The already strained relations between Iran and the United Arab Emirates have reached a new level after Abu Dhabi announced the suspension of all trade with Tehran following claims that Iran had launched two ballistic missiles.

The UAE said its defence forces remain on maximum alert to protect the country’s sovereignty and national security amid the escalating situation.

At around 6:45pm local time on Tuesday, an emergency alert appeared on the mobile phones of civilians across the UAE, instructing them to immediately seek shelter in the nearest safe building. The sudden warning caused temporary panic in Dubai and several other cities. Around 15 minutes later, however, the Interior Ministry announced that the situation was safe and instructed residents to resume normal activities.

Soon after, the UAE Defence Ministry officially said that two ballistic missiles had been launched from Iran toward vessels or commercial shipping in the region. According to the ministry, one missile fell into waters outside the UAE’s territorial boundaries, while the other landed in regional waters. Although neither missile struck a target and both fell into the sea, Abu Dhabi described the incident as a serious threat to national security.

In response, the UAE government immediately announced tough economic measures. Citing concerns over regional stability and international peace, Abu Dhabi said it would indefinitely suspend all forms of trade, commercial exchanges and financial transactions with Tehran.

The decision to sever trade ties, following the recent missile scare, has further intensified diplomatic tensions between the two neighbouring countries, despite signs of some easing in relations in recent months.

Tehran, however, has categorically denied all the allegations. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei rejected the UAE’s claims as completely baseless and untrue. He said such allegations could undermine efforts to establish regional peace and rebuild trust.

Baghaei also accused regional powers of deliberately exploiting the current tensions and called on all sides to refrain from making misleading statements.

The latest escalation did not emerge suddenly. It comes amid the failure of diplomatic efforts between the United States and Iran and the continuing crisis surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes.

A two-month deadline was reportedly set in June in an effort to reduce tensions between Washington and Tehran, but it recently expired without any positive outcome. The failure has dealt another major blow to efforts to resolve the longstanding dispute.

The United States has made it clear that no diplomatic negotiations with Iran are currently taking place. Iran, meanwhile, has said the strategically important waterway will not be reopened for normal maritime traffic until its conditions are met.

Source: NDTV