The United Arab Emirates’ foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said Sunday that his country "will not be blackmailed by terrorists,” as tensions with Iran and debates over Gulf security intensified.

His comment came in reply to former French Ambassador Gerard Araud, who criticized remarks by UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash about Iran’s attacks and the UAE’s strengthening security cooperation with the U.S.

Gargash said on X that "the blatant Iranian aggression against the Arab Gulf states carries deep geopolitical repercussions, making the Iranian threat a central focus of Gulf strategic thinking and emphasizing the specificity of Gulf security and its independence from traditional concepts of Arab security."

The missiles, drones and "aggressive rhetoric" originate from Iran, he said, adding the result "has been the strengthening of our national capabilities, Gulf collective security, and the consolidation of our security partnerships with Washington."

In a post on X, Araud questioned the UAE's deepening alignment with Washington and growing reliance on external partners during times of crisis, suggesting it meant entrusting the country's fate to a power that could draw it into a devastating conflict.

Araud has been a skeptic of U.S.-led military campaigns and recently argued that Washington's objectives in the region lack clarity.

Hostilities in the region have escalated since U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran began on Feb. 28.

Iran has retaliated with repeated drone and missile strikes targeting Israel and Gulf countries hosting U.S. military assets.