Gulf Split Deepens as UAE Failed to Rally Saudi Arabia Against Iran

The United Arab Emirates tried unsuccessfully to persuade Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Gulf states to join a coordinated military response against Iran shortly after the United States and Israel launched their campaign against Tehran, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

According to the report, UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed spoke by phone with regional leaders, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, urging a collective Gulf response. Saudi Arabia and Qatar refused to take part, exposing a sharp divide inside the Gulf Cooperation Council over how far Arab states should go in confronting Iran. The Trump administration was aware of the UAE’s effort and wanted Saudi Arabia and Qatar to join the response, according to the same report.

The failed Emirati push comes amid growing evidence that the Iran war has opened a hidden Gulf front. Reuters reported earlier this week that Saudi Arabia carried out unpublicized strikes on Iran in late March after Iranian attacks on the kingdom, while maintaining diplomatic channels with Tehran and later moving toward de-escalation. Reuters also cited reporting that the UAE had carried out strikes on Iran, but noted that Abu Dhabi adopted a more hawkish posture than Riyadh.

Bloomberg’s report suggests that Riyadh’s position was not simply passive. Saudi Arabia avoided joining an overt Gulf-wide campaign and later backed Pakistani-led mediation efforts. The UAE, by contrast, was reportedly frustrated that it was not given a larger role in that diplomatic process. Qatar also considered retaliation after Iran struck the Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas plant, but ultimately decided against it.

The dispute reflects a broader divergence between Abu Dhabi and its neighbors. The UAE has been among the Gulf states most directly affected by Iranian attacks, with strikes hitting civilian infrastructure and energy facilities, Reuters reported. Abu Dhabi has responded by deepening security ties with the United States and Israel and pushing for a tougher line in negotiations with Iran.

Saudi Arabia has taken a more cautious path, seeking to limit escalation while protecting its infrastructure and Vision 2030 economic agenda. Saudi officials continued contact with Iran even after the kingdom’s reported retaliatory strikes, and that an informal Saudi-Iranian understanding helped reduce tensions before the broader U.S.-Iran ceasefire in April.

The tensions surfaced publicly in late April, when UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash criticized the GCC’s response to Iranian attacks as historically weak. Gargash said Gulf states had supported each other logistically, but that their political and military response was “the weakest in history.” The comment came as Gulf leaders met in Jeddah to discuss a common response after Iranian missile and drone attacks damaged energy and civilian infrastructure across the region.

The UAE appears to favor a more forceful posture designed to impose costs on Iran and strengthen its security alignment with Washington and Israel. Saudi Arabia, despite reportedly striking Iran, is trying to preserve channels for de-escalation and avoid a war that could endanger its domestic transformation plans.