PM Modi Calls UAE President Amidst Iran Conflict, discusses impasse over Strait of Hormuz

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke over the phone on Tuesday with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, discussing the current situation in West Asia and extending advance Eid greetings to him. During the conversation, PM Modi reiterated to President Nahyan that India strongly condemns all attacks on the UAE that have resulted in the loss of life and damage to civilian property.

What did PM Modi say?

Posting on the social media platform 'X', PM Modi stated that they agreed on the critical importance of ensuring the safe and uninterrupted movement of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. He added that they also resolved to continue working together to restore peace, security, and stability in West Asia as soon as possible.

Notably, amidst the escalating conflict in West Asia, the United Arab Emirates briefly closed its airspace on Tuesday. However, this restriction was lifted shortly thereafter. The UAE military has been actively working to intercept drones and missiles launched from Iran; it was during these interception efforts that sounds of explosions were heard in Dubai early Tuesday morning, prompting the decision to briefly close the airspace.

What did UAE say?

The official news agency, 'WAM', citing the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority, reported that the restriction was indeed lifted shortly after being imposed. Officials stated that the "situation had stabilized," allowing flight operations to resume. Prior to this, officials had issued a missile attack warning to the residents of Dubai, just as the sounds of explosions began to reverberate across the city as the military mobilized to counter the incoming attacks.

In a separate report, 'WAM' stated that a drone attack caused a fire to reignite at an oil tanker farm in Fujairah, though no casualties were reported in the incident. The sudden announcement regarding airspace signals clearly that UAE officials are acting with a sense of balance to ensure that flights operated by Emirates and Etihad can continue, even as Iran persists in launching targeted attacks against the country.

Meanwhile, early Tuesday morning, the Israeli military announced the commencement of large-scale strikes on the Iranian capital and also intensified attacks against Hezbollah—an Iran-backed extremist group—in Lebanon. Israel announced these new strikes following reports of two attacks originating from Iran.