'Who gave you authority to drag our region into war with Iran?' UAE billionaire asks Trump
In open letter, Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor lambastes Trump, questioning whether US president's decision to go to war with Iran was his alone or "a result of pressures from Netanyahu and his government."
Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, a prominent UAE businessman, has demanded that Donald Trump explain why the United States chose to pursue war with Iran and whether the US President considered the potential risks to Gulf nations before launching the war jointly with Israel.
In an open letter to Trump on X, Habtoor attacked Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran, asking the US leader: "Who gave you the authority to drag our region into a war with #Iran? And on what basis did you make this dangerous decision?
Did you calculate the collateral damage before pulling the trigger? And did you consider that the first to suffer from this escalation will be the countries of the region itself!
The peoples of this region have the right to ask as well: Was this your decision alone? Or did it come as a result of pressures from #Netanyahu and his government?"
The Emirati founder and chairman of the Al Habtoor Group that deals with hospitality, automotive, car leasing, real estate, education, and publishing sectors accused Trump of placing the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries "at the heart of a danger they did not choose."
"You (Trump) have placed the countries of the #GulfCooperationCouncil and the Arab countries at the heart of a danger they did not choose. Thank God, we are strong and capable of defending ourselves, and we have armies and defences that protect our homelands, but the question remains: Who gave you permission to turn our region into a battlefield?" Habtoor asked Trump.
Rare public display of dissent
Neither Trump nor the White House have reacted to the open letter. The UAE has not officially endorsed it either.
However, the correspondence is a rare public display of dissent in the UAE and also reflects growing unease in the region, which is bearing the maximum brunt of the US-Israel war on Iran that is now in its sixth day.
Last week, the US and Israel jointly launched attacks on Iran, targeting both military and civilian facilities. In response, Iran carried out its own attacks on Israel, the US, its bases, as well as civilian areas of US' Gulf allies.
The human toll in the first five days of Operation Epic Fury launched by US is stark. Estimates indicate over 2,400 deaths in Iran, including at least 181 children. Tehran says US-Israel strikes during the initial hours of the war targeted all-girls Minab Primary School, which resulted in the killings of over 165 girls and school staff.
Israel denies bombing involvement. The US says it is investigating the school attack.
US says its military losses so far include six soldiers. Iran says it killed over 500 American troops.
According to a US-based conflict monitoring project, Tehran launched far more drones and missiles at Gulf countries than at Israel since the US-Israeli war on Iran started on Saturday.
Since February 28, Iran has reportedly launched 255 drones and missiles at Israel. In comparison, it has fired 2,171 drones and missiles towards Gulf states, mostly on UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait, during the same period, according to a report by the Critical Threats Project (CTP), which is part of the American Enterprise Institute.
Of the 2,171 attacks targeting the Gulf, 1,138 were aimed at the United Arab Emirates, making it the most heavily targeted country in the war, the report said.
Habtoor, in his letter, also criticised Trump, contrasting the US-Israel war on Iran with Trump's January 2026 Board of Peace initiative.
This initiative, a Gaza reconstruction plan supported by $7 billion in Gulf pledges for stability, is undermined by the escalation, Habtoor said.
"For before the ink has dried on the #BoardOfPeace initiative that you announced in the name of peace and stability, we find ourselves facing a military escalation that endangers the entire region. So where did those initiatives go? And what is the fate of the commitments made in the name of peace?" Habtoor asked.
He queried Trump whether Gulf states were funding peace initiatives or a war that endangered them.
"Most of the funding proposed in those initiatives came from the countries of the region themselves, and from Arab Gulf countries that contributed billions of dollars on the basis of supporting stability and development. And these countries have the right to ask today: Where did this money go? And are we funding peace initiatives or funding a war that exposes us to danger?" Habtoor asked the US president.
Costs for ordinary Americans
Habtoor stated Trump's decision endangers the Gulf region and the American people, despite promises of peace and prosperity.
"And here they are today, finding themselves in a war funded from their money and taxes, with costs ranging, according to the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), between 40-65 billion dollars for direct military operations, and could reach 210 billion dollars including economic impacts and indirect losses if it lasts four to five weeks, not to mention the sacrifice of Americans themselves in a war in which they have neither camel nor she-camel."
Habtoor's online address, amassing nearly 2.8 million views, reflected Arab frustration with US "America First" policy reversals — citing Trump's 658 first-term strikes and 9 percent approval drop.
"You have even broken your promises not to get involved in wars and to focus only on America and put it at the top of your priorities, as you ordered foreign military interventions during your second term that included seven countries: Somalia, Iraq, Yemen, Nigeria, Syria, Iran, and Venezuela, in addition to naval operations in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific Ocean," he wrote.
"You directed more than 658 foreign air strikes in your first year in office, which equals the total strikes in Biden's entire term, for which you directed your arrows of criticism for involving the United States in foreign wars."
Habtoor noted rising worries among Americans over being drawn into another war, risking American lives, the economy, and the future unnecessarily.
"True leadership is not measured by war decisions, but by wisdom, respect for others, and pushing toward achieving peace. And if these initiatives were launched in the name of peace, then we have the right today to demand full transparency and clear accountability," Habtoor concluded.