Residents in one of the world’s most luxurious tourist destinations received a warning about potential missile threats.
It is understood that residents in Dubai received alerts on Tuesday, August 18 about the “potential missile threats” shortly before the United Arab Emirates’s Ministry of Defence said air defences detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran toward the country.
The ministry continued that the first fell outside the country’s territorial waters, while the second fell within its territorial waters.
Damage from an Iranian drone attack on Dubai on March 12, 2026 -Credit:Getty
Iran has rejected the UAE’s claim and said it was unneighbourly. It previously pummelled its regional neighbours following US-Israeli strikes on several Iranian sites.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei called the claim “baseless”.
He said he “completely rejected” the UAE’s allegation. He also said that such claims are “contrary to the principle of good neighbourliness”.
“Accusing the Islamic Republic of Iran contradicts the principle of good neighborliness and hinders efforts to build trust among the countries of the region,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its official Telegram channel.
He said the assessment of the situation must account for what he called the continued “malicious actions” of the US and Israel against regional peace and security, pointing to what he described as a history of false-flag operations in the region, Al Jazeera reports.
An Emirates Boeing 777 aircraft prepares for landing as a smoke plume rises from an ongoing fire near Dubai International Airport in Dubai on March 16, 2026 after an Iranian “drone-related incident” sparked a fuel tank fire nearby -Credit:Getty
The US and Iran have been in repeated bouts of conflict since February 28, when the US and Israel carried out joint strikes on several key Iranian sites.
Iran retaliated by closing the critical Strait of Hormuz waterway and striking sites across the Middle East – including in the UAE.
The UAE’s Foreign Ministry has said “all trade, commercial exchange and financial transactions with Iran have been halted until further notice”.
The decision came due to regional escalation that it said undermined regional and international peace and security, the ministry said.