Gloves come off in gulf as Trump’s closest Arab allies clash

This photograph taken on January 20, 2026 during a tour for the foreign media organised by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government shows Saudi-backed Yemeni forces in the city of Mukalla in Yemen's coastal southern Hadramawt province. Saudi-backed Yemeni officials on January 19 said the United Arab Emirates has been running secret prisons in the country's south, the latest episode in a growing rift between the two regional allies turned rivals. The UAE and Saudi Arabia entered the Yemen war in 2015 as a united front backing the government against Iran-backed rebels. But they later supported rival factions within Yemen's internationally recognised government. A brief land grab by UAE-backed separatists infuriated Riyadh, which rolled them back. (Photo by Fadel SENNA / AFP)

The rupture between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates has the potential to move markets and exacerbate wars.

PHOTO: AFP

Vivian Nereim

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – For years, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates opted to resolve their disagreements and border disputes quietly, behind the scenes. Now it appears as if a dam has burst, with the consequences rippling across the region and beyond.

The rupture between the two powerful and oil-rich neighbours, both of which have cultivated vast global influence, has the potential to move markets and exacerbate wars.

See more on

Middle East

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates