Saudi Arabia shared the lengthy letter with the US, which detailed Saudi complaints against its neighbour but sought mediation
By Sean Mathews
Published date: 20 February 2026
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent a "lengthy" letter to UAE national security advisor Tahnoon bin Zayed complaining about the emirates' activities in Sudan and Yemen, multiple US and western officials have told Middle East Eye.
The letter, which was sent a few weeks ago, provided a detailed list of Saudi Arabian complaints against the UAE, even as it offered mediation through the crown prince's brother and advisor, Saudi Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman.
The letter told Tahnoon, who is nicknamed the "spy sheikh", that Saudi Arabia could no longer “tolerate” Sudan’s civil war while its neighbour supported the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
In addition, it justified Saudi Arabia’s military intervention in Yemen as necessary for the kingdom’s national security. Saudi Arabia attacked the UAE’s secessionist allies in southern Yemen in December and has since moved to oust its neighbour from the country entirely.
The letter reaffirmed that Saudi Arabia sees Yemen as its sphere of influence and that Riyadh plans to take “responsibility” for the war-torn country on its southern border.
The complaints raised in the letter have been echoed in public and private before, but the decision to loop in the US is notable.
Washington
The US and western officials familiar with the letter's content told MEE it did not contain a signature section, but that Washington assessed it was sent by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The Trump administration has been relatively quiet on the spat between its two Gulf allies.
One western official told MEE that the UAE demurred when asked if it would be open to behind-the-scenes US mediation.
The western official told MEE that the letter appeared to be written with Washington in mind, spelling out the kingdom’s issues with the UAE even as it stressed the “brotherly ties” between them.
US President Donald Trump acknowledged the split for the first time in public this week.
“They do indeed have a rift,” he told reporters, adding that he could “get it settled very easily”.
The letter said that Saudi Arabia was shocked that the UAE believed the kingdom had pressed the US to sanction it.
MEE was the first to reveal that the crown prince planned to lobby Trump against the UAE over its support for the RSF when he visited the White House in November.
Trump publicly confirmed that Saudi Arabia asked him to intervene in the conflict, although he did not mention the UAE by name.
Some analysts speculate that Saudi Arabia's lobbying was the final straw that inspired the UAE to back a sweeping offensive by secessionist forces in Yemen in December.
The mediators
In his letter, the crown prince said Saudi Arabia saw the UAE’s decision to send military aid to the Southern Transitional Council (STC) without Riyadh’s approval as a “red line”.
Saudi Arabia bombed an Emirati weapons shipment in the port of Mukalla in late December. It then provided air support and intelligence to Yemen’s internationally recognised government to evict the STC.
The letter lashed out at the UAE for orchestrating a covert operation in early January to extract former STC leader, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, from Yemen after he was charged with high treason.
The correspondence puts a spot-light on the key role Tahnoon plays as a troubleshooter for the emirates.
Tahnoon is one of six brothers dubbed by Gulf watchers as the "Bani Fatima", sons of the UAE’s founder, Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, and his favourite wife, Fatima Bint Mubarak al-Ketbi. The list includes UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed.
Known for his trademark aviator sunglasses, which he wears because of an eye condition, Tahnoon overseas $1 trillion dollars of Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth. As national security advisor, he also engages in shuttle diplomacy on behalf of his brother.
Current and former US and Arab officials who have met Tahnoon describe him to MEE as more pragmatic than his brother. For example, Tahnoon took the lead reestablishing relations between the UAE and Qatar following the 2017 blockade of the latter.
The letter underscores that managing the rift is going to be a family affair for both sides.
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