It has been one week since US and Israeli forces began striking Iran. For most of the world, this is a news story. For those of us living in Dubai, it is something you can almost see from the window.
Iran is literally across the Gulf. On a clear day you can see the lights of the Iranian coast from certain points in the UAE. That proximity means this conflict lands differently here than it does in London or New York.
What actually happened here
Iranian forces launched a significant retaliatory strike across the region. According to the UAE Ministry of Defence, the attacks included:
- 1,184 UAVs — 1,110 intercepted, 74 impacts on land
- 205 Ballistic Missiles — 190 intercepted, 2 impacts on land, 13 impacts in the sea
- 8 Cruise Missiles — 8 intercepted
The Strait of Hormuz — one of the most critical shipping lanes in the world, through which 20% of global oil passes — saw traffic come nearly to a halt as a result.
And yet Dubai itself? Life carried on. The malls were open. Restaurants full. The marina looked the same as any other Saturday morning.
The tourist reaction
The past week brought a wave of travellers cutting trips short and flying home early. Tour groups cancelled. Hotel bookings dropped. Airlines saw a spike in rebooking requests.
It is understandable. When you see the words “Iran,” “over 1,000 drones,” and “200 ballistic missiles” in the same headline, and you are sitting in a hotel 200 kilometres from the Iranian coast, the instinct to get home is human.
But the reality is that the UAE has never been safer. The country’s leadership moved quickly and decisively. Air defences were activated, airspace was managed, and the response was calm and coordinated. There was no panic. No chaos. The system worked exactly the way it was designed to.
The tourists who left were not wrong to be cautious. They just did not see what residents here see every day: a country that takes security seriously, that has invested enormously in protecting its people and its guests, and that does not rattle easily.
Worth saying out loud
The UAE leadership deserves credit for how this week was handled. The readiness, the communication, the ability to maintain normality while managing a genuine threat from across the water — that does not happen by accident. It is the result of years of preparation and serious defence policy.
Living here, you sometimes take that for granted. This week was a reminder not to.
The conflict is not over. The situation across the Gulf remains fluid and unpredictable. But from this side of the water, the ground is steady. And that is something to be genuinely grateful for.
Posted from Dubai Marina, March 2026. Data source: UAE Ministry of Defence, March 6, 2026.