UAE President Visits Kuwait as Gulf Tensions Escalate
KUWAIT CITY-UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan arrived in Kuwait on Thursday for talks with Emir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, as Gulf states respond to heightened regional tensions following Iranian missile and drone attacks.
Sheikh Mohamed was accompanied by a high-level delegation for the visit, according to Kuwait News Agency. Details of the leaders’ discussions were not immediately released.
The visit came after the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Iran’s missile and drone attacks targeting Kuwait and Bahrain earlier on Thursday.
In a statement carried by the Emirates News Agency, the ministry reaffirmed the UAE’s full support for Kuwait and Bahrain, both members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and backed all measures aimed at safeguarding their security, stability and sovereignty.
The diplomatic engagement follows a sharp escalation in regional tensions after a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran collapsed.
According to the reported sequence of events, Iran launched missile and drone attacks against Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan after negotiations with Washington stalled over Tehran’s nuclear program and the movement of energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
The renewed hostilities have heightened security concerns across the Gulf, where governments have closely coordinated their responses through the GCC amid fears of a broader regional conflict.
The UAE has also come under attack during the current conflict. Iranian strikes have targeted the Emirates several times since the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran in February.
The developments coincided with the burial on Thursday of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in his hometown of Mashhad after he was killed earlier in the conflict, according to the source material.
Sheikh Mohamed’s visit underscores continued coordination between Gulf allies as regional leaders seek to address the security implications of the escalating confrontation between Iran and its adversaries.
