Jun 25, 2025 4:57 PM IST
US Stock Market LIVE Updates: Dubai and Abu Dhabi’s Haven Status Tested by Middle East Crisis
The United Arab Emirates has managed to thrive during global instability, drawing capital during the Arab Spring, opening up quickly during the pandemic and attracting Russian money after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
But the Iran-Israel confrontation, which involved the US, poses one of the most stringent tests yet to the country’s neutral and open-for-business stance.
By Tuesday morning, just hours after Iran hit a US base in nearby Qatar and the UAE briefly closed its airspace, it was already business as usual in the financial centers of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
An executive at one of Abu Dhabi’s wealth funds said it was proceeding as planned with deals and investments, even encouraging foreign executives to visit for meetings. In Dubai, bankers were quick to relay optimism that the UAE would sidestep any major fallout.