For a brief moment, Emirati billionaire Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor was the talk of the Middle East.
The ultra-wealthy business magnate had published — and then deleted — a direct and scathing critique of the war around Iran aimed squarely at the White House.
His lengthy spray travelled around the world through multiple media channels. It was laced with uncomfortable questions that are rarely asked so plainly in the mainstream press.
“Who gave you the authority to drag our region into a war with Iran? And on what basis did you make such a dangerous decision?” he wrote, addressing Trump directly.
Al Habtoor accused the US of acting without regard for the region that would ultimately bear the most dire consequences over the long term. Minus Iran, the Middle East is home to some 425 million people, many of whom are inextricably tied to the US through the oil industry.
In the months leading up to the US and Israel’s consequential decision to take out Iran’s leadership, the globe had been grappling with growing global instability. But compared to recent decades, the Persian Gulf was somewhat stable. Money was being made by the bucket, and ultra-modern cities like Dubai had shot to international acclaim.
But with missiles flying overhead hitting civilian buildings, oil tankers and crucial energy sites, the allure of safety throughout the more developed nations has now been shattered.
Millions are fuming and want answers.
“Did you calculate the collateral damage before pulling the trigger?” Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor asked. “Did you consider that the first to suffer from this escalation would be the countries of the region?”
The post went further, raising the suspicion that the decision was not entirely Washington’s own. There has been growing discontent online among anti-war commentators who claim the US is needlessly wading into the Middle East on behalf of Israel.
An eyebrow-raising comment from United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth earlier this month, where he explicitly described the campaign as “your mission” when addressing Israel, sparked a firestorm.
“To our steadfast partner, Israel, your mission is being executed with unmatched skill and iron determination. Fighting shoulder to shoulder with such a capable ally is a true force multiplier and a breath of fresh air,” he said.
Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor did not make explicit accusations, simply asking for a yes or no answer from the commander-in-chief.
“Was this your decision alone? Or was it the result of pressure from Netanyahu and his government?” he asked.
Al Habtoor said that while the immediate economic impacts were being felt around the globe, the region will ultimately be the one that is hit hardest in the years to come, be it through a loss in tourism, migration and general investment.
Citing estimates from the Institute for Policy Studies, he wrote that the war could cost between $40–65 billion (A$60–97 billion) in direct military operations, rising to $210 billion (A$315 billion) when broader economic effects are included if the conflict continues for several weeks.
He also pointed to the very recent “Board of Peace” initiative that promised more stability in the region amid a brokered ceasefire in Gaza.
“Before the ink had even dried on the Board of Peace initiative that you announced in the name of peace and stability, we now find ourselves facing military escalation that puts the entire region at risk,” Al Habtoor continued.
“Where have those initiatives gone? And what has become of the commitments that were presented in the name of peace? Most of the funding proposed in those initiatives came from the countries of the region themselves, particularly Persian Gulf Arab states that contributed billions of dollars on the basis of supporting stability and development. These countries have the right today to ask: where has this money gone? Are we funding peace initiatives, or funding a war that puts us in danger?”
In his telling, the burden lands directly on Americans as well.
“Today they find themselves in a war financed by their own money and taxes … in which they have no stake,” he continued.
He also accused Trump of “contradicting its own promises”. In the lead-up to the 2024 election, Trump had aggressively attacked the Biden administration for its haphazard spending on Ukraine, declaring that he would be the president who stopped global conflicts instead of instigating them.
It was one of the major sticking points that swayed disaffected Democrats and on-the-fence voters to go red and secure the New Yorker another term.
Instead, there have been US military operations in Somalia, Iraq, Yemen, Nigeria, Syria, Iran, and Venezuela.
“In your first year in office you authorised more than 658 external airstrikes, equivalent to the total number of strikes carried out during Biden’s entire presidency, despite your criticism that he had entangled the United States in foreign wars,” Al Habtoor said, laying the slipper in by referencing the 79-year-old’s approval ratings.
“Mr President, these numbers have clearly affected your approval ratings among Americans, which have fallen since the start of your second term, dropping 9 per cent within just 400 days.”
Speaking to the Washington Post this week, Al Habtoor said he ultimately decided to delete the post at the request of “friends” from the UAE and the US, claiming they had told him it was not the right time “to upset the Americans”.
“On my principles, I do not like to offend anyone in my life,” Al Habtoor said, also admitting that the damage had already been done.
Trump unleashes on Israel and Iran
It came as Trump fired off on his personal social media again, this time unloading on a crisis unfolding at one of the world’s most important energy sites.
After launching the US into the war headfirst three weeks ago, the US President was suddenly calling for urgent restraint. He heavily criticised Israel’s strikes on Iran’s South Pars gas field and the following retaliatory attacks on Qatar’s LNG infrastructure that followed.
“The United States knew nothing about this particular attack,” he said, adding that Qatar “was in no way, shape, or form, involved with it.”
Trump said there would be “NO MORE ATTACKS WILL BE MADE BY ISRAEL pertaining to this extremely important and valuable South Pars Field” unless Iran escalates further.
“The United States of America … will massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field at an amount of strength and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before,” he said.
Trump acknowledged the scale of what he was threatening and admitted he did not want the war to come to that.
“I do not want to authorise this level of violence and destruction because of the long term implications,” he said before adding that he “will not hesitate” if Qatari infrastructure is struck again.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to dispel thoughts that there was a rift between Israel and Washington, dismissing those suggestions as “fake news.”
