UAE closes Embassy in Iran after four killed in attacks across the Gulf

The UAE said on Sunday it was closing its Embassy in Tehran and recalling the Emirati Ambassador after Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone campaign in the Gulf killed four people and wounded dozens more.

The move marks the strongest condemnation yet by a Gulf state since Tehran began targeting the region with a barrage of strikes after the U.S. and Israel launched a massive air campaign against Iran that killed its supreme leader and other top officials.

Iran-Israel conflict updates on March 1, 2026

“These hostile attacks against civilian sites, including residential areas, airports, ports, and service facilities, endangered innocent civilians in a serious and irresponsible escalation,” the UAE Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The UAE fully reopened its embassy and sent a new ambassador to Tehran in 2022 during a thaw in relations between the Emirates and the Islamic republic. Saudi Arabia later followed suit.

Iran’s continued and unprecedented Gulf bombardment has raised fears of a wider conflict and rattled a region long seen as a haven of peace and security in the turbulent West Asia.

For a second day, AFP correspondents heard repeated, powerful blasts in Dubai, Doha and Manama, with explosions also heard in Riyadh, as Iran launched counterstrikes following US and Israeli attacks.

Tehran also appeared to target on Sunday (March 1, 2026) a building complex in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi housing several foreign missions, including the Israeli embassy.

Two people were injured by debris during the incident at Etihad Towers.

Three people — Pakistani, Nepalese and Bangladeshi nationals — have been killed in the UAE since Saturday, according to Abu Dhabi’s Defence Ministry.

Since Saturday (February 28, 2026) the UAE detected 165 ballistic missiles, destroying 152, and intercepted two cruise missiles, the ministry said.

It added that 506 of 541 Iranian drones were shot down.

The Kuwaiti Health Ministry said one person had been killed and 32 others injured since Saturday.

In Oman, which helped mediate U.S.-Iran talks and was the only Gulf state spared on the first day of the Iranian campaign, the port of Duqm was targeted by two drones, the Oman News Agency said.

Later Sunday, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi pushed for a ceasefire on a call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi.

Mr. Albusaidi “affirmed the Sultanate of Oman’s continued call for a ceasefire and a return to dialogue… in a manner that achieves the legitimate demands of all parties,” his Ministry said in a readout of the call.

Hotels become targets

Earlier, Oman said an oil tanker was targeted off the coast. Its crew was evacuated and four of them were injured, the news agency reported.

The Gulf Cooperation Council was to convene via video-link later Sunday (March 1, 2026) for a unified response to Iran’s attacks.

Jordan, which has also been intercepting missiles and drones over the past two days, said five people have been injured and a number of homes damaged across the kingdom since the start of Iran’s reprisals.

Across the Gulf, civilian infrastructure has been hit: from airports and seaports to residential buildings and hotels.

Security analyst Anna Jacobs said: “The Gulf countries right now are really on the front lines of this brutal war.”

“Gulf countries, as always, want to support de-escalation and diplomacy… But this commitment and these principles are being put to the test right now,” she added.

“If Iran continues to hit these countries and escalates even more, it will be very difficult for them to just sit and do nothing.”

Early Sunday (March 1, 2026), drones struck the airport in Bahrain’s capital Manama, causing minor damage, authorities said.

The U.S. Embassy in Manama urged citizens to steer clear of hotels in Manama, warning they could become potential targets after the Crowne Plaza was hit.

Palm, Burj Al Arab

In the UAE, which has borne the brunt of the attacks, two people were injured when debris from intercepted drones fell on homes in Dubai, authorities said.

On Saturday (February 28, 2026), the Iranian attacks sparked fires at landmarks such as The Palm seafront development and Burj Al Arab hotel.

At the airport in Abu Dhabi, at least one person was killed and seven wounded during what authorities called an “incident” and another died earlier in the day from falling debris.

Dubai airport, the world’s busiest for international traffic, and Kuwait’s airport, were also hit.

In Saudi Arabia, Iranian missiles targeting Riyadh’s international airport and the Prince Sultan Airbase, which houses US military personnel, were intercepted, a Gulf source briefed on the matter told AFP.

A witness near the airport said they “saw and heard the air defence intercept the missile in the sky”.

In Qatar, host of the region’s biggest US military base, officials said Iran had launched 65 missiles and 12 drones towards the Gulf state, most of which were intercepted, but eight people were injured, with one in critical condition.

The oil-and-gas-rich Arab monarchies host a clutch of U.S. military bases.

Published – March 02, 2026 02:15 am IST