UAE Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh warned in an Abu Dhabi interview with Euronews: 'Iran must not be allowed to hold the global economy hostage by its rogue state behaviour.'
The Strait of Hormuz - a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman - carries roughly 20% of the world’s energy supplies. Disruption there would spike global energy prices, threaten food security, and raise costs at grocery stores and petrol stations.
Nusseibeh emphasized the UAE’s role as a responsible global energy supplier and highlighted €65 billion in annual trade with Europe. Over half a million Europeans live in the UAE; their safety is a top priority.
She framed the crisis as a defense of regional peace, tolerance, and coexistence - opposing what she called Iran’s export of 'nihilism.'
Despite absorbing the highest number of Iranian missile and drone attacks in the Middle East over 14 days, the UAE reports near-normal life. Decades of military readiness, economic diversification, and AI infrastructure investments - including $1.5 trillion in US AI data centers and major projects in Italy and France - underpin its resilience.