US/Israel-Iran conflict: What UAE residents need to know today (Nov. 9, 2026)

Fresh incidents continued in the Gulf and around the Strait of Hormuz, raising regional security concerns.

Tensions and wider operational disruption continue to affect ongoing flight schedule changes. Saudi routes remain the most disrupted:

• Etihad: All Abu Dhabi flights to Riyadh and Dammam are cancelled until Nov. 19. Jeddah flights resumed Nov. 6.

• flydubai: Riyadh and Abha are suspended through Nov. 16, and Dammam resumes Nov. 10.

• Emirates and Air Arabia: Some Dubai flights to Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah were cancelled on Nov. 8, and Air Arabia cancelled Sharjah flights to Riyadh, Abha, Jizan and Tabuk.

• International connections: A partial recovery, not a return to normal

  Some overseas airlines have resumed UAE services, while others retain lengthy suspensions:

• Returns: British Airways resumed Dubai flights Nov. 3.

• Philippine Airlines returned to Dubai on Oct. 21, joining Cebu Pacific: both operate four weekly Dubai–Manila flights.

• Lufthansa, SWISS and Eurowings are due Nov. 25. Austrian Airlines plans a Dec. 12 return. These remain announced schedules, not completed resumptions.

• Singapore Airlines’ SQ494/SQ495 services remain suspended through Feb. 28, 2027, while Cathay Pacific’s Dubai suspension runs through Jan. 31, 2027. Several other carriers also retain restrictions extending into next year.

• Other routes: Iranian airlines remain suspended from the UAE, and Dubai-Tel Aviv flights remain suspended on Emirates and flydubai.

• US Mission: The UAE missions to the UAE warned Americans about the possibility of flight cancellations, airspace closures and travel disruption.

Oil prices

Brent fell toward $97 a barrel Monday per barrel and WTI toward $90, extending a drop of more than 13% last week, on hopes of a US-Iran breakthrough.

Murban crude, however, increased 3.42% or $3.28 to $99.17 per barrel. Lower crude prices do not automatically change petrol prices.

US President Donald Trump said Sunday it is “highly unlikely” he would order new attacks on Iran as long as talks progress.

Iran’s foreign minister told Washington to accept Tehran’s proposal to end hostilities on all fronts or face retaliation that would “rain down hell.”

He also said no negotiations had taken place since the “shock” of the US midterms. Israel’s defense minister said its mission against Iran is “not complete.”

Fresh incidents continued.

Iranian state TV reported three projectiles launched from Sirik toward the Strait of Hormuz, and explosions were heard on Qeshm Island, in Jask and in Bandar Abbas, with causes unconfirmed. However, reports of Iranian tanker fires and Qeshm blasts have not been independently verified.

Meanwhile, Washington has launched Task Force Iron Gate to cut Iran’s land and Caspian supply routes, while Tehran lifted limits on its missile ranges and warned of retaliation without geographic limits.

US forces struck and disabled the cargo ship M/V Huda in the Gulf of Oman after its crew allegedly ignored repeated warnings and made multiple attempts to breach Washington’s naval blockade of Iran, US Central Command said.

A US military aircraft fired precision munitions at the stern of the Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged vessel after American forces instructed its civilian crew to leave the targeted areas, according to CentCom.

The command stated that the ship had visited an Iranian port and was attempting to depart regional waters.

Its statement did not provide the crew’s response, identify the cargo or specify the ship’s destination. CentCom identified the incident date as Nov. 7, 2026, but its public statement did not specify the exact strike time.

The Huda incident illustrates that the US blockade is being enforced against vessels departing Iranian ports, not only ships attempting to enter them.

CentCom explicitly linked the action to the vessel’s earlier Iranian port call and subsequent attempt to leave regional waters.

The command said enforcement operations since July had "redirected" 147 commercial vessels that complied with instructions and disabled five merchant ships that refused.

Separately, the command said US forces had destroyed 10 Iranian commercial oil tankers it claims to belong to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ "shadow" network.

UAE rescue of 22 crew in the Gulf of Oman

The UAE National Guard did not identify the vessel, its flag, its cargo, the exact location or the cause of the fire.

The ship has not been named. It is unclear whether the rescued crew served aboard the Huda. Several outlets described them as separate incidents.

The National Guard announced the rescue on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, in a post on X. The incident itself appears to have occurred a day earlier. UKMTO had received a report on Saturday, Nov. 7, of an incident involving a bulk carrier about 18 nautical miles east of Khor Fakkan on the UAE coast.

The ship’s crew reported a fire aboard, and the Coast Guard Division sent specialized teams to locate the vessel. All 22 crew, who are Arab nationals, were evacuated, given first aid and handed over to authorities. All were in stable condition.

In Saudi Arabia, air defenses intercepted Houthi missiles aimed at Riyadh and the Eastern Region. Shrapnel damaged an Aramco building in Riyadh, with no injuries reported.

Check flight status with your airline before leaving home, especially for Saudi routes.

• Allow extra time at airports.

• Follow official UAE and Saudi civil defense alerts and avoid filming or sharing interceptions, which can carry legal liability in Saudi Arabia.

• Keep travel documents and airline contacts handy.