{"id":5309,"date":"2026-03-07T21:36:57","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T21:36:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/03\/07\/uae-president-says-prepared-to-confront-threats-as-iran-attacks-continue\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T21:36:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T21:36:57","slug":"uae-president-says-prepared-to-confront-threats-as-iran-attacks-continue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/03\/07\/uae-president-says-prepared-to-confront-threats-as-iran-attacks-continue\/","title":{"rendered":"UAE president says prepared to confront \u2018threats\u2019 as Iran attacks continue"},"content":{"rendered":"<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>The president of the United Arab Emirates spoke for the first time on the widening war in the Middle East as Iran continues to strike Gulf countries hosting US military assets with drones and missiles.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe UAE has thick skin and bitter flesh \u2013 we are no easy prey,\u201d said Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in comments aired by Abu Dhabi TV on Saturday as he visited wounded patients in a hospital.<\/p>\n<section>\n<h2>Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n<p><span>list of 4 items<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>list 1 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/3\/7\/iran-to-halt-strikes-on-neighbours-unless-attacks-from-there-pezeshkian\">Iran to halt strikes on neighbours unless attacks from there: Pezeshkian<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 2 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/3\/7\/iranian-kurd-leader-in-iraq-says-ground-operation-into-iran-highly-likely\">Iranian Kurd leader in Iraq says ground operation into Iran \u2018highly likely\u2019<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 3 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/3\/7\/iranian-authorities-warn-against-fifth-column-as-no-signs-of-war-abating\">Iranian authorities warn against \u2018fifth column\u2019, as no signs of war abating<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 4 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/video\/upfront\/2026\/3\/7\/war-against-iran-how-far-will-it-go\">War against Iran: How far will it go?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>He added the UAE is in \u201ca period of war\u201d but would \u201cemerge stronger\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>In a social media post, Sheikh Mohamed said the UAE, which has seen attacks affecting hubs such as airports, tourist attractions, and the US consulate in Dubai, is prepared to confront \u201cthreats\u201d against the \u201csecurity and the protection of all citizens\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>One driver was killed when debris from an intercepted projectile slammed into his vehicle, Dubai\u2019s Media Office said, describing the victim as Asian but providing no further details.<\/p>\n<p>Sheikh Mohamed\u2019s comments were aired as the region entered a second week of war sparked by a major US-Israeli attack on Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian offered an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/3\/7\/iran-to-halt-strikes-on-neighbours-unless-attacks-from-there-pezeshkian\">apology<\/a> to neighbouring nations for launching strikes on their countries housing US military bases.\u00a0His comments were swiftly contradicted by Iranian judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, also a member of the interim leadership council.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvidence from Iran\u2019s armed forces shows that the geography of some countries in the region is openly and covertly at the disposal of the enemy,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cThe heavy attacks on these targets will continue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pezeshkian himself rolled back on his remarks that Gulf countries would not be targeted unless attacks originated from their territories, caveating that while his country emphasised \u201cthe preservation and continuation of friendly relations,\u201d Iran still has an \u201cinherent right\u201d to defend itself against US-Israeli aggression.<\/p>\n<p>Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also clarified the leader\u2019s comments on X, saying, \u201cPresident Pezeshkian expressed openness to de-escalation within our region \u2013 provided that our neighbours\u2019 airspace, territory, and waters are not used to attack the Iranian people.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"iran-retaliates-after-attack-on-water-supplies\">Iran retaliates after attack on water supplies<\/h2>\n<p>All the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations \u2013 Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman \u2013 have been targeted because of the presence of US assets within and around their borders.<\/p>\n<p>In the Gulf, the deadly attacks have caused major disruption to flights, closure of airspace, and heavy knock-on impacts on\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/3\/6\/qatar-warns-iran-war-could-halt-gulf-energy-exports-within-weeks\">oil-and-gas production<\/a>\u00a0reverberating across the world.<\/p>\n<p>On Saturday, Iranian state media reported the country\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted US forces at Bahrain\u2019s Jufair airbase in retaliation for an attack on a freshwater desalination plant on Qeshm Island.<\/p>\n<p>Araghchi called the US attack on the plant a \u201cdangerous move with grave consequences\u201d, accusing the US of committing a \u201cblatant and desperate crime\u201d, which affected the water supply to 30 villages.<\/p>\n<p>Iran\u2019s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, later said the attack was carried out with support from one of the airbases in a southern neighbouring country, stressing nations will not enjoy peace as long as the US has bases in the region.<\/p>\n<p>Harlan Ullman, a senior adviser with the Atlantic Council, told Al Jazeera that attacks on water supplies could bring \u201cgreater chaos\u201d to the Gulf.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout 95 percent of all water in the Gulf comes from desalination,\u201d he said. \u201cIf Iran wants to target desalination and water installation plants, they can bring the Gulf to a halt.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"other-attacks-on-gulf\">Other attacks on Gulf<\/h2>\n<p>The UAE, a US ally and home to US military installations, has been the most heavily targeted nation in the Gulf during the war.<\/p>\n<p>The Emirati Ministry of Defence said on Saturday it was targeted with 16 ballistic missiles and more than 120 drones.<\/p>\n<p>Hours after Pezeshkian\u2019s apology, the IRGC said their drones struck a US air combat centre at al-Dhafra airbase near Abu Dhabi, capital of the UAE.<\/p>\n<p>Later, an unidentified object was intercepted near Dubai airport, the world\u2019s busiest for international traffic, forcing it to briefly suspend operations.<\/p>\n<p>Iranian attacks also hit Abu Dhabi airport, the upmarket Palm Jumeirah development, and the Burj Al Arab luxury hotel over the past week, while drone debris caused a fire at the US consulate in Dubai.<\/p>\n<p>Also on Saturday, Qatar\u2019s armed forces intercepted a missile attack, according to the Ministry of Defence. No immediate details were released about possible damage or casualties.<\/p>\n<p>In Saudi Arabia, the defence ministry said a ballistic missile landed in an uninhabited area after being launched towards Prince Sultan Air Base, southeast of Riyadh, which hosts US troops.<\/p>\n<p>Kuwait also reported intercepting a drone while the country\u2019s national oil company announced a \u201cprecautionary\u201d cut to its production of crude because of Iranian attacks and threats to the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit point for Gulf hydrocarbons.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"iran-to-select-new-supreme-leader\">Iran to select new supreme leader<\/h2>\n<p>Posting on social media on Saturday, US President Donald Trump warned his country would hit Iran \u201cvery hard\u201d and threatened to expand strikes to include new targets.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking at an event hosting Latin American leaders in Miami, Florida, Trump said on Saturday his country\u2019s forces sank 42 Iranian navy ships in three days.<\/p>\n<p>Israel launched what its military described as a new wave of strikes on Tehran and Isfahan. The military said on Saturday that more than 80 fighter jets completed a wave of strikes on Iranian army sites, missile launchers and other targets.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement, the army said targets hit in Iran included missile storage sites, ballistic missile launchers and military facilities linked to Iran\u2019s security forces.<\/p>\n<p>Among the attacks, it said it struck 16 aircraft at Tehran\u2019s Mehrabad airport, which belonged to the Quds Force branch of Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard overseeing its foreign operations.<\/p>\n<p>The Israeli military reported missiles were fired from \u200cIran at Israel on eight different occasions on Saturday, setting off air raid sirens in parts of the country and actioning air defences.<\/p>\n<p>Iranian state media reported Saturday that the IRGC hit a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker in Hormuz.<\/p>\n<p>Iran\u2019s Assembly of Experts will be meeting in the next 24 hours to choose a new supreme leader, according to assembly member Ayatollah Mozafari.<\/p>\n<p>Iran\u2019s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, has rejected Trump\u2019s demands to have a say in selecting Iran\u2019s new supreme leader.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The president of the United Arab Emirates spoke for the first time on the widening war in the Middle East as Iran continues to strike Gulf countries hosting US military assets with drones and missiles. \u201cThe UAE has thick skin and bitter flesh \u2013 we are no easy prey,\u201d said Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al &#8230; <a title=\"UAE president says prepared to confront \u2018threats\u2019 as Iran attacks continue\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/03\/07\/uae-president-says-prepared-to-confront-threats-as-iran-attacks-continue\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about UAE president says prepared to confront \u2018threats\u2019 as Iran attacks continue\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5310,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5309\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}