Emirati businessman Khalaf Al-Habtour criticizes Trump sharply

SadaNews - Emirati businessman Khalaf Al-Habtour sharply criticized U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the war with Iran in a message he published on his account on the X platform. Mr. President Donald Trump, A direct question: Who gave you the decision to drag our region into a war with Iran? On what basis did you make this dangerous decision? Did you calculate the collateral damage before you pulled the trigger? Did you think that the first to be affected by this escalation would be the countries of the region? The peoples of this region have the right to ask as well: Was this your decision alone? Or was it a result of pressure from Netanyahu and his government? You have placed the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the Arab states in the heart of a danger they did not choose. Thank God we are strong and able to defend ourselves, and we have armies and defenses that protect our homelands, but the question remains: Who allowed you to turn our region into a battlefield? Before the ink dries on the BoardOfPeace initiative announced in the name of peace and stability, we find ourselves facing military escalation that endangers the entire region. So where did those initiatives go? What is the fate of the commitments made in the name of peace? Most of the funding proposed in those initiatives came from the countries of the region themselves, and from Arab Gulf states that contributed billions of dollars on the basis of supporting stability and development. These countries have the right to ask today: Where did this money go? Are we financing peace initiatives or funding a war that places us in danger? More dangerously, your decision does not only threaten the peoples of the region but also reaches the American people whom you promised peace and prosperity. And today they find themselves in a war funded by their own money and taxes, with costs ranging according to the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) between 40-65 billion dollars for direct military operations, which could reach 210 billion dollars including economic impacts and indirect losses if it lasts four to five weeks. The situation has even reached the point of sacrificing Americans themselves in a war in which they have no stake. You even violated your promises not to get involved in wars and to focus only on America and place it at the top of your priorities, as you ordered foreign military interventions during your second term involving seven countries: Somalia, Iraq, Yemen, Nigeria, Syria, Iran, and Venezuela, in addition to naval operations in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific. You conducted more than 658 foreign airstrikes in your first year of rule, which is equivalent to the total strikes during Biden's entire term, which you criticized for entangling the United States in foreign wars. Mr. President, these figures have severely affected your approval ratings among Americans, which have dropped since your second inauguration by 9% in just 400 days. These figures say something clear: Even within the United States, there is an increasing concern about being dragged into a new war, and about exposing the lives of Americans and their economy and future to unnecessary risks. True leadership is not measured by decisions of war but by wisdom, respect for others, and pushing towards achieving peace. If these initiatives were launched in the name of peace, it is our right today to demand full transparency and clear accountability.