Kathmandu. Iranian authorities have intensified their wartime messages against the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Iran has threatened to strike the United Arab Emirates if the United States and Israel attack Iran again.
Among the Gulf countries, Iran has attacked the most drones and missiles in the UAE. During the ceasefire with the United States, Iran also carried out air strikes on the UAE.
Ali Khezarian, a member of Iran’s parliament’s National Security Commission, said on state television that “our ‘neighbour’ relations with the UAE have ended for now and will now be seen as the ‘base camp of the enemy’.”TAG_OPEN_p_17 “
According to Al Jazeera, despite the announcement of a ceasefire in April, the Iranian armed forces’ central headquarters in Khatam al-Anbiya issued a strong statement in the name of the UAE after the recent exchange of fire between Iran and the US in the Strait of Hormuz.TAG_OPEN_p_16 Iran’s military commanders have warned UAE leaders not to turn their country into an “American and Zionist (Israeli) military base”.
Iran accuses the UAE’s growing military and intelligence ties with the United States and Israel of exacerbating regional insecurity.TAG_OPEN_p_15 It also warned of a “remorseful and strong response” from the UAE if it attacks Iran’s southern islands and ports. Iran claims that the UAE’s important port of Fujairah falls under Iranian jurisdiction and says it has control over ships coming to and going there.
Escalating tensions between Iran and UAE and a possible war could lead to a serious economic and humanitarian crisis for Nepal. Remittances constitute a major part of Nepal’s GDP. The UAE is one of the major remittance-receiving countries in Nepal. If there is a war situation or economic activities come to a standstill, the source of foreign currency coming into Nepal will dry up, which will cause a big blow to Nepal’s balance of payment position and foreign exchange reserves.
Millions of Nepalis are employed in the construction, service, and security sectors in the UAE.TAG_OPEN_p_13 If Iran targets UAE ports and infrastructure, the lives of Nepalis working there may be at risk. The fear of war could lead to the closure of companies and the loss of jobs for a large number of Nepalis.
If TAG_OPEN_p_12 the situation worsens, it will be a big challenge for the Government of Nepal to bring millions of Nepalis back home safely. This will suddenly increase the unemployment rate in Nepal. As the tensions of the war in the Middle East continue, the price of crude oil is sure to rise further. This has led to a rise in the price of petroleum products in Nepal, which has led to higher transportation costs and costlier of daily essentials.
According to various statistics and details of the Department of Foreign Employment, there are currently about 4 lakh to 4.5 lakh Nepalese working in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).TAG_OPEN_p_11 The UAE is the third or fourth largest destination for Nepali workers after Malaysia and Qatar.
