A US ally in the Middle East has finally cut off Iran \u2014 and it could be one of the biggest threats to the regime yet. <\/p>\n
The United Arab Emirates, which serves as Tehran\u2019s largest supplier of goods<\/a>, suspended all trade with the Iran over the weekend \u2014 nixing $6 billion in cash that went to the regime from exports, as well as access to vital supplies from the outside world. <\/p>\n Dubai \u2014 the UAE\u2019s thriving commercial pub \u2014 is by far Iran\u2019s largest supplier of goods. The Emirati government finally got fed up with Iran following repeated missile attacks<\/a> that triggered evacuations for the first time during the war.<\/p>\n The move not only threatens the $21.3 billion trade relations between the two nations, it also leaves Iran without its primary way to collect US dollars, Mark Kimmitt, a retired US general and former assistant secretary of state, told The Post.<\/p>\n The United Arab Emirates served as a trade hub for Iran, with billions in imports and exports flowing through before the war. Mariusz \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Iran depends on the UAE\u2019s trade network for food, consumer goods and industrial equipment. AP Photo\/Vahid Salemi<\/p>\n Dubai is Iran\u2019s biggest supplier of goods. (Tam Nguyen \/ NY Post Design) Tam Nguyen \/ NY Post Design<\/p>\n \u201cIf the Emirates cease trade and blocks dollar flows, it could have a crippling effect on the Iranian economy,\u201d Kimmitt said. <\/p>\n Dubai essentially served as Iran\u2019s window to the world after years of being slapped by Western sanctions, with traders buying and re-exporting consumer goods, food and industrial equipment to Iran.<\/p>\n The two nations strengthened their economic cooperation in 2024, with the UAE surpassing China as Iran\u2019s most vital trading partner.<\/p>\n Iran imported about $14.8 billion worth of goods from the UAE during the first 10 months of the 2025 fiscal year, accounting for 30% of its total imports, according to the two countries\u2019 trade data.<\/p>\n The UAE suspended all trade with Iran after its ports came under fire repeatedly during the war. REUTERS<\/p>\n Dubai\u2019s ports are the primary way Iran gets goods like phones, computers, tobacco and nuts.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Iran exported around $6.5 billion worth goods to the UAE during the same fiscal period, nearly 15% of its non-oil exports.<\/p>\n Most notably, Iran also depended on the UAE for 70% of its fuel oil exports, making the UAE its largest market for the product.<\/p>\n People walk past shops and browse for goods at the Grand Bazaar in Tehran on Monday. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n Refined oil also come back in the opposite direction from Dubai \u2014 with gasoline and diesel imports from the UAE helping to offset Iran\u2019s supply deficit.<\/p>\n The blow leaves Iran with fewer means to make money and import goods as its economy continues to plummet under the strain of US sanctions<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIn many ways, the embargo being put on by the UAE is even more significant than the embargo being put on by the United States,\u201d Kimmitt told Al Jazeera<\/a>. <\/p>\n