Declassified UK Documents Reveal Historic UAE-Saudi Tensions
Sheikh Zayed questioned Riyadh’s regional ambitions and sought U.S. intervention to counter Saudi territorial claims, British archives show.
Watan-Recently declassified British documents have revealed long-standing, quiet tensions between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia dating back to the founding of the UAE. Records from the UK National Archives in London show that Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE, was skeptical of Saudi Arabia’s regional intentions—even going so far as to request U.S. intervention to stop the kingdom’s territorial claims over its Gulf neighbors.
The documents pertain to a visit in April 1986, when Sheikh Zayed hosted British Conservative MP Julian Amery in Abu Dhabi. Their conversation, described in the memos as “frank and concerned,” focused on the future of Gulf relations—particularly between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh.
According to Amery’s notes, Sheikh Zayed, along with Sheikh Suroor bin Mohammed Al Nahyan (then Chief of Staff), expressed deep concern over Saudi behavior—especially after its historical attempts to take control of the oil- and water-rich Buraimi Oasis, a long-disputed area with Oman and the Trucial States (which later became the UAE).
Zayed’s Warning: UAE Skepticism Toward Saudi Ambitions Uncovered
The documents confirm that Sheikh Zayed regretted signing the 1974 “Jeddah Agreement” with King Faisal, viewing it as a major concession, particularly in terms of border demarcation.
Remarkably, Sheikh Zayed openly told the British MP that he had asked U.S. official Richard Murphy—then Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs—to deliver a direct message to Saudi Arabia, urging it not to make territorial claims against its allies, particularly referring to Oman and Abu Dhabi.
Amery noted in his report that the Emirati concern had, at that point, shifted beyond the Palestinian issue for the first time, and was now explicitly focused on Saudi Arabia’s regional ambitions—something he interpreted as a sign of changing foreign policy priorities in Abu Dhabi.
These revelations come at a time of major political shifts and growing complexity in Gulf relations, making historical documents like these vital for understanding the deep-rooted dynamics behind either convergence or discord among Gulf capitals.
