The United Arab Emirates has told Euronews that a ceasefire alone will not resolve the Iran conflict, stating there is "no trust" in Tehran's regime—a position that complicates mediation efforts and signals a hardening Arab stance against Iran despite the risk of regional conflagration.
"A temporary ceasefire is not sufficient when there is no trust in the other side's intentions," UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Khalifa Shaheen al-Marar said in an interview broadcast Monday. "Iran has repeatedly demonstrated that it uses ceasefires to rearm, regroup, and prepare for the next phase of aggression."
The statement represents a significant shift for a Gulf state that had normalized economic ties with Iran in recent years. Abu Dhabi and Tehran restored diplomatic relations in 2022 after nearly a decade of hostility, and bilateral trade reached $20 billion annually as the UAE became a key conduit for Iranian goods evading Western sanctions.
That pragmatic relationship now appears dead. The UAE's public declaration of distrust in Iran's regime—even as regional stability hangs in the balance—suggests Abu Dhabi sees Tehran's regional ambitions as incompatible with any sustainable peace framework.
"This is not about temporary conflict," al-Marar continued. "This is about Iran's 40-year strategy of expanding influence through proxy militias, ballistic missile development, and nuclear ambitions. A ceasefire that does not address those fundamental issues simply delays the next crisis."
To understand today's headlines, we must look at yesterday's decisions. The UAE has oscillated between confrontation and accommodation with Iran for decades. Abu Dhabi joined the Saudi-led coalition against Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen in 2015, but withdrew forces in 2019 after determining the war was unwinnable. The UAE then pursued economic engagement with Iran, calculating that trade and dialogue offered more security than military confrontation.
That calculation shifted as Iran accelerated its nuclear program and supplied advanced weapons to proxy forces across the region. Houthi missile and drone attacks struck Abu Dhabi in January 2022, killing three people and demonstrating that engagement had not reduced threats. More recently, Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have targeted UAE interests and personnel.
The UAE's loss of faith in Iran reflects broader Arab Gulf state concerns that Tehran cannot be trusted to uphold commitments. Saudi Arabia, which normalized relations with Iran through Chinese mediation in 2023, has also grown frustrated with continued Iranian support for Houthi attacks on Saudi territory despite diplomatic agreements.
"Gulf states tried engagement and it failed," said Karen Young, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington. "They are now aligned with the American and Israeli position that Iran's behavior must fundamentally change, not just pause temporarily."
The UAE's position complicates international mediation efforts. France and Germany have circulated a ceasefire proposal that would pause hostilities for 30 days while negotiations proceed on longer-term arrangements. The plan requires both American and Iranian acceptance, but also tacit support from regional powers who could undermine implementation.
If the UAE and other Gulf states refuse to support a ceasefire—arguing it merely allows Iran to regroup—then any agreement becomes politically untenable for the Trump administration, which has repeatedly emphasized that regional allies back its hardline approach.
"The Arab position gives Washington cover to reject ceasefire proposals," said Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. "If America's regional partners say a ceasefire is insufficient, then the administration can claim it is listening to allies rather than just pursuing its own agenda."
The UAE's statement also reflects domestic political considerations. Abu Dhabi has positioned itself as a moderate, pragmatic actor in Middle East politics—but public opinion in the Emirates increasingly sees Iran as an existential threat. By taking a hardline position, Emirati leadership signals to domestic audiences that it will not appease Tehran.
The interview with Euronews marked the first time a senior UAE official has explicitly declared lack of trust in Iran's regime. Previous statements criticized specific Iranian actions—support for militias, nuclear development, ballistic missile tests—but avoided sweeping condemnations of Tehran's intentions.
The shift in rhetoric suggests Abu Dhabi has concluded that the current Iranian leadership cannot be a reliable partner regardless of what agreements might be reached. That judgment, if shared by other regional powers, forecloses diplomatic options and increases the likelihood that the current crisis will be resolved through force rather than negotiation.
For now, the UAE's position aligns with the Trump administration's maximum-pressure approach and Israel's long-standing insistence that Iran's regime must be fundamentally weakened or replaced. Whether that alignment represents coordinated strategy or parallel conclusions about Iranian intentions remains unclear.
What is clear is that the Arab Gulf states—once divided on Iran policy—are converging toward the view that engagement has failed and more confrontational approaches are necessary. That consensus removes one of the potential constraints on escalation and increases the likelihood that the region faces prolonged conflict rather than negotiated settlement.
