UAE repels new wave of missile and drone attacks from Iran
Mar 16, 2026
Cairo [Egypt], March 16: The United Arab Emirates has faced fresh missile and drone attacks from Iran, with the country's air defences intercepting the incoming strikes, the Ministry of Defence announced Sunday morning on X.
Earlier attacks were also reported, including against other Gulf states. Anwar Gargash, advisor to UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, stated overnight that his country did indeed have the right to defend itself against the "terrorist aggression." At the same time, he said the UAE wanted to continue to act with reason and restraint.
The UAE is exercising restraint while simultaneously seeking a way out of the crisis for Iran and the wider Middle East region, Gargash added.
The Iranian state news agency IRNA cited the Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as saying that drones and missiles had been fired at the UAE's Al Dhafra Air Base.
It added that attacks on targets representing US and Israeli interests would continue.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X overnight that Tehran was calling on its "brotherly neighbours" to drive out foreign aggressors, saying their "sole concern is Israel." Earlier this week, Iran's newly appointed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, called on Gulf states to close US bases on their territory in a statement read out on state television by a presenter.
Source: Qatar Tribune