UAE asks residents to disregard first missile alert in 53 days

The UAE has asked residents to disregard an initial missile emergency alert issued on June 26, after the country’s Ministry of Interior clarified it was a false alarm. At around 5.17pm, phones sounded an order to “seek shelter” over a “potential missile threat,” followed seconds later by a safety alert and then a clarification. Residents were told to disregard the previous warning, as the alert proved inaccurate. The episode came after a period of lower hostilities in the region since June 17, when the US and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding. The UAE’s foreign minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also received a phone call from Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi to discuss regional developments. The call followed US Vice President Marco Rubio’s recent Gulf visit, which reaffirmed Washington’s security commitment amid efforts tied to the Strait of Hormuz.