'Almost unhinged': UAE minister tells ABC 'Iran attacks were surprise'

The UAE has endured the largest number of missile and drone attacks of any country in the Gulf region, and even more than Israel, though its well-equipped and financed defence forces have been able to intercept virtually all the incoming barrages to date. Most analysts believe that Iran's attacks on its Gulf state neighbours are designed to maximise pressure on US President Donald Trump, both because it was assumed they would pressure him to back off due to the damage the attacks were doing to their economy, and because of the damage closing down oil exports would do to the global economy. "[The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps] is using it as a leverage to scare, to create panic in markets, and to try to destabilise the absolute strength that Gulf economies have, and in particular the UAE economy.

Author: Laura Tingle

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