UAE minister Reem Al Hashimy describes Iran's attacks as 'almost unhinged', tells ABC they surprised her

Iran's actions in attacking neighbouring countries were unprecedented, "almost unhinged" and irrational, according to a senior United Arab Emirates minister.

The UAE has endured the largest number of missile and drone attacks of any country in the Gulf region, and even more than Israel, though its well-equipped and financed defence forces have been able to intercept virtually all the incoming barrages to date.

"It's been pretty unprecedented, what's happened, and almost unhinged, I would say, to have Iran lash out at the very people who've been calling for de-escalation, who've been calling for this war to never actually even start, which has really taken us by surprise," Minister for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy told the ABC.

"We've borne the brunt of most of the missiles and drone attacks, and it's really quite surprising for us that Iran has taken such an irrational path to fight the Gulf states and act in this quite unlawful, quite unacceptable manner."

Most analysts believe that Iran's attacks on its Gulf state neighbours are designed to maximise pressure on US President Donald Trump, both because it was assumed they would pressure him to back off due to the damage the attacks were doing to their economy, and because of the damage closing down oil exports would do to the global economy.

But if the plan was to drive a wedge between Gulf nations — many of which host US military bases — and Washington, it hasn't worked.

Dr Al Hashimy dismisses any suggestion that the UAE might also harbour anger against the United States and Israel for starting this conflict; she was very clear.

"Independent of how this began, the retaliatory measures that Iran has taken to attack the Gulf states are really where the issue we have is," she says.

"I have to highlight here that Iran isn't simply attacking military bases that have not launched a single missile from them, because we've made it clear that our territory would not be used to launch an attack against Iran.

"They are actually targeting civilian infrastructure as well, whether it's an airport or it's oil tankers. 

Asked if the attacks would make the UAE reconsider hosting US bases, Dr Al Hashimi said: "Quite the contrary. Our relationship with the US is a long-standing strategic partnership.

"It's a partnership that doesn't falter in moments of crisis, but has been built on decades of trust and mutual respect.

"We've been long-standing partners of the US, long-standing partners of Australia as well. And this doesn't deter us, because we're also a resilient bunch, and we don't take to being bullied around, either."

The US maintains an air base in the UAE, about 30 kilometres from Abu Dhabi. It has been a target for Iranian attacks, which have subsequently seen multiple international airlines cancel flights to the city.

On Saturday, local time, Iran claimed the US had used ports and jetties in the UAE to attack its territory, and warned they would be considered legitimate targets. 

"We urge the Muslim people of the UAE to evacuate ports, jetties and American shelters in the country's cities so that no-one is harmed," a regime spokesperson said.

Analysts say Iran's attacks on the UAE have affected the country's reputation as a safe haven. It is likely to affect key economic drivers such as tourism, real estate, and aviation.

The UAE government has clamped down on sharing what it has described as rumours or false news about the war. It has warned people that publishing information not derived from official sources could lead to their arrest. 

Iran, which has been attacking commercial ships, has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz. Around 20 per cent of the world's oil shipments pass through the narrow stretch of ocean. 

Dr Al Hashimy said multiple global supply chains would be affected, not just the oil industry.

"It's about almost everything, right, because the Strait of Hormuz is the pathway in which so much of global trade passes through, whether it's cooking oil or it's petrochemical or it's manufactured products," she said.

"[The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps] is using it as a leverage to scare, to create panic in markets, and to try to destabilise the absolute strength that Gulf economies have, and in particular the UAE economy.

"We are measured in our approach, and we're not taken with hyperbole. We are very restrained and, you know, beyond the here and now, already thinking of ways to mitigate against that and are talking to our friends and partners, including Australia, about how we can ensure maritime freedoms.

"How do we ensure that humanitarian aid, all of these different mechanisms that use the Strait of Hormuz, are not hostage to hyperbole that's coming from the IRGC?"

Dr Al Hashimy is the minister of state for international cooperation and the UAE's special envoy to Australia.

She was the driving force behind the negotiation of our only free trade agreement in the Middle East, and last year, a strategic partnership was signed when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited the UAE.

She's something of a superstar in the UAE too: she's been a minister for 18 years — having first been appointed as a 30-year-old — has held her portfolio for the past 10 years, and is seen as a highly regarded adviser to the president.

Australia has brought a Wedgetail surveillance aircraft to the UAE, along with 85 support crew and a pledge of missiles.

"I believe we have an incredible relationship with your government and with your people," Dr Al Hashimy said.

"There are close to 30,000 Australians who live in the UAE. Almost 4,000 of them are actually students. And over the years, we've built a strong partnership and a strong basis for respect.

"Having the Wedgetail, which is a remarkable detection mechanism, is incredibly useful for us, because it will help us also better understand what's coming through if the UAE continues to be a target."

She said middle powers like the UAE and Australia, along with other countries, needed to work together "to ensure that there is a loud enough, large enough, collective voice that really calls [out] the illegality of what's happening, and the unacceptability of what is happening as well".

Asked if the UAE would reassess its commitment to Donald Trump's Board of Peace, its $US1.4 trillion ($2 trillion) investment in the US, or the Abraham Accords with Israel, Dr Al Hashimy said, "If anything, we are doubling down on our friends".

"We are further cementing the strong ties that bind us," she said. "Moments of crisis won't falter the trajectory that we are in, which is built on partnership and mutual respect.

"We need to have fewer wars in our region and around the world, fewer conflicts, fewer instabilities, and fewer fragmentations.

"The Board of Peace was a framework that was put forward to bring voices together to try to tackle it. We are committed to that. Our investment in that continues.

"And I do want to add that for Gaza specifically, we've put in close to $3 billion in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza. And we'll continue to do everything we can to alleviate that suffering."

Laura Tingle is the ABC's global affairs editor