UAE tycoon to Trump: ‘Who gave you the authority to start Iran war?’

One of the UAE’s top businessmen, billionaire Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, has written an open letter to US President Donald Trump on X attacking his decision to go to war with Iran.

“Who gave you the authority to drag our region into a war with Iran? And on what basis did you make this dangerous decision?,” asked the Emirati billionaire founder and chairman of the Al Habtoor Group.

“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!,” said Habtoor.

The letter marks a rare public expression of dissent in the UAE, where political concerns are often communicated through private channels. It also reflects growing unease in the region that Gulf states are bearing the brunt of America’s war.

“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?,” Habtoor went on to add.

“You 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 defenses that protect our homelands, but the question remains: Who gave you permission to turn our region into a battlefield?”

“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?”