UAE billionaire Khalaf Al Habtoor slams Donald Trump over Iran war. Photos: X.
Prominent UAE billionaire Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor has publicly criticised Donald Trump over the decision to go to war with Iran, accusing the US president of dragging the Middle East into a dangerous conflict.
In a strongly worded open letter posted on X, Al Habtoor questioned the authority behind the decision and warned that the escalation risks turning the region into a battlefield.
“Who gave you the authority to drag our region into a war with Iran? Who gave you permission to turn our region into a battlefield?”
Al Habtoor is widely regarded as a major figure in the Gulf, a billionaire businessman, former diplomat and outspoken political voice.
Al Habtoor condemned the strikes on Iran as a “dangerous” move and questioned whether the potential consequences for Gulf countries had been fully considered.
“You have placed the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab countries at the heart of a danger they did not choose,” he wrote.
While emphasising the region’s ability to defend itself, the Emirati billionaire reiterated his concern about the risks the conflict poses to Gulf nations.
“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?”
Al Habtoor also criticised the United States and Israel for launching the war shortly after the creation of the Board of Peace initiative, a body announced by Trump in January.
He said the conflict had begun “before the ink has dried” on the initiative.
Al Habtoor said Middle Eastern countries, including Gulf states, had contributed large sums of money to the initiative in the belief that it would support stability and development in the region.
“Much of the funding for the Board of Peace came from Middle Eastern countries, including the Gulf states, which contributed billions of dollars on the basis of supporting stability and development.”
He questioned how those funds were ultimately being used.
“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?”
According to Forbes, Al Habtoor ranks 335th among the world’s wealthiest individuals, with an estimated net worth of $2.3 billion.
His privately held Dubai-based conglomerate operates across multiple sectors, including luxury hotels, shopping malls, construction, engineering, hospitality and sports.
Al Habtoor previously had business ties with Trump. In 2008, the construction and engineering firm Habtoor Leighton Group was part of a joint venture that secured a 2.9 billion-dirham ($790 million) construction contract for the proposed Trump International Hotel and Tower Dubai.
The project, planned on Palm Jumeirah, was later shelved in 2011 following the global financial crisis.
However, Al Habtoor ended his professional association with Trump in 2015 after the Republican presidential candidate called for Muslims to be barred from travelling to the United States.
In one of the most pointed remarks in the letter, Al Habtoor criticised the timing of the military escalation.
“Before the ink has dried on your Board of Peace initiative, we find ourselves facing military escalation that endangers the entire region. So where did those initiatives go?”
He concluded the message with a broader reflection on leadership.
“True leadership is not measured by war decisions, but by wisdom, respect for others, and pushing toward achieving peace.”
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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