00:00Fresh Iranian strikes were reported across the Gulf region a day after the U.S. struck
00:05Karg Island and threatened in raiding oil facilities.
00:10Your news spoke with the UAE's Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to
00:15see how the UAE is responding to the Iran war while facing daily attacks.
00:21Fresh Iranian strikes were reported across the Gulf region on Sunday morning a day after
00:26the U.S. struck Karg Island, vital to Iran's oil exports and threatened Iranian oil facilities.
00:33Iran's military in turn threatened to attack U.S.-linked oil assets in the region if its oil
00:39infrastructure was hit. Iran accused the U.S. of using ports in the United Arab Emirates to launch
00:46the strikes, threatening for the first time a neighboring country's non-U.S. assets.
00:51The UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia all reported drones and missiles had been launched at their
00:57countries on Sunday. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump said he hoped allies would send
01:03warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz. Britain, in response, said it was discussing with allies
01:08a range of options to secure shipping. At the same time, air raids sounded over Israel and Iran
01:15overnight as the two countries continued to trade strikes, while direct clashes between Israel
01:20and Hezbollah were reported in Lebanon.
01:24The UAE is now entering the second week of a conflict it did not initiate, facing daily attacks
01:32while trying to stop the crisis from spiraling into a wider regional war. I spoke with Lana Nasebi,
01:39the UAE Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its former ambassador to the
01:44United Nations, about the country's response to those attacks, where its red lines are, and how the country
01:51is working to protect itself under daily missile attack.
01:56We've had an incredibly challenging 14 days. We're two weeks into this conflict that, as you said,
02:01we did not want to be drawn into. In fact, we were very engaged in diplomatic efforts prior to this
02:07escalation to try and avoid a conflict in the region. But now that it has happened, I think the UAE
02:13has
02:13demonstrated two or three things. First of all, that it prioritizes the protection, the security, and the
02:20well-being of its resident and Emirati population. Second, you've seen that our economy is very
02:25resilient. So people are back at work. We will have a bounce back in our economy this year. I have
02:32no doubt about that. It is a safe place to work and do business. And thirdly, you see that everyone
02:38has rallied around the model that is being attacked in the UAE and the Gulf as islands of stability and
02:44prosperity. No one is signed up to the model that Iran is propagating with its illegal and unlawful
02:51attacks on all the Gulf region, which have been egregious. I think the priority right now is
02:58defending the country against these attacks and ensuring it doesn't disrupt normal life. But of
03:03course, we have been preparing for various scenarios in a very turbulent region for decades. So these are
03:08not new plans. We have had contingency plans in place since prior to this point. In terms of Europe
03:16and the partners that are helping, without compromising national security or elements like that,
03:22how are you protecting the nation and how are the international partners involved? I think they're
03:26coming in because they recognize that UAE interests are in fact global interests. They're of course the
03:33wider regional stability of Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean is incredibly important. But
03:38globally, the Straits of Hormuz, a fifth of the world's energy supplies, passes through that narrow
03:44waterway. And this has an impact on not only global energy prices, but global food security and food
03:51supplies. The UN has estimated that there's been an 18% increase in their ability to give aid to those
03:58most in need in terms of food insecurity, for example, as a result of this. So Iran must not be
04:04allowed
04:04to hold the global economy hostage by its rogue state behavior. Is there a red line in all of this?
04:13I think fundamentally the red lines are the security, the prosperity, the well-being of our Emirati community
04:20and our expatriate community here. We consider all of them part of this country and they deserve our
04:26protection. So that is our red line. Don't touch this model.
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