Islam Times – UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed has canceled a planned state visit to Japan amid rising regional tensions, according to a report by Japan’s public broadcaster NHK. The three-day visit was scheduled to begin on February 8.Japanese officials cited by NHK said the cancellation was attributed by the UAE to unspecified “domestic circumstances.”
However, the decision is widely seen as linked to escalating tensions between Iran and the United States, fueling concerns over a broader conflict in West Asia. The UAE government has not issued an official comment.
The move comes as His Eminence Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei warned over the weekend of a possible “regional war” if Iran is attacked. Tehran has previously said it would retaliate against US and “Israeli” targets in the event of military action.
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that a naval armada was only “a couple of days” away from Iran, while noting that unnamed Gulf allies were engaged in talks with Tehran to reduce tensions. “We’ll make a deal,” he said.
Diplomatic activity has intensified in recent days. Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani said on Saturday that “structural arrangements for negotiations are progressing,” following a visit to Tehran by Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
In a recent phone call, bin Zayed told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that the UAE supports dialogue and initiatives aimed at promoting regional stability.
Despite the uncertainty, all sides have publicly expressed support for diplomatic engagement to de-escalate the crisis.
AloJapan.com