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Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have closed down a historic Iranian state-affiliated hospital in Dubai as the Gulf emirate suffers a third week of missile and drone attacks from the neighbouring Islamic republic.
The hospital, one of the oldest healthcare establishments in the UAE, closed this week, according to staff at the complex. “The government shut us down,” said a security guard. “We weren’t told why.”
The hospital closure is part of a broader move against Iran-linked institutions in Dubai, including schools and a social club. The city is the region’s commercial and tourism hub and has historic ties to the Islamic republic, but is reeling from the impact of Iranian missile and drone strikes.
A UAE official said institutions “directly linked” to the Iranian regime would be closed after being “misused to advance agendas that do not serve the Iranian people and in violation of UAE laws”.
The official did not identify any of the institutions and did not provide evidence for the claims. Representatives of the hospital were not available for comment.
The UAE official said the closures were “administrative” and would be carried out in an “orderly manner”.
“The UAE is home to a longstanding and vibrant Iranian community that continues to play an integral role in society and remains a valued contributor to the country’s continued progress,” the official added.
Iran’s attacks on the UAE, a response to the US and Israeli offensive against the regime, have declined in frequency in recent days, according to Dubai authorities.
But residents say the strikes appear to have become increasingly audible, with even louder interceptions heard over the city at night and more frequent alarms blaring on mobile phones.
Drone strikes against the airport and the city’s financial district have caused disruption to flights and unsettled the financial community. To date, Iran has launched more than 2,000 missiles and drones against the UAE, far more than against any of its other neighbours.
One government adviser said the UAE leadership — increasingly hawkish in its attitude to the “enemy” Islamic republic since the conflict began — had long been concerned about the security implications of potential clandestine activity within institutions aligned with Tehran.
“There are worries about a fifth column,” the adviser said.
The Iranian Hospital, which is controlled by the state-linked Iranian Red Crescent Society, opened in 1972, with construction starting before the formation of the UAE in the previous year. The hospital’s distinctive turquoise tile work, inspired by Persian and Islamic architecture, makes it one of Dubai’s most recognisable buildings.
“Hopefully, we will get our money next week after Eid,” said a nurse from the Philippines who worked at the hospital. The Eid holiday celebrating the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan falls this year on Thursday or Friday.
The nurse was one of dozens of members of staff at the hospital on Wednesday searching for answers about the situation. “We are worried that our visas will be cancelled automatically, so we will have to go home,” she added.
In recent days doctors had cancelled appointments with patients of the hospital, saying they would soon be looking for work at different healthcare outlets.
The Iranian Club, a social and cultural institute in Dubai funded by a government-linked foundation in Tehran, suspended activities on Monday owing to the “current circumstances”, according to a statement on the club’s Instagram account.
Iranian schools in Dubai have also been shut down, according to residents. These schools follow Iran’s curriculum and tend to recruit teachers from the country.
One, Towheed Iranian School, had been closed on the orders of the government, according to two security guards at the empty facility.
Signs bearing the school’s name had been removed and four UAE flags flew from its roof.
Cartography by May Bancoyo