Local, regional and international relationships have all been tested since late February. Some have thrived; some have been found wanting.
In amongst this strategic uncertainty lies a success story – Dubai has delivered an unparalleled response to the greatest regional crisis in recent times. Despite its proximity to Iran and the sheer number of attacks, the UAE has successfully defended its territory, reassured its population and kept daily life and commerce running. Almost without interruption.
Preparedness is visible across every layer of the UAE’s governance, helping confirm the strength of the UAE’s model. Nowhere can this be seen more clearly than in Dubai.
Economic data already showcases Dubai’s resilience. Despite regional volatility, Dubai’s real estate sector recorded Dh252 billion (akin to more than £51 billion) in transactions in the first quarter of 2026, beating the previous year’s figures, with foreign investment rising 26 per cent. In Q1 of this year, 562 new British companies registered operations in the emirate.
This confidence by British businesses in the Dubai model is not new. It is a pattern. Non-oil trade between Dubai and the UK reached Dh42.6 billion (over £8 billion) in 2025, almost double the 2021 figure.
Without doubt, the military challenges have been unprecedented, but the UAE’s resilience and advanced preparation enabled it to stand firm.
As someone who spent their life at sea defending ships and assets with surface to air missiles, this is impressive. It demonstrates sound planning and, critically, functioning dynamic relationships with key allies in a fast-evolving security situation.
Observers with military and security backgrounds living there have been struck by the performance of local forces. Jason Freeborn, an ex-Royal Navy, now British insurance professional working for an Afro-Asian company in Dubai, married to a Filipino nurse and living in a neighbourhood with Indian, Pakistani, Syrian, French, South African and Lebanese neighbours, speaks for many with similar experience:
“Several of us from NATO or Five-eyes countries with an Armed Forces background were uncertain about how the UAE Armed Forces would perform. Our concerns evaporated. Turns out they are rather good.”
Harry Amos, a former British Army Officer and now Chief Executive officer of Kestrel Global, a Dubai-based advisory firm specialising in Middle East market entry, is similarly positive:
“My family and I have been in Dubai throughout the Iran conflict. We’ve witnessed the country’s highly effective defensive systems first-hand and as a result have felt safe throughout. The government here always communicates clearly, from effective alert systems to reassuring and words of confidence from the leadership. The expatriate and Emirati communities have stood together, and we believe in this city’s resilience and future more than ever.”
Amos continues, “Business certainly slowed in March, but thankfully my clients, all international companies entering the region, have stayed the course. If anything, I think the UAE’s response to the situation has instilled confidence rather than detracted from it. Fundamentally, the appeal of Dubai has not changed.”
The image of influencers fleeing Dubai generated mockery from some in the UK. Of course, that is the nature of online discussion these days, but as is so often the case, it is not grounded in reality.
The qualities that have long drawn Britons and others to Dubai – favourable climate, strategic location, competitive tax regime and, above all, opportunity – remain undiminished. During the crisis, the expatriate community has pulled together, supported by clear, consistent messaging from government officials and key industry leaders. Frankly, their planning and emirate-wide resilience leaves its equivalent in the UK in the dust.
Freeborn captures the prevailing mood: “Dubai has been almost unaffected by the war… We are getting on with life and business as usual. The tourist tap was temporarily turned off but there’s every reason to visit. Services are operating as normal and attractions are open.”
Tourism, a vital pillar of the economy, is expected to rebound quickly. In 2025 Dubai welcomed a record 19.59 million visitors, a five per cent increase on the previous year.
Dubai’s long-term attractiveness has survived previous shocks – the 2008 global financial crisis and the pandemic, thanks to strong governance and enduring alliances, including with the United States. Entrepreneurs and new businesses continue to choose the emirate.
Fresh measures are reinforcing that pull. Recent decrees, including the establishment of the Dubai Longevity Authority to advance healthcare and life sciences, are designed to attract and retain global talent for the long run.
At the higher end of the market, construction on premium beachfront projects is accelerating, while elite education proceeds normally, with established British-curriculum schools expanding. New international names, including Harrow, are set to arrive ready for the September term.
Dubai has once again shown that effective leadership, allied partnerships and a cohesive community can sustain continuity and confidence even when the wider region faces turbulence.
The fundamentals that have made the emirate a global hub – stability, opportunity and forward momentum – remain firmly in place.
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Tom Sharpe OBE is a retired navy commander, strategic communications consultant and defence commentator.
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