Dubai residents get missile alert after weeks as UAE warns of incoming threat

Dubai residents received a missile alert on Tuesday for the first time in weeks as tensions continued to escalate across West Asia amid the US-Iran conflict.

The UAE Ministry of Defence said its air defence systems had detected a missile threat directed towards the country and urged residents to follow instructions issued through official channels.

“UAE Air Defence Systems have detected a missile threat directed towards the country,” the ministry said in a post on X, adding that residents should remain alert and follow official updates.

An emergency alert was also sent to people in Dubai. The ministry later clarified that any sounds heard in the area were caused by air defence interceptions.

“The Ministry of Defence affirms its full readiness to respond to any threat and safeguard the UAE’s sovereignty, security, and stability,” it said.

A subsequent alert informed residents that the threat had passed and they could resume normal activities while remaining cautious and following official instructions.

The defence ministry later said one missile had fallen within UAE territorial waters, while another landed outside them.

Tuesday’s alert was the first of its kind since a false alarm in June and another warning in July over an attack that ultimately did not enter UAE territory. Before that, the last missile alert had been issued in early May.

Trump says no talks with Iran

The alert came as US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Washington was not holding talks with Iran and that no negotiations were scheduled.

Trump also said the Strait of Hormuz remained open, contradicting an earlier Iranian assertion that the crucial shipping route was still closed.

The worsening prospects of an agreement to end the nearly six-month conflict pushed oil prices higher on Tuesday, while stock markets weakened and borrowing costs for major economies, including the US, rose amid concerns over the crisis’s longer-term impact on inflation and public finances.

A temporary ceasefire expired on Monday. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran was shifting to a “fully offensive” military posture as diplomatic efforts stalled, although there were no reports of fresh attacks by either side on Tuesday.

“There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

He added that the naval blockade remained in effect and claimed that the Strait of Hormuz was “open and operating”, with mines removed or detonated.

Trump’s comments contrasted with a more optimistic assessment from his son-in-law and special envoy Jared Kushner, who said on Monday that talks with Iran were continuing and were “probably more robust” than ever.