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STORY: UN / BAHRAIN UAE PRESS ENCOUNTER
TRT:4:01
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 06 MAY 2026, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
06 MAY 2026, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United Nations, Jamal Fares Alrowaiei and Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations, Mohamed Abushahab arriving at the press encounter
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Jamal Fares Alrowaiei, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United Nations:
“The Kingdom of Bahrain reiterated its full solidarity with the United Arab Emirates and condemning these attacks. The security of the region is indivisible, and such attacks must cease immediately. They require credible, united and decisive response from the international community and particularly from the Security Council.”
4. Wide shot, Ambassador Jamal Fares Alrowaiei and Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab at the press encounter
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Mohamed Abushahab, Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations:
“The Security Council meets today under deeply troubling circumstances. A Member State of the United Nations has once again chosen the path of escalation, launching attacks against its neighbor in clear violation of the UN Charter and international law. On the 4th of May, Iran launched 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four UAVs directly at the United Arab Emirates. These attacks included drone strikes, which resulted in a fire in the Fujairah oil Industry Zone, critical civilian energy infrastructure. UAE air defenses successfully intercepted the majority of these threats, limiting the damage. Nevertheless, three civilians were injured.”
6. Wide shot, Ambassador Jamal Fares Alrowaiei and Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab at the press encounter
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Mohamed Abushahab, Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations:
“Commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz continue to be struck. Deliberate attacks on international shipping in one of the world's most vital waterways, and what happens in the Strait of Hormuz does not stay in the Strait of Hormuz. It affects energy markets, supply chains, food prices and economic stability across the globe. Every country represented at the United Nations has a stake in protecting freedom of navigation and the security of critical energy infrastructure. This is not only a regional issue, it is a test of whether the international system can protect the basic conditions on which the global economy depends. These are not the actions of a state seeking stability. They are the actions of a regime choosing escalation over diplomacy and coercion over peace.”
8. Wide shot, Ambassador Jamal Fares Alrowaiei and Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab at the press encounter
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Mohamed Abushahab, Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations:
“The UAE condemns these attacks in the strongest possible terms. They violate Security Council Resolution 2817, a resolution co-sponsored by 136 Member States, the highest in the history of the Council. The will of the international community could not be clearer. Iran's noncompliance could not be more brazen. Let me also be clear, The UAE will continue to exercise its inherent right of self-defense under international law, as recognized in article 51 of the UN Charter.”
10. Wide shot, Ambassador Jamal Fares Alrowaiei and Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab at the press encounter
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Mohamed Abushahab, Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations:
“We call on the Security Council to act decisively in response to Iran's violations and the clear threat they pose to international peace and security. This is why this moment matters. The Council should uphold its own decisions and compel Iran's compliance using all tools at its disposal. The Security Council cannot remain a forum for repeating platitudes while violations continue in plain sight. If the Security Council does not act when its resolutions are openly violated, then other actors will draw their own conclusions about the credibility of this organization and the enforceability of Security Council resolutions aimed at upholding international law. Therefore, the resolutions must be fully implemented.”
12. Wide shot, Ambassador Jamal Fares Alrowaiei and Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab leaving the press encounter
The Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) condemned Iran’s recent attacks on the UAE, calling for “credible, united and decisive response from the international community and particularly from the Security Council.”
Speaking to reporters ahead of a Security Council closed consultation at the request of the Kingdom of Bahrain today (6 May), Bahrain Ambassador Jamal Fares Alrowaiei reiterated the Kingdom’s “full solidarity with the United Arab Emirates and condemning Iran’s attacks against the UAE on the 4th of May.
Ambassador Alrowaiei said, “the security of the region is indivisible, and such attacks must cease immediately,” reiterating “they require credible, united and decisive response from the international community and particularly from the Security Council.”
For his part, UAE Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab said, “the Security Council meets today under deeply troubling circumstances. A Member State of the United Nations has once again chosen the path of escalation, launching attacks against its neighbor in clear violation of the UN Charter and international law.”
Ambassador Abushahab said that on the 4th of May, Iran launched 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four UAVs directly at the United Arab Emirates.
“These attacks included drone strikes, which resulted in a fire in the Fujairah oil Industry Zone, critical civilian energy infrastructure. UAE air defenses successfully intercepted the majority of these threats, limiting the damage. Nevertheless, three civilians were injured,” he added.
He reiterated that the UAE condemns these attacks “in the strongest possible terms,” adding they violate Security Council Resolution 2817, “a resolution co-sponsored by 136 Member States, the highest in the history of the Council.”
Ambassador Abushahab continued, “the will of the international community could not be clearer. Iran's noncompliance could not be more brazen.”
He stressed, “the UAE will continue to exercise its inherent right of self-defense under international law, as recognized in article 51 of the UN Charter.”
Ambassador Abushahab also highlighted, “commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz continue to be struck. Deliberate attacks on international shipping in one of the world's most vital waterways.”
He emphasized, “what happens in the Strait of Hormuz does not stay in the Strait of Hormuz. It affects energy markets, supply chains, food prices and economic stability across the globe,” highlighting every country represented at the United Nations “has a stake in protecting freedom of navigation and the security of critical energy infrastructure.”
“This is not only a regional issue, it is a test of whether the international system can protect the basic conditions on which the global economy depends,” the UAE Ambassador added, saying “these are not the actions of a state seeking stability. They are the actions of a regime choosing escalation over diplomacy and coercion over peace.”
Ambassador Abushahab called on the Security Council to “act decisively in response to Iran's violations and the clear threat they pose to international peace and security.”
“This is why this moment matters,” he said, stressing that the Council should “uphold its own decisions and compel Iran's compliance using all tools at its disposal.”
Ambassador Abushahab reiterated, “the Security Council cannot remain a forum for repeating platitudes while violations continue in plain sight,” adding if the Security Council does not act when its resolutions are openly violated, “then other actors will draw their own conclusions about the credibility of this organization and the enforceability of Security Council resolutions aimed at upholding international law.”
“Therefore, the resolutions must be fully implemented,” he concluded.
