The US-Iran war and its fallout have altered geopolitical equations in the Middle East, with the US, which received the most battering from Iran, is ‘punishing’ countries which took a pro-Iranian stance in the conflict.
While the UAE had reportedly been egging US President Donald Trump to continue military action against Iran, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has refrained from supporting this approach; instead preferring to apply controlled pressure that will keep Iran under a certain “ceiling” so that it does not become a force that directly threatens the kingdom’s security. This ideological and strategic gap has negatively affected the Emirates' network of relations with various parties in the region.
According to a report that appeared in the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, quoting Egyptian sources, the escalating dispute between Saudi Arabia and the UAE indicates that the level of tension has exceeded the capacity of “traditional containment” and requires external intervention and mediation.
The report added that Abu Dhabi has decided to "punish" those who disagree with its policies. A significant move in this direction came when UAE President, Mohammed bin Zayed, decided to withdraw the Emirati deposit from Pakistan - a move that forced Saudi Arabia to rush to compensate for it in order to stabilise Islamabad's economy.
Analysts had said the decision reflected Abu Dhabi’s growing frustration with Islamabad due to the latter’s deepening ties with Riyadh. Pakistan’s soft response to Iranian attacks on the Gulf, too, prompted the decision. Neil Quilliam, an associate fellow at Chatham House, told Financial Times that Pakistan’s role as mediator in the US’s war against Iran also annoyed the Gulf state as it “sees things in kind of black and white at the moment”. “There’s no neutrality in this [from the UAE perspective], there’s no middle ground, and if you’re mediating, then you are in the middle ground,” he said.
The punitive measures also included targeting Pakistani workers in the Emirates, with a large wave of deportations, along with the freezing of bank accounts and the confiscation of savings, according to officials.
Not just Pakistan, the UAE is also targeting Egypt. The Emirati authorities imposed new and unprecedented conditions on Egyptian citizens, including a requirement to present a certificate of “honesty” and an almost complete closure of the issuance of entry visas. There were reports of refusal of entry to people who had earlier visited without difficulty, and a demand that thousands of Egyptian residents conclude their business and return to Cairo within two months. In response, Saudi Arabia informed the affected parties, including Egypt, that it was ready to provide political and economic support alternatives in the near future.