The United Arab Emirates has sold itself to foreigners for years as a sunny, safe, tax-free oasis.
That peaceful image was shattered Saturday as Iranian weaponry rained down on Dubai, setting fire to a five-star resort, threatening the world's tallest building, and killing one person and injuring seven others at the airport in the capital city of Abu Dhabi.
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A black plume of smoke rises from a warehouse at the industrial area of Sharjah City in the United Arab Emirates following reports of Iranian strikes in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Passengers stranded by the closure of Dubai International Airport await for assistance in the airport parking lot in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
A man rides a battery powered scooter on a deserted road in Downtown Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
ADDS CAUSE OF BLACK SMOKE IN THE BACKGROUND.- A plume of smoke caused by an Iranian strike is seen in the background an an Emirates plane is parked at the Dubai International Airport after its closure in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
A man walks away after watching as a black plume of smoke rises from a warehouse in the industrial area of Sharjah City, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 1, 2026, following reports of Iranian strikes in Dubai. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Iran has hit the UAE and several of its neighbors as it strikes back from the major attack by U.S. and Israeli forces, causing fear and chaos in a place that until Saturday was predictably calm.
“This is Dubai’s ultimate nightmare, as its very essence depended on being a safe oasis in a troubled region,” Cinzia Bianco, an expert on the Persian Gulf at the European Council on Foreign Relations wrote on X. “There might be a way to be resilient, but there is no going back.”
Officials tried to reassure residents and visitors that the country’s air defense system was among the best in the world, blasting down drones and missiles.
“I know it’s a scary time for a lot of the residents,” Reem Al Hashimy, minister of state for international cooperation, told CNN. “We don’t hear these types of loud sounds. But at the same time, those are sounds of interception. And where there has been damage — that has been primarily debris.”
Fallout from the attacks has undermined the Emirates' efforts to de-escalate tensions with Iran despite longtime suspicions of its neighbor across the Gulf. The UAE closed its airspace Saturday, shuttered its embassy in Tehran on Sunday, and withdrew its diplomats because of the attacks.
“This decision reflects its firm and unwavering position against any aggression that threatens its security and sovereignty,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It called the attacks an “aggressive and provocative approach” that threatens the region.
The oil-rich federation of seven sheikhdoms has relied on its image as a place of serenity to lure wealthy tourists, businesspeople and future residents who want to live largely tax-free in luxury in the desert by the sea. Nearly 90% of the estimated 11 million residents are foreigners.
Real estate firms sell glimmering high-rises and poolside villas to rich Europeans and Americans by promoting a welcoming climate and business-friendly policies, and touting it as one of the safest places on earth.
Hundreds of drone and missile attacks later, though, that reputation has been rocked.
“Last night was pretty surreal," said British racehorse trainer Jamie Osborne, who was in Dubai for the Emirates Super Saturday. “You’re standing in the paddock watching missiles get shot through the sky.”
The Ministry of Defense said Sunday that air defenses had dealt with 165 ballistic missiles, two cruise missiles and more than 540 Iranian drones over two days.
While officials said they intercepted all air attacks Saturday, debris from the knocked-down weapons sparked blazes at some of Dubai's most iconic locations.
Social media videos and photos showed a fire outside the Fairmont hotel on the prestigious man-made Palm Jumeirah island, flames licked at the facade of the famous Burj Al Arab hotel, and smoke rose into the sky near Burj Khalifa, the 2,723-foot (830-meter) skyscraper.
There also was a fire at Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port, the city’s main sea terminal and a major shipping hub, and the Dubai International Airport was damaged and four employees were injured, according to the Dubai Media Office.
Kristy Ellmer, who was on a business trip from New Hampshire, said she was staying away from the windows of her hotel but felt relatively safe despite the numerous blasts.
“You hear a lot of explosions at times, you know, there’s hundreds of them," she said. “It’s unsettling. We’re not used to hearing bombs, right, or missiles.”
Louise Herrle, an American tourist whose flight home with her husband from Dubai was scrapped, said it was her third time trying to visit the area. Previous trips were canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023.
With their current Abu Dhabi and Dubai tour over, she is less likely to return to the Emirates or the region.
“I would probably be inclined to avoid this part of the world when there’s increased tensions, it just explodes so quickly," Herrle said.
Maybe, she said, “the universe was trying to tell us something.”
Associated Press journalists Julie Walker in New York and Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.
A black plume of smoke rises from a warehouse at the industrial area of Sharjah City in the United Arab Emirates following reports of Iranian strikes in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Passengers stranded by the closure of Dubai International Airport await for assistance in the airport parking lot in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
A man rides a battery powered scooter on a deserted road in Downtown Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
ADDS CAUSE OF BLACK SMOKE IN THE BACKGROUND.- A plume of smoke caused by an Iranian strike is seen in the background an an Emirates plane is parked at the Dubai International Airport after its closure in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
A man walks away after watching as a black plume of smoke rises from a warehouse in the industrial area of Sharjah City, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 1, 2026, following reports of Iranian strikes in Dubai. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
BRUSSELS (AP) — Three close allies of the United States said Sunday they are ready to join forces to defend their interests in the Middle East and stop Iran's retaliatory missile and drone strikes following the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as others around the world raised concerns that the conflict sparked by coordinated U.S.-Israel attacks could spread into a wider war.
Britain, France and Germany said they were prepared to work with the United States.
“We will take steps to defend our interests and those of our allies in the region, potentially through enabling necessary and proportionate defensive action to destroy Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones at their source,” their statement said. “We have agreed to work together with the US and allies in the region on this matter.”
Massive explosions rocked the Iranian capital for a second day as Israel's military said it was targeting the “heart” of Tehran. Iran pressed on, targeting Israel and U.S. military bases in Gulf states.
Iranian officials hurried to plan a future after the death of Khamenei, who had no designated successor, as some Iranians who had long suffered from political repression celebrated.
On streets around the world, there were protests in outrage or bursts of celebration.
The statement by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said they are “appalled” by Iran’s “reckless” strikes on their allies, which threaten their service members and citizens in the region.
A drone strike damaged a hangar at a French naval base at the port of Abu Dhabi, France's defense minister said. British Defense Minister John Healey said Iranian missile and drone strikes came within a few hundred yards (meters) of a group of 300 British military personnel in Bahrain.
Healey also said two missiles were fired in the direction of Cyprus, where the U.K. has bases, though a Cyprus government spokesman said on social media those reports were not valid.
Top diplomats from the 27 European Union nations were holding an emergency meeting to discuss the situation and next steps for the bloc.
“The death of Ali Khamenei is a defining moment in Iran’s history. What comes next is uncertain,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. “But there is now an open path to a different Iran, one that its people may have greater freedom to shape.”
Pope Leo XIV said he was “profoundly concerned” about the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and urged both sides to “stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss.”
Perhaps cautious about upsetting already strained relations with U.S. President Donald Trump, many nations, including several in the Middle East, refrained from commenting directly or pointedly on the joint strikes but condemned Tehran’s retaliation.
The 22-nation Arab League called the Iranian attacks “a blatant violation of the sovereignty of countries that advocate for peace and strive for stability.” That coalition of nations has historically condemned both Israel and Iran for actions it says risk destabilizing the region.
“Return to your senses ... and deal with your neighbors with reason and responsibility before the circle of isolation and escalation widens,” Anwar Gargash, an adviser to the United Arab Emirates’ president, told the Iranian theocracy.
The UAE closed its embassy in Iran and announced the withdrawal of its diplomatic mission after Iranian strikes hit the country.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin blasted Khamenei’s killing, which he called “a cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law."
“The blatant killing of the leader of a sovereign state and the incitement of regime change are unacceptable,” China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency. “These actions violate international law and the basic norms governing international relations.”
Wang said attacking a sovereign state without U.N. Security Council authorization undermines the foundation for peace established after World War II.
At least 22 people were killed in clashes with police in northern Pakistan and in the southern port city of Karachi after hundreds of protesters stormed the U.S. Consulate there, authorities said.
In Iraq, hundreds wore black and waved flags belonging to Iran-backed Iraqi militias and red flags that symbolize vengeance in the Shiite Muslim faith as they marched across Sadr City to decry the killing of Khamenei.
Anger flashed at protests in Istanbul and among Shiite Muslims in India.
Demonstrations were also held in cities including New York, Berlin, Paris and Vienna by members of the Iranian diaspora and their supporters, celebrating the end of Khamenei’s rule. Some demonstrators waved flags of the Iranian monarchy, with Israeli and U.S. flags also on display.
Ciobanu reported from Warsaw and Metz from Ramallah, West Bank. Reporters around the world contributed to this report.
Security forces fire tear gas to disperse a protest against U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, at a bridge leading to the fortified Green Zone where the U.S. Embassy is located in Baghdad, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz issues a statement on the latest developments in the Middle East at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Demonstrators burn a picture of President Donald Trump during a protest outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Shiite Muslims set a fire at the U.S. Consulate's entrance gate during a rally to condemn the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
A woman cries as she mourns the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during a gather in the southern Suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Shiite Muslims protest against the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran and killing of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in New Delhi, India, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Piyush Nagpal)
Iranian people attend a demonstration in support of the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
People march during a protest in New York, on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, against U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. (AP Photo/Kena Betancur)
Iranian people attend a demonstration in support of the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Iranian people attend a demonstration in support of the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Smoke rises up after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A protester holds a crown in London, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026 after U.S. and Israeli forces carried out a series of strikes on Iran on Saturday morning. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks before media members as he visits facilities of Siemens Energy during his official visit, in Hangzhou, China, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (Andres Martinez Casares/Pool Photo via AP)
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks with students and staff, during a visit to the Walbottle Academy Campus in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (Scott Heppell/PA via AP)
