UAE Official Calls Report Of Strike On Iran Desalination Plant ‘Fake News’

Last Updated:March 08, 2026, 17:48 IST

The UAE had been contemplating it should react after Abu Dhabi, along with a host of Gulf nations, came under attack by Iran after the US-Israeli strikes on February 28.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has denied reports of launching its first retaliatory attack on Iran on Sunday, after reports surfaced that it struck a desalination facility. The UAE had long been contemplating a response to waves of Iranian missile and drone attacks.

Dr Ali Rashid Ali Nuaimi, a member of the United Arab Emirates Federal Council and Chairman of the Defence Affairs, Interior and Foreign Affairs Committee at the Council, has denied reports of an UAE retaliatory attack on Iran as “fake news."

“This is fake news. When we do something, we’ve the courage to announce it," he said on X, in response to reports of an UAE attack on an Iranian desalination facility in retaliation for Tehran’s missile and drone attacks over the last week.

“The UAE will never place the Iranian people in the same basket as the Iranian regime. The Iranian people are the real victims of that regime and the ones who suffer the most from its policies. As neighbours, we recognize this reality and we care about their wellbeing," he said in another post.

Earlier, a source familiar with the matter told the Jerusalem Post that the UAE struck a desalination plant, which is used to remove salt and other minerals from seawater or salty groundwater to produce fresh drinking water, in its first retaliatory strike on Iran.

Israeli outlet Ynet also reported that the UAE strike would represent a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict by bringing another Gulf state directly into military operations against Iran.

The UAE had been contemplating it should react after Abu Dhabi, along with a host of Gulf nations, came under attack by Iran since Israel and the US launched strikes on February 28. Last week, authorities in the UAE’s Fujairah extinguished a fire caused by debris after the interception of a drone by air defences in the Fujairah oil industry zone.

On Sunday, the UAE’s Defence Ministry said the death toll from Iran’s attacks had risen to four. It also intercepted 16 missiles launched by Iran, while a 17th fell into the sea. The UAE says it also intercepted most of Iran’s 117 drones, but four fell in UAE territory.

A Wall Street Journal report from Friday said that the UAE is considering freezing billions of dollars’ worth of assets belonging to Iran, a move which would cripple the country’s connection to the global economy.

Along with the UAE, the governments of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain reported Iranian drone attacks in their countries on Saturday and early Sunday, with a huge fire engulfing a government office block in Kuwait.

‘We Are No Easy Prey’

On Saturday, UAE president Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a warning to the country’s enemies, saying that while it was “in a time of war", it was not an “easy prey".

“The UAE is attractive, but don’t be misled by the UAE’s appearance. The UAE has thick skin and bitter flesh – we are no easy prey," Al Nahyan, who is also ruler of Abu Dhabi, said in comments aired on Abu Dhabi TV on Saturday.

READ MORE: ‘We Are No Easy Prey’: UAE President Vows To Defend Country In First Remarks After Iran Strikes

The UAE president’s remarks came after Iran made an unusual apology to neighbouring states for its recent attacks, apparently seeking to calm regional anger at Iranian strikes on Gulf civilian targets. However, the Iranian top leadership later asserted that it would not stop attacks on neighbouring countries allegedly colluding with the US and Israel.

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