The United States of America - UAE Relationships

The United Arab Emirates and the United States of America share a longstanding friendship and a robust strategic partnership founded on shared interests and common values. The relationship continues to expand across the political, economic, security, and cultural spheres, with both countries working closely to promote regional security and stability, advance economic prosperity, and address global challenges. Their cooperation spans defense and security, trade, advanced technology, artificial intelligence, climate action, and the transition to clean energy, as well as healthcare, scientific research, education, and culture. The two countries also share a forward-looking vision centered on fostering innovation, advancing education, and promoting inclusion and gender equality, thereby creating greater opportunities for cultural and academic collaboration, knowledge exchange, and stronger people-to-people ties.

The UAE is a trusted and significant economic partner of the United States. Since 2009, it has remained the largest export market for U.S. goods in the Middle East. Bilateral trade reached approximately USD 39 billion in 2025, supporting tens of thousands of jobs across the United States, particularly in the aviation, healthcare, and infrastructure sectors, while creating new opportunities for collaboration in advanced technologies and artificial intelligence.

Defense and security cooperation remains a cornerstone of the strategic partnership between the two countries. The United Arab Emirates is the United States' most capable and reliable military partner in the Arab world. UAE Armed Forces have served alongside U.S. forces in six international missions supporting counterterrorism, regional stability, and peacekeeping efforts. The two countries also maintain close cooperation in combating violent extremism, disrupting terrorist financing, and countering illicit financial flows, reinforcing regional and international peace, security, and stability.

The United Arab Emirates and the United States enjoy a dynamic economic partnership founded on trade, investment, and innovation, with sustained growth reflecting the strength and depth of bilateral economic relations. In 2025, total bilateral trade reached USD 39 billion, while the United States recorded a USD 23.8 billion trade surplus—the largest in the history of UAE–U.S. trade, the largest U.S. trade surplus with any country in the Middle East and North Africa, and the fourth largest globally. Total UAE direct investments in the United States have exceeded USD 1 trillion, making a significant contribution to the U.S. economy. In addition, the UAE has announced plans to invest a further USD 1.4 trillion in the United States over the coming decade.

Over more than five decades, UAE–U.S. economic relations have evolved in step with global economic shifts and emerging opportunities. Today, the partnership is increasingly focused on the industries shaping the future economy, particularly artificial intelligence, advanced semiconductors, space exploration, and the energy systems that support these technologies. The year 2025 marked a significant milestone in this partnership, driven by historic investment commitments, rapidly expanding cooperation in artificial intelligence, and continued growth in bilateral trade. The UAE's 10-year, USD 1.4 trillion investment framework is expected to strengthen economic, technological, and industrial cooperation while supporting local economies and creating jobs across all 50 U.S. states, with a particular focus on high-impact sectors such as semiconductors, energy, critical minerals, and aerospace.

Trade and investment relations continue to expand, reflecting the diversification of the UAE economy and the strength of its economic ties with the United States. The UAE remains the largest single export market for U.S. goods in the Middle East, with U.S. exports to the UAE reaching USD 31.4 billion in 2024, marking the 17th consecutive year the UAE has held this position. The UAE maintains commercial ties with all 50 U.S. states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. More than 1,500 American companies operate in the UAE, including Boeing, IBM, Microsoft, and Google. Bilateral economic engagement is further strengthened through the UAE–U.S.

Economic Policy Dialogue, established in 2012 as an annual platform for advancing trade, investment, and economic cooperation, as well as through the U.S.-UAE Business Council, which was established in 2007 to promote commercial partnerships and private-sector collaboration.

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The United Arab Emirates and the United States share a common vision that promotes culture, sporting excellence, and environmental stewardship. Their longstanding cooperation has fostered enduring people-to-people ties and strengthened mutual understanding between the two nations. In the field of arts and cultural exchange, joint initiatives have played a pivotal role in deepening engagement between their societies. The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Washington, D.C., signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Smithsonian Institution, establishing a broad institutional framework for cooperation encompassing joint research, mentorship programs, academic fellowships, and cultural exchange. The UAE was also honored as the featured country at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., where more than 80 Emirati participants showcased the country's rich cultural heritage through traditional arts, music, poetry, and storytelling before American audiences.

Sport has become another important pillar of bilateral relations, serving as a powerful platform for strengthening ties between the peoples of the two countries. Since 2021, the UAE and the National Basketball Association (NBA) have maintained a strategic partnership, beginning with Abu Dhabi's hosting of the first NBA preseason games ever held in the country. In 2024, Emirates became the NBA's Official Global Airline Partner and the inaugural title partner of the Emirates NBA Cup. Earlier, in 2019, Abu Dhabi hosted the Special Olympics World Games, the first edition ever held in the Middle East, bringing together more than 7,500 athletes from over 190 countries.

Sporting cooperation also continues to expand through the partnership between Etihad Airways and New York City Football Club (NYCFC), including the development of Etihad Park, which will become New York City's first purpose-built soccer stadium when it opens in Queens in 2027. The Consulate General of the United Arab Emirates in New York, in collaboration with New York City Football Club and the City of New York, also organizes the Annual New York Consulates Cup, which will hold its fifth edition in 2026.

Proceeds from the tournament support NYCFC's community programs. In addition, the UAE Embassy in Washington has funded the construction of 12 community soccer fields in underserved neighborhoods across several American cities and supports charitable sporting initiatives, including the Zayed Charity Run in Miami, which raises funds for kidney disease research, and the Turkey Trot charity run in Los Angeles.

The UAE's longstanding commitment to humanitarian and charitable work in the United States reflects the enduring legacy and vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. This commitment is particularly evident in the healthcare sector. In 2009, a landmark UAE grant led to the establishment of the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. A subsequent commitment in 2024 further expanded this partnership, which has since resulted in more than 82 U.S. patents. The UAE has also established strategic partnerships with Johns Hopkins Medicine and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to advance healthcare, particularly in stroke treatment and cancer care. Beyond healthcare, the UAE has provided humanitarian assistance to communities affected by Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy, and Harvey, as well as the Joplin tornado, and delivered emergency food assistance to vulnerable communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the field of environmental conservation and the protection of natural heritage, the UAE has developed significant partnerships with leading American institutions. In 2016, researchers from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute collaborated with the Environment Agency, Abu Dhabi to reintroduce the Scimitar-horned Oryx into its natural habitat in the Republic of Chad after the species had become extinct in the wild in the mid-1980s. The initiative is widely recognized as one of the most ambitious wildlife reintroduction programs ever undertaken.