Kenya drawn into Iran–UAE diplomatic rift

Kenya has found itself unexpectedly entangled in a widening geopolitical confrontation between Iran and the United Arab Emirates, after a public statement by a senior government official triggered a response from Tehran.

The controversy began when Korir Sing’Oei, Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, said in a post on his official X account that he had held a phone conversation with UAE Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Abdulla Balalaa. In the post, Sing’Oei described the situation in the Gulf as serious and expressed concern over what he termed “unjustified attacks” he attributed to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on critical infrastructure in Gulf Cooperation Council countries. He warned that such actions posed risks “not only to civilian security, but also to the economic and environmental security of the globe.”

Crucially, he conveyed Kenya’s solidarity with the UAE. The language of the statement was significant. By echoing concerns commonly raised by Gulf states, Kenya appeared, at least rhetorically, to be taking a side.

Iran responded. In a rebuttal, the Iranian embassy in Nairobi challenged the Kenyan position, arguing that it overlooked key principles of international law and misrepresented the origins of the conflict. Tehran framed the crisis not as a result of its own actions, but as a consequence of what it described as “aggression by the United States and Israel,” allegedly carried out with the facilitation of some Gulf states.

The embassy cited provisions from United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3314 (1974). It argued that states allowing their territory to be used for attacks against another country could themselves be considered complicit. The embassy claimed that attacks against Iran had been launched from U.S. bases in neighboring countries, and that it had “previously warned” those states of the consequences.

The embassy also invoked Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter, which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. According to the statement, it is the United States and Israel that have violated this principle through military operations targeting Iranian sovereignty. It further justified its actions as lawful self-defense, maintaining that its military responses were conducted in accordance with international law.

In a later post responding to the Iranian embassy, Sing’Oei reaffirmed Kenya’s neutrality and noted that Nairobi “uphold that freedom of navigation in international waterways including the Strait of Hormuz.”

Nairobi has cultivated strong economic and diplomatic ties with Gulf states, particularly the UAE, which is a key partner in trade, investment, and employment opportunities for Kenyan workers abroad. These relationships provide economic benefits and are central to Kenya’s broader development strategy. At the same time, Kenya has historically positioned itself as a neutral actor in international affairs.

It is also worth noting that the United States and Iran reached a two-week ceasefire following weeks of conflict that resulted in thousands of deaths across the Middle East. The agreement was facilitated by Pakistan, which acted as a neutral intermediary between the two sides. Despite this breakthrough, the truce is explicitly temporary and does not represent a comprehensive or lasting peace settlement. The immediate catalyst for the agreement stemmed from crisis surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.

Kenya’s diplomatic skirmish with Iran is the latest example of Nairobi’s diplomatic tightrope walk between the US-led bloc and the Eastern bloc. The country has recently been designated a Major Non-NATO Ally by the United States, underlining its growing strategic partnership with Washington. At the same time, Kenya maintains strong diplomatic and economic ties with countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Israel, reflecting its broad, and sometimes competing, international engagements. Nairobi found itself in a similar position at the onset of the Ukraine war.