Dubai stepped up security measures, asked employees to work remotely and reviewed contingency plans amid escalating tensions in the Gulf and fresh Iranian threats targeting American lenders such as Citibank, data centres and technology firms.
The developments follow the closure of US diplomatic missions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after last week’s attack near the US consulate in Dubai.
As the Gulf war entered the 12th day on Wednesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) via its Tasnim News Agency urged residents in the region to stay away from American banks, suggesting that they would be targeted, a day after Israeli attacks on an Iranian bank. Internal bank advisories asked staff to work from home to ensure safety.
Securing Staff, Business Continuity
These were from US banks operating in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Oud Metha and Dubai Media City.
Most banks are activating business continuity plans to ensure operations remain uninterrupted, given their strong client base in the UAE and across the wider West Asia region.
“American financial institutions have asked employees not to come to the office temporarily until further orders. In some cases, employees are also being encouraged to work from overseas wherever they feel safe,” said a person with direct knowledge of developments.
Citibank, which has branches in Al Wasl, Oud Meetha and DIFC, among others, on Wednesday said some of its branches and financial centres will remain closed March 12-14 as a precautionary measure. “We anticipate reopening all affected locations on March 16, 2026,” it said in a statement. Its branch in Mall of the Emirates will remain operational during this period.
The Citiphone service is operating at limited capacity and it urged clients to use online and mobile banking during this period. Cheques submitted after 10 am on Wednesday may be delayed.
Major US financial institutions operating in Dubai are Citibank, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, BNY Mellon and Morgan Stanley.
Staff Safety
The US had earlier advised American citizens in the UAE to consider leaving the country if they could do so safely.
On March 3, the US government ordered non-emergency staff and their families to depart the UAE, citing the threat of armed conflict. The US embassy in Abu Dhabi and the consulate in Dubai have suspended routine services.
ICD Brookfield Place in DIFC, which houses offices of several international banks, including Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase Bank, said the building continues to operate normally and has not been evacuated.
US Big Tech companies operating in the Gulf region also asked employees to prioritise safety and follow guidance from local authorities.
“All employees across the region, apart from critical staff responsible for maintaining cloud infrastructure, had been shifted to mandatory work from home — that continues,” a Google executive said. Most global tech firms have now shifted all regional staff to mandatory work-from-home until further notice, he added. Google has major cloud and sales operations centred in Dubai.
On Wednesday, Iran’s IRGC said offices and infrastructure run by top American companies with Israeli links and the technology of which has been used for military applications will be treated as legitimate targets.
Released by Tasnim News Agency, the list includes Google, Microsoft, Palantir, IBM, Nvidia and Oracle. They have offices in Israel and the Gulf countries.
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