On Thursday, Emirati billionaire Khalaf Al Habtoor wrote an open letter to US President Donald Trump, in which he questioned his authority to drag the Gulf and the Middle East into the ongoing military conflict with Iran.The Al Habtoor Group founder raised questions in the open letter written in Arabic and posted on the social media platform
The United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on Saturday, targeting its leadership and military infrastructure. Following the US-Israeli attack, Iran launched missile and drone attacks on the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states.
The majority of those missiles and drones were intercepted and destroyed.
Iran hoax? Circulating footage raises controversy over the Israeli army’s raid on the “painted helicopter”
The United Arab Emirates and its neighboring countries call on all parties to end the conflict and participate in peace talks.“You have placed the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab countries in the heart of a danger that they did not choose, and thank God we are strong and able to defend ourselves, and we have armies and defenses that protect our homelands.
But the question remains: Who allowed you to turn our region into a battlefield? Al Habtoor said.He said that the American decision to go to war with Iran threatens the peoples of the region and the American people, who promised them peace and prosperity.Today, they find themselves in a war financed by their money and taxes, and its costs, according to the Institute for Policy Studies, range between 40-65 billion dollars for direct military operations, and may reach 210 billion dollars, including economic impacts and indirect losses if it continues for four to five weeks, not to mention the sacrifices of the Americans themselves in a war in which they have no camel or camel.
“The Al Habtoor Group has been frank in sharing its views on local, regional and global issues. It also funds a research center to highlight current issues and provide solutions.Al Habtoor said that the American President had broken his promises not to get involved in wars.“You ordered foreign military interventions during your second term in seven countries: Somalia, Iraq, Yemen, Nigeria, Syria, Iran, and Venezuela, as well as naval operations in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
You directed more than 658 foreign air strikes in your first year in office, which is equivalent to the total number of strikes in the entire term of (former US President Joe) Biden, for which you directed your criticism for involving the United States in foreign wars.
“The US President warned that his support rates among Americans declined by about nine percent in just 400 days as a result of these decisions.Al Habtoor said: “These numbers say something clear: even within the United States, there is growing concern about being drawn into a new war, and about exposing Americans’ lives, economies and futures to unnecessary risks… If these initiatives are launched in the name of peace, then today we have the right to demand full transparency and clear accountability.”In another message shared on X, Khalaf Al Habtoor asked who would be held accountable for the damage caused to the Gulf and the Middle East.He asked: “Who will pay the price for the tensions imposed on us as a result of a conflict in which we have no involvement between Iran, America and Israel?” He added that the entire region bears the consequences of the war in which three countries participated.Our economies, security, and stability of our peoples are not arenas for settling scores between great powers.
We are advocates of stability and peace, and we did not choose to be part of this confrontation. But we find ourselves paying the price for the escalation that we did not undertake.”He concluded: “The question that must be clearly asked today is: Who is responsible and who will compensate for the losses incurred by the countries and peoples of the region due to the conflicts of others? The region needs calm of nerves, not more reactions that further fan the flames.”
