00:00As US warships move closer to Iran,
00:29a stunning fracture has emerged inside America's closest circle of allies.
00:35The United Arab Emirates, long viewed as one of Washington's most reliable partners in the Middle East,
00:41has drawn a hard line declaring it will not support any attack on Iran.
00:47No airspace, no land, no waters, and no logistical help for a U.S.-led strike.
00:53In a formal statement, the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed that Emirati territory, airspace, and waters
01:02will not be used for hostile military actions against Iran.
01:07The ministry said the country would also refuse any logistical or operational support connected to an attack.
01:14For a nation that has often aligned closely with Washington and with President Donald Trump personally,
01:21this is a rare and unmistakable rebuke at a critical moment.
01:25Tehran has responded with its own stark warning.
01:29A senior Iranian official told Reuters that any U.S. attack, no matter how limited or surgical,
01:36would be treated as an all-out war.
01:38The official warned that Iran would respond in the hardest way possible,
01:43signaling that escalation would be immediate and widespread.
01:47The message to Washington was blunt.
01:50There will be no controlled strike and no controlled outcome.
01:54President Trump has repeatedly kept the door open to new military action against Iran.
02:00That follows U.S. support and participation in Israel's 12-day campaign last June,
02:06aimed at degrading Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
02:11Trump has framed potential action as a response to internal repression,
02:16nuclear ambitions, and regional instability,
02:18while signaling that force remains firmly on the table.
02:23And the military posture continues to harden.
02:26Trump has confirmed that a U.S. armada is moving toward Iran.
02:30Aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and three destroyers
02:34are now operating in the Indian Ocean,
02:37adding nearly 5,700 U.S. personnel to the region.
02:42F-15E Strike Eagles are active across the Middle East,
02:46while U.S. cargo aircraft have been tracked moving equipment into forward bases.
02:52America's allies are repositioning as well.
02:55The United Kingdom has deployed Typhoon fighter jets to Qatar
02:59in what it calls a defensive mission.
03:01Meanwhile, U.S. Patriot and THAAD missile defense systems
03:06remain on high alert across the region.
03:09The posture closely mirrors the buildup that preceded last year's strikes
03:13on Iranian nuclear facilities,
03:16moves officials insist are deterrent,
03:18even as preparation accelerates.
03:21All of this is unfolding as Iran faces its most severe internal unrest in decades.
03:27Since late December, protests driven by economic collapse
03:31and anger at clerical rule have swept the country.
03:35Activists say more than 5,000 people have been killed
03:38and over 27,000 detained.
03:41The regime has responded with mass arrests,
03:44Internet blackouts, and threats of fast-track executions.
03:49Trump has openly called for an end to Ayatollah Khamenei's 37-year rule,
03:54urging Iranians to take over state institutions.
03:58As Washington edges closer to confrontation,
04:01one of Trump's closest allies is stepping back.
04:04The UAE's refusal to participate underscores the risk of a wider regional fracture,
04:10just as the U.S. and Iran move toward a dangerous crossroads.
04:15With warships in motion, warnings growing shaper,
04:18and alliances under strain,
04:20the question is no longer whether tensions will rise,
04:23but whether anyone still has room to step away.
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