'UAE Will Bounce Back': Business Leaders Show Confidence In UAE

2026-03-02 12:11:48

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Billionaire Elon Musk, Telegram owner Pavel Durov, Al Habtoor Group chairman Khalaf Al Habtoor, and many other public figures around the world express trust and confidence in Dubai and the UAE

PUBLISHED: Mon 2 Mar 2026, 2:49 PM

By:
Hind Aldah

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Billionaires and top UAE businessmen expressed confidence on the UAE's ability to overcome challenges and bounce back even stronger.

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The comments came from US billionaire Elon Musk, Telegram owner Pavel Durov, Al Habtoor Group chairman Khalaf Al Habtoor, and many other public figures around the world, expressing trust and confidence in Dubai and the UAE amid the ongoing regional military conflict between the US, Israel and Iran.

Following the US and Israeli attacks, Tehran has been targeting the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, resulting in debris from intercepted missiles falling into the countries.

Emirati businessman and billionaire Khalaf Al Habtoor said on X that the UAE continues to be one of the safest destinations in the world, and that everyone living here can attest to its safety and security.

“(The) UAE is armored with faith, with the goodness sown by its founding people, and with people's love for one another. This is a country built on a system, institutions, and an integrated security framework that cannot be shaken by passing narratives or media exaggerations,” said the founder and chairman of Al Habtoor Group.

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He was responding to a post in which the Egyptian journalist Amr Adib, who wrote that Dubai is“capable of bouncing back quickly, and the UAE is capable of defending and confronting. Soon we will celebrate, soon it will triumph.”

Adib later clarified that some of his words were misinterpreted about the UAE, saying“this nation, which has built and erected, cannot be shaken by a few treacherous Iranian missiles.”

Pavel Durov, the billionaire owner of Telegram, called Dubai“statistically safer” than European cities, even with“missiles flying,” he said.

Elon Musk responded to Durov and agreed, adding that the UAE is objectively“safer and better run than many areas of Europe.”

'At peace'

Samira Boudiab, Vice President of Operations & Technology, EEMEA at Mastercard, comes from war-torn Lebanon, said she considers herself resilient.

At the moment, she is stuck in the US due to flight cancellations while her children remain in the UAE. Despite this, she said she is“at peace.”

“I consider myself resilient,” she wrote on LinkedIn.“I didn't grow up with privilege. I come from a country of war, and I always hoped my children would never experience what I did. Yet today, even being far from them, I am at peace. The difference is trust.”

She added,“What touched me most were the messages and calls from friends, neighbours, and colleagues offering to take my kids into their homes if needed. That kind of care cannot be manufactured. It is community and belonging. Resilience is not only infrastructure or preparedness. It is people showing up for one another.”

'Home in every way'

Despite not being born here, Swedish businessman and tech entrepreneur Carl Freer voiced his gratitude for the country with a letter he posted on X.“My beloved UAE, I was not born on your soil, yet you became my home in every way that matters. Your land and your people welcomed me without hesitation, without judgment, without limits. And I found something rare in this world: a second chance,” he started.

Freer continued to show his appreciation for the country, calling it a land of opportunity and freedom.“I stand with my people here. With gratitude in my heart and loyalty in my soul. I will never forget what you gave me. And I will never take it for granted,” he added.