UAE seeks to stay out of Iran conflict as militias warn of ‘total war’

DUBAI – The United Arab Emirates will not allow its airspace, territory or territorial waters to be used for any hostile military actions against Iran, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday, reaffirming the country’s commitment to neutrality and regional stability.

Uncertainty over the prospect of military action against Iran has persisted after US President Donald Trump said last week that an “armada” was heading towards the country, while adding that he hoped it would not have to be used. Trump’s warnings to Tehran were linked to concerns over the killing of protesters and the possibility of Iran restarting its nuclear programme.

Iran has been gripped by widespread protests that rights groups say have left thousands of people dead, including bystanders. The unrest has been described by those groups as the bloodiest crackdown since Shia Muslim clerics took power following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Against this backdrop, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem warned on Monday that any threat to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would be regarded as a direct threat to the Lebanese militant group.

“It is our duty to confront this threat with all measures and preparations,” Qassem said, warning that any war on Iran would set the region ablaze.

In Iraq, the militia group Kata’ib Hezbollah said on Sunday that it was preparing for what it described as “total war.” The Iran-backed group’s secretary general, Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi, warned that any conflict with Tehran “will not be easy” and said its adversaries would “face severe consequences.”

He urged fighters to be “field-ready,” adding: “We address our call to our mujahideen brothers … to prepare for a total war in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels also issued a warning, threatening renewed attacks on shipping. The group launched a campaign of assaults on commercial vessels in the Red Sea a month after the outbreak of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, describing the attacks as an act of solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

Houthi attacks have largely subsided since a ceasefire came into effect in Gaza last October, although the group has repeatedly warned that it could resume strikes if circumstances change. On Sunday, the rebels posted an ominous video on X showing a commercial vessel engulfed in flames, accompanied by the caption “soon.”