DUBAI — The United Arab Emirates has ordered the closure of an Iranian state-linked hospital in Dubai, staff members at the facility said, as relations between the two neighbours deteriorate amid the widening Iran war and repeated Iranian missile and drone attacks on Gulf states. Three employees at the Iranian Hospital told AFP they were instructed to vacate after a decision communicated during a staff meeting last weekend. One staff member said management attributed the closure to Iran’s attacks on the UAE. The facility, one of Dubai’s oldest healthcare institutions, is run by the Iranian Red Crescent Society and employs more than 700 people, according to reports.
A UAE official told AFP that “certain institutions directly linked to the Iranian regime and (Revolutionary Guard) will be closed under targeted measures” after being found to have violated UAE laws. The official said the measures are “administrative in nature” and would be implemented in an orderly manner to maintain continuity of essential services.
The closure comes as the UAE steps up pressure on Iran-linked entities inside the country. The Financial Times reported that Iran-linked schools and social clubs have also been affected, and that some Iranian community institutions in Dubai have suspended activities since the conflict escalated. The diplomatic fallout has been sharp. The UAE foreign ministry said on March 1 it closed its embassy in Tehran and withdrew its ambassador and diplomatic mission, citing Iranian missile attacks.
Separately, the UAE has announced security actions
