Dubai: Who gave you permission to turn our region into a battlefield?” – UAE billionaire Khalaf Al Habtoor has written this in an open letter to US President Donald Trump
“You have placed the GCC and the Arab countries at the heart of a danger they did not choose”, further said.
The founder of Al Habtoor Group raised many questions in his open and candid letter, authored in Arabic and shared on the social media platform X.
“You have placed the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab countries at the heart of a danger they did not choose. Thank God, we are strong and capable of defending ourselves. We have armies and defences that protect our homelands. But the question remains: Who gave you permission to turn our region into a battlefield?” said Al Habtoor.
He pointed out that the US decision to go to war with Iran not only threatens the people of this region but also the American people, whom he promised peace and prosperity.
“They are, today, finding themselves in a war funded by their money and taxes, with costs ranging, according to the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), between $40 and $65 billion for direct military operations, and $210 billion if economic impacts and indirect losses if the war lasts four to five weeks.”
Al Habtoor Group has been very vocal in sharing its views on local, regional and global issues. He also funds a think tank to highlight and bring solutions to topical issues.
Promise not fulfilled
Al Habtoor said the US President broke his promises of not getting involved in wars.
As a result of these decisions, the Dubai-based billionaire warned the US president that his approval ratings among Americans had declined by about nine per cent in just 400 days.
“These numbers say something clear: Even within the US, there is growing concern about being dragged into a new war, and about exposing the lives of Americans, their economy, and their future to unnecessary risks… If these initiatives were launched in the name of peace, then we have the right today to demand full transparency and clear accountability,” said Al Habtoor.
Who is accountable?
In another message shared on X, Khalaf Al Habtoor questioned who would be held accountable for the damages inflicted on the Gulf and Middle East.
“Who will pay the price for the tensions imposed on us as a result of a conflict we have no part in among Iran, America and Israel?” he said, adding that the entire region bears the consequences of the war involving three countries.
“Our economies, our security, and the stability of our peoples are not arenas for settling scores among the great powers. We are advocates of stability and peace, and we did not choose to be part of this confrontation. Yet we find ourselves paying the price for an escalation we did not create,” he added.
“The question that must be asked clearly today is: Who is responsible and who will compensate for the losses incurred by the region’s countries and peoples due to the conflicts of others? The region needs a cool head, not more reactions that fan the flames higher,” he concluded.
