Khalaf Al Habtoor, chairman of Al Habtoor Group, says the Gulf and Middle Eastern countries, and their people, are not arenas for settling scores among the great powers.

Axar.az reports, citing Khaleej Times, the UAE billionaire Khalaf Al Habtoor on Thursday wrote an open letter to the US President Donald Trump questioning his authority to drag the Gulf and the Middle East into the ongoing military conflict with Iran.

The founder of Al Habtoor Group raised many questions in his open and candid letter, authored in Arabic and shared on the social media platform X, asking Trump whether it was solely his decision to go to war or whether he was influenced by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“You have placed the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab countries at the heart of a danger they did not choose. Thank God, we are strong and capable of defending ourselves. We have armies and defenses that protect our homelands. But the question remains: Who gave you permission to turn our region into a battlefield?” said Al Habtoor.

Al Habtoor Group has been very vocal in sharing its views on local, regional and global issues. He also funds a think tank to highlight and bring solutions to topical issues.