Ayatollah's missiles target futuristic Dubai towers

Dubai (United Arab Emirates)This article is being written from the 41st floor of one of Dubai's many superlative hotels. 

Through the window –a glass wall– an analytical view unfolds: the sky is full of extremely tall cranes building more extremely tall skyscrapers that will, in a few months, be very expensive hotels and residences. The construction boom in the rogue city of the United Arab Emirates is not news. Economic prosperity has been blowing in favor of the Gulf monarchies for years, attracting more investors and foreign residents. Everyone wants to join us (Everyone wants to join us), read a sign at the airport.

The paradox of this horizon with so many cranes working is the war, which is also working, which is also under construction.From the 41st floor, the elevator takes 54 seconds to reach the ground floor. The previous night, Iran's army launched missiles on Dubai. In the sky, it was heard how the Emirati defenses intercepted Tehran's fire.

I ask at the hotel's gilded reception.

—Do you have any shelter in this hotel?

—What do you mean by a shelter?

—If you have any place equipped to protect oneself from bombing.

—Ah, no, sir, we don't.

Dubai's futuristic towers did not account for the ayatollahs' bombs. “Here we built swimming pools, not shelters”, a voice close to the United Arab Emirates government told me a few days ago. 

I go out to the hotel pool, 8th floor. The scene is peaceful: children are swimming, the lifeguard is watching, parents are sunbathing. Two Russian tourists appear on the scene: in white bathrobes, directly from the

spa. The roar of a military fighter jet crosses the city. It is war. It is the Emirati army's planes, patrolling and defending the country's airspace. Hours later, a black cloud spreads across the sky. “It seems that [Iran] have attacked the airport area”, it is commented in the city's Telegram groups. The facilities of Dubai Airport, one of the largest in the world, have been a habitual target of the ayatollahs. There will be no official confirmation. The Gulf countries are trying to hide the extent of the Iranian strikes because their economy is at stake.

Since the bad night of February 28, when Washington and Tel Aviv launched the first bombs on Tehran, the Persian regime has attacked the oil monarchies almost daily for their ties to the White House. The United Arab Emirates have been the most affected: nearly 500 missiles and more than 2,000 drones sent from Tehran. The vast majority have been intercepted by defense systems. The world has been surprised by the protective effectiveness of the Persian kingdoms. “Perhaps we didn't build shelters because everything was bet on air defense technology,” the same voice from Abu Dhabi told me.

Decisive hours are coming for the third Gulf War. Donald Trump recalled on Saturday that the clock of his ultimatum is ticking and that, if the ayatollahs have not reopened the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday, an “hell” will fall on Tehran. Negotiations are underway, but the president was exploding on Sunday: “Open the damn strait, you crazy bastards!”. Since the invasion of Iraq, there has not been such a deployment of American forces in the region. Elite troops specializing in ground assaults are among those chosen. Experts do not rule anything out, not even Yankee boots getting dirty with Persian dust.

The war calculations make the monarchies on the other side of Hormuz dizzy. If Trump fulfills the infernal promise – and Netanyahu will pressure him to do so – it is feared that Iran will react with even more fury and more bombs against its cities. The escalation would be unstoppable.

So far, the Arab countries have not militarily responded to the attacks of the ayatollahs, who seek to pressure Trump by spreading chaos. Containment has been chosen as a way to accelerate the resolution of a war they tried to avoid until the last moment. But five weeks later, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have hinted that all military options are now on the table.

A phrase from the Emirati president, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has become a motto in the country: “We are not an easy target, and no one should underestimate our strength”.

Ferraris accelerate

Wars have their whims.

The people of Dubai were not comfortable with the melody the government had chosen to warn them of the arrival of Iranian bombs. The authorities alert the population via an SMS, which appears on all mobile screens and sounds like the one used in Catalonia during heavy rain episodes. The government reached an agreement with the people: from nine in the morning to nine at night, the sound is as expected, strident; from nine at night to nine in the morning, when people are sleeping, the notification is much softer, as if you were being sent a WhatsApp.  

The Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Rolls-Royces roared stridently through the streets of Dubai yesterday. When crypto-bros accelerate, the roar of supercars has warlike nuances. In the city center, residents and very few tourists were taking photos around the Burj Khalifa, the tallest skyscraper in the world: 829.83 meters and 165 floors. Every half hour, a musical show makes the turquoise fountains dance. The Burj Khalifa dresses up in the flag and lights up in green, red, white, and black. They must be able to see it well from Tehran. "God is watching us". At that very moment, in Washington, Trump was speaking. The United States and Iran had rejected a ceasefire proposal for the umpteenth time. "We can destroy a country in a night and that night could be tomorrow", the president told the press. The ultimatum clock is ticking and the White House insists that, this time, it is not extendable. But in Dubai, no one seemed worried: full terraces, children eating ice cream, poor immigrants building more hotels, rich immigrants going to the gym or organizing 7-a-side football matches. 

"Does this look like a war front to you?", an Emirati man told me as he walked through the center with his family. His wife encouraged him: "Dubai is the best

". Two Turkish girls, who have lived in the capital of luxury for years, got angry with the press: "Journalists lie, we are safer here than in Europe". An Egyptian man, a resident of Dubai for three years, was more direct: "Bro, whatever happens, we are safe here". 

It's difficult these days to talk to people from the Gulf. The monarchies are urging the population to remain silent because they don't want the war to disrupt their slogan to the world: an oasis of security and stability that favors economic prosperity. Abu Dhabi and other governments have arrested people for posting war videos on social media, such as interceptions of Iranian drones and missiles in the sky. Warnings are read in public places. "Think before you share. Spreading rumors is a crime," it says in the elevator of the hotel where I'm staying.

The war is underway, but in Dubai, more and more futuristic towers are being built. 

On the direct flight from Barcelona, the seat screens advertised luxury. An advertisement was repeated. It was from the Trump Foundation and showcased the real estate projects that the United States president's company has deployed across the Middle East: gleaming hotels and golf courses. The slogan was surreal. "The leading luxury developer brings you Trump collaborations to the world." What will Trump's collaborations in the world be? What world does Trump imagine?

The plane screens said that one of the Trumpist hotels is in Dubai. 

On Thursday, a taxi driver took me in the direction indicated by Google Maps. The application showed images of the building: a blue glass skyscraper with the president's name on the main facade. But Google Maps was lying. The taxi arrived, and there was no building there. There was a construction site, with dozens of immigrant laborers from India, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia working. A man approached. He was the civil engineer for the construction. He was from Damascus.

—Is what's being built the Trump Tower?

—Yes. Many people come to see it.

—I thought it was already built.

—No... we started construction two months ago. In two years, God willing, it will be finished.

—And if the war allows it, right?

—Well, yes... We hope so. The client is rushing us.

Cranes and war are operating simultaneously in Dubai.