Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis both postponed planned visits to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this week, prompting widespread, unverified speculation about the health of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Turkish President Erdogan Cancels UAE Visit
On Sunday, Erdogan announced he was postponing his Abu Dhabi trip due to what he described as a “health problem” affecting Al Nahyan. The announcement, posted by Erdogan’s team on social media platform X, stated, “During the course of the call, President Erdogan expressed his sadness over the health problem experienced by (President) Al Nahyan and wished him a prompt recovery.”
The message was three paragraphs long but was later deleted, drawing additional attention and raising questions about the UAE leader’s condition.
Greek Prime Minister Also Cancels UAE Visit
Less than 24 hours later, Greece became the second country to cancel a planned visit to Abu Dhabi. Prime Minister Mitsotakis called off his trip scheduled for Tuesday. Instead, he reportedly held a phone call with Al Nahyan, during which the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and agreed to meet at a later date, according to the Greek prime minister’s office.
The consecutive cancellations fueled unverified claims on social media that Al Nahyan might be seriously ill. None of these claims have been confirmed by UAE authorities, and the government in Abu Dhabi has not provided any official statement on the reports.
Conspiracy Theories About President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Surface
The UAE’s state news agency, WAM, issued a readout of the Mitsotakis-Al Nahyan phone call without any mention of a health issue. The statement focused on strengthening bilateral ties and reviewing regional affairs, offering no confirmation of the rumors circulating online.
Reports claim UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has died after suffering a blood clot in the brain. pic.twitter.com/mQFOiKRc0K
— Too $hort (@sonofsomali) February 16, 2026
Following the announcements, some social media users speculated on extreme scenarios, including the possibility that Al Nahyan had been removed, overthrown, or even eliminated by his brother Tahnoun bin Zayed, reportedly with Saudi backing.
One X user, Fahad Munawwar, wrote, “the UAE Game of Thrones has begun. It was just announced that the Turkish president’s visit to the UAE has been postponed due to the sudden illness of Mohammed bin Zayed, with reports suggesting his condition is critical. Is he truly ill, or has he been removed, overthrown, or perhaps even eliminated by his brother Tahnoun bin Zayed, who is said to have Saudi backing? Especially since there were claims that Mohammed bin Zayed had removed him from his positions weeks ago out of fear of a coup and appointed his son Khaled bin Mohammed in his place. For your information, the former UAE president, Khalifa bin Zayed, disappeared from public view for five years before his death was officially announced. Some claim he had actually died years earlier, while his brother Mohammed was effectively ruling the UAE behind the scenes during that period before officially becoming president.”
The UAE Game of Thrones has begun.
It was just announced that the Turkish president’s visit to the UAE has been postponed due to the sudden illness of Mohammed bin Zayed, with reports suggesting his condition is critical.
Is he truly ill, or has he been removed, overthrown, or… pic.twitter.com/y9G6BPX45u
— Fahad Munawwar 🇵🇸 (@Fahad_Heaven) February 16, 2026
No Official Confirmation Yet
Despite widespread online speculation, there is no official confirmation regarding Al Nahyan’s health, and the UAE government has yet to comment. NewsX will update this story in case the UAE authorities share any updates.
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
