accusing them of attacking Iranian desalination plants.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps also said Sunday that about 60% of its firepower is now directed at U.S. "bases and strategic interests" in neighboring Arab states, with the remainder aimed at Israel. But the fact Iran continues to target the UAE and its civilian sector indicates they are truthful.
Initially, many in the Gulf expressed frustration that the United States and Israel had triggered a conflict they feared would spill into their countries.
But as Iranian strikes intensified, anger increasingly shifted toward Tehran.
"On the morning the war started there was real upset at Israel and the U.S. choosing the military option," said Mina Al-Oraibi, editor of the UAE newspaper The National. "But once Iran began striking the UAE, the sense of injustice quickly turned toward Iran."
Despite the danger, life in Dubai continues in surreal fashion.
Beach clubs remain open, flights still depart from the airport, and tourists lounge beside the Persian Gulf even as missile alerts occasionally echo across the skyline.
For now, the UAE's sophisticated air defenses have prevented the worst-case scenario.
But with no clear end to the war in sight, the Gulf's most globalized nation remains firmly in Iran's crosshairs.
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