The United Arab Emirates has suspended all trade activities, exchanges, and financial transactions with Iran until further notice, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday, citing regional escalation it said undermined regional and international peace and security.
In a statement on X, Afra Al Hameli, spokesperson and Director of the Strategic Communications Department at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, rejected allegations regarding the status of the country’s economic relationship with Iran, confirming that all trade, commercial exchanges, and financial transactions with Tehran had been halted until further notice. She reiterated the UAE’s commitment to dialogue, cooperation, and regional integration as essential tools for advancing peace, stability, and prosperity in the region.
“In light of regional escalations that undermine regional and international peace and security, all trade, commercial exchanges, and financial transactions with Iran have been halted until further notice,” Al Hameli said, adding that the UAE remained firmly committed to safeguarding the integrity of the international financial system in line with international law and the highest global standards.
The announcement followed a statement from the UAE Defense Ministry saying it had detected two Iranian ballistic missiles targeting maritime navigation. The UAE had also recently accused Iran of attacking its state-owned ADNOC vessels while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has not claimed responsibility for the attacks on the ADNOC vessels, though its Revolutionary Guards have previously threatened action against vessels transiting the strait if linked to Tehran’s adversaries or found non-compliant with Iranian directives.
Tensions across the Middle East have escalated sharply since the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran. Tehran responded with retaliatory strikes against regional countries hosting US assets, including the UAE. In mid-June, Iran and the US signed a memorandum of understanding under Pakistani mediation, aimed at ending their conflict and reaching a lasting peace agreement. Those talks have since broken down, however, amid ongoing disputes over the memorandum’s terms and navigation rights through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy exports.
