“UAE No Longer Needs the US to Defend It,” Says Prominent Emirati Political Scientist

President Donald Trump meets with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Credit: The White House

A salient Emirati governmental idiosyncratic is urging the UAE to rethink the relation of American bases connected its soil, saying they did small to support the state during the caller war with Iran and whitethorn person made it a bigger target.

Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a governmental expert with adjacent ties to Emirati leadership, shared his views connected X and aboriginal repeated them to planetary media. He said the beingness of US troops gave Iran a justification to onslaught the Emirates.

هذا ما قلته لرويترز اليوم: لم تعد الامارات بحاجة لأمريكا كي تدافع عنها فقد اكدت خلال العدوان الإيراني انها قادرة الدفاع عن نفسها بجدارة، ما تحتاجه الإمارات هو اقتناء افضل وأحدث ما لدى امريكا من اسلحة فقط لذلك حان وقت التفكير في اغلاق القواعد الأمريكية فهي عبء وليس رصيد استراتيجي

— Abdulkhaleq Abdulla (@Abdulkhaleq_UAE) April 19, 2026

The UAE carried retired astir of its ain defence utilizing American weapons and rocket systems. American soldiers, helium argued, added small to that effort.

“It’s clip to rethink American bases successful the UAE,” says Abdulkhaleq Abdulla

The warfare began Feb. 28 pursuing Israeli and American strikes connected Iran. Tehran responded with sustained attacks connected Gulf states. The UAE absorbed immoderate of the heaviest blows, with Iranian forces firing 1,872 drones, 398 ballistic missiles, and 15 cruise missiles astatine the state done precocious March.

Most were intercepted, but falling debris caused harm astatine the Fujairah lipid zone, Palm Jumeirah, the Burj Al Arab, and Dubai International Airport.

Washington presently operates astatine slightest 19 subject installations crossed the Middle East, 8 of them designated arsenic permanent. Roughly 40,000 American troops were stationed successful the portion earlier the warfare started.

Emirati governmental idiosyncratic calls for US bases to beryllium closed portion inactive seeking Washington’s astir precocious weapons
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Emirati governmental idiosyncratic and commentator Abdulkhaleq Abdulla has called for the closure of US subject bases successful the UAE, portion stressing the state should… pic.twitter.com/goswpF2262

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) April 20, 2026

The UAE hosts astir 3,500 of them, on with Al-Dhafra Air Base, a installation shared among American, French, and Emirati forces.

UAE analysts divided connected whether to rethink American bases

The statement implicit those bases has divided commentators. Nadim Koteich, a UAE-based media fig and erstwhile caput of Sky News Arabia, called Washington a dependable state crossed each country that counts.

He argued that viewing the narration purely done a information lens underestimates however acold the concern has developed, covering technology, industry, finance, energy, and defense. He said the Abu Dhabi-Washington narration should beryllium deepened, not questioned.

Anna Jacobs, a non-resident chap astatine the Arab Gulf States Institute, said the speech reflects existent vexation wrong Emirati leadership. The UAE was not consulted earlier the warfare and was again near retired of talks connected however it would end. Gulf states had privately opposed the war, and erstwhile it went up anyway, they pushed for it to beryllium finished completely. It was ended abruptly instead.

Abdulla clarified helium was not calling for an contiguous withdrawal. Any determination connected American bases should beryllium gradual and agreed upon by some sides. His concern, helium said, was whether those bases inactive service the UAE nationalist defense. The broader narration with Washington, helium added, is expected to support growing.

The economical toll has been severe. Stock values connected the Dubai and Abu Dhabi exchanges declined by much than 120 cardinal dollars. Property values successful Dubai fell astatine slightest 16 percent betwixt the commencement of the warfare and the extremity of March. More than 18,400 scheduled flights were grounded during the aforesaid period.