Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have claimed to have targeted cutting-edge THAAD radar systems in the UAE, Jordan, and Qatar.
“US THAAD radars deployed in the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, as well as the US FPS-132 over-the-horizon radar (‘Desert Eye’) stationed in Qatar, have been destroyed by the missile and drone units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC),” said the Guards on their website Sepah News.
Earlier, Iran claimed to have destroyed the AN/TPY-2 radar component of the THAAD Anti-Ballistic Missile System deployed at Al-Ruwais Industrial City in the UAE.
CNN, citing satellite imagery, appeared to confirm the demolition and said that the THAAD battery in Jordan was “struck and apparently destroyed in the first days of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran”.
CNN added: Buildings housing similar radar systems were also hit at two locations in the United Arab Emirates. It is unclear if the equipment was damaged.
The US operates eight THAAD batteries, while the UAE operates two and Saudi Arabia one. This one was at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, over 500 miles from Iran.
The destroyed THAAD radar is estimated to be worth US$500 million. This is in addition to the US$1.1 billion EW radar in Qatar, which was reportedly destroyed by an Iranian missile.
The AN/FPS-132 phased array radar at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar was hit by an Iranian ballistic missile. It was built by the US in 2013.
Notably, Qatar has confirmed that the radar was hit and damaged.
The IRGC asserted that with the destruction of these high-value air-defense systems, “the missile hand of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been opened for successful target hits.”
UAE Worst Hit?
The United Arab Emirates, a key US ally in the Gulf and home to a key US military base, has emerged as one of the hardest-hit regional partners.
The United States and Israel launched a coordinated military operation, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” against Iran on February 28, 2026.
Framed by US President Donald Trump as a preemptive strike to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missile arsenal, and military leadership, the joint US-Israel attacks began with hundreds of strikes using Tomahawk missiles, fighter jets, B-2 bombers, suicide drones, and other assets. As the operation began, explosions rocked Tehran and other Iranian cities, targeting nuclear sites like Natanz and Fordow, missile production facilities, naval assets, and key command centres, among other high-value targets.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the military operations.
Iran retaliated almost instantly with “Operation True Promise IV”, triggering a region-wide escalation. It launched missiles, drones, and other attacks on Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, US bases in the Gulf region, and civilian or economic sites in the Middle East.
The United States maintains a significant military presence in the UAE. This includes the Al Dhafra Air Base, which is the primary and most significant US military facility in the UAE, hosting the US Air Force’s 380th Air Expeditionary Wing and supporting reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, combat air operations, fighter deployments, airborne early warning aircraft, tankers, drones, and surveillance missions across the region.
Additionally, there is the Jebel Ali Port in Dubai, UAE, which may not be a formal military base but is the busiest US Navy port of call in the wider Middle East region. It is a major commercial deep-water harbour capable of berthing aircraft carriers and other large vessels. In fact, the US Navy ships frequently visit for logistics, resupply, and transit.
Due to its strategic importance in US operations and its economic connections to international trade, the UAE became one of the main targets, as previously warned by Tehran in the days leading up to the US-Israeli offensive.
In the first 72 hours, Iran reportedly launched more than 400 ballistic missiles and around 1,000 drones across the Gulf, several of them aimed at the UAE.
In response, the Emiratis used US-supplied THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Air Defence) and Patriot surface-to-air missiles to intercept the biggest aerial onslaught in its history.
To avoid detection, the Iranian attackers reportedly used a “mosaic defence” strategy that combined expensive ballistic missiles with swarms of inexpensive drones, such as the Shahed-136 suicide variant, in decentralized launches from movable platforms such as trucks disguised as civilian vehicles.
This overwhelmed defences through sheer volume, with Iran sustaining a high tempo for days before tapering due to alleged depletion in stockpiles.
The first wave targeted Al Dhafra Air Base near Abu Dhabi, a key US hub, with ballistic missiles and drones, with smoke rising over the capital as seen in the visuals flooding social media on February 28, 2026.
On March 1, 2026, Dubai came under attack. Reports noted that a drone swarm had hit near Palm Jumeirah, igniting a fire in a luxury hotel. Additionally, the blasts in a residential building that reportedly injured four (including two tourists) were confirmed by the Dubai Media Office.
The same day, the UAE indefinitely closed the Dubai International Airport after drone interceptions littered runways with wreckage, stranding tens of thousands of travellers.
Iranian missiles also targeted the Jebel Ali Port, a global trade chokepoint, causing fires that disrupted shipping. Additional barrages also hit energy infrastructure, briefly halting operations at ADNOC facilities and Amazon data centres.
THAAD systems conducted multiple engagement cycles, achieving an interception rate of about 85%, but Emirati officials have allegedly admitted to “challenges with low-flying drones.”
Since then, the volume of attacks on the UAE territory has decreased, but the precision has risen sharply. According to Emirati estimates, the total number of projectiles targeting UAE assets exceeded 1,000. This has not only created a dangerous situation across the country but also hurt its economy and tourism.
France has deployed Rafale fighter jets over the UAE to defend its own military bases against rising Iranian threats, as reported by the EurAsian Times earlier this week. “These Rafales and their pilots are mobilized to ensure the security of our facilities,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told broadcaster BFMTV in response to a question on French action in the UAE over the weekend to neutralize Iranian drones.
Iran launched more than twice as many missiles and around 20 times as many drones toward Gulf states as toward Israel, according to data released by the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies on March 4, with the UAE and Kuwait bearing the majority brunt.
On March 6, Dubai residents got a phone alert from the Emirati interior ministry advising them to take cover from possible missile threats. “Due to the current situation, potential missile threats, seek immediate shelter in the closest secure building and steer away from windows, doors, and open areas,” the alert read.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi-listed stocks fell on March 4 as UAE indices reopened after being closed for two days due to Iranian drone and missile attacks on the country. The benchmark index for Dubai finished the day 4.7% lower, its lowest level since May 2022. The primary index in Abu Dhabi ended the day 1.9% lower, reversing early losses but recording its worst day since April of last year.
At the close of trade, the Nasdaq UAE 20 was down 4.4%.
The UAE is considering freezing billions of dollars of Iranian assets held in the Gulf state. Additionally, following the strikes, thousands of flights were cancelled due to airspace limitations throughout the UAE. Air Arabia, a low-cost carrier, was last observed trading 5% down, a pressing concern in the country.
According to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, traffic at Dubai airport had almost doubled on March 5 from March 4, but remained only about 25% of normal levels.
However, Emirates and Etihad Airways are starting limited flight schedules to major international cities from their hubs in the UAE. Etihad announced on March 6 that it would start operating fewer flights again until March 19. It said around 70 locations, including London, Paris, Frankfurt, Delhi, New York, Toronto, and Tel Aviv, will be served.
The Emirati government has moved all schools and education online and ordered workplaces to operate remotely.
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