The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has denied reports of launching its first retaliatory attack on Iran on Sunday, after reports surfaced that it struck a desalination facility. The UAE had long been contemplating a response to waves of Iranian missile and drone attacks.

Dr Ali Rashid Ali Nuaimi, a member of the United Arab Emirates Federal National Council and Chairman of the Defence Affairs, Interior and Foreign Affairs Committee, has denied reports of an UAE retaliatory attack on Iran as “fake news."

“This is fake news. When we do something, we’ve the courage to announce it," he said on X, in response to reports of an UAE attack on an Iranian desalination facility in retaliation for Tehran’s missile and drone attacks over the last week.

This is fake news . When we do something, we’ve the courage to announce ithttps://t.co/lZ47h6gSDO— د. علي النعيمي Dr. Ali Alnuaimi (@Dralnoaimi)March 8, 2026

“The UAE will never place the Iranian people in the same basket as the Iranian regime. The Iranian people are the real victims of that regime and the ones who suffer the most from its policies. As neighbours, we recognize this reality and we care about their wellbeing," he said in another post.

Earlier, a source familiar with the matter told theJerusalem Postthat the UAE struck a desalination plant, which is used to remove salt and other minerals from seawater or salty groundwater to produce fresh drinking water, in its first retaliatory strike on Iran.

Israeli outletYnetalso reported that the UAE strike would represent a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict by bringing another Gulf state directly into military operations against Iran.

Follow Live Updates Of The US-Israel-Iran War

The UAE had been contemplating it should react after Abu Dhabi, along with a host of Gulf nations, came under attack by Iran since Israel and the US launched strikes on February 28. Last week, authorities in the UAE’s Fujairah extinguished a fire caused by debris after the interception of a drone by air defences in the Fujairah oil industry zone.

On Sunday, the UAE’s Defence Ministry said the death toll from Iran’s attacks had risen to four. It also intercepted 16 missiles launched by Iran, while a 17th fell into the sea. The UAE says it also intercepted most of Iran’s 117 drones, but four fell in UAE territory.

Source: World News in news18.com, World Latest News, World News