The eyes of the world have been on the Middle East and Gulf region since Saturday, following joint US Israeli attacks on Iran which have resulted in the death of the country’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
Iran has launched a number of retaliatory attacks on nearby US allies such as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Jordan and Israel. As a result, many people living and working in places like Dubai have been affected, with airspace closed, airports targeted and some debris hitting land.
Comms professionals based in the Middle East say they are are focused on supporting their colleagues with clear and concise messaging.
“In times like these, our first responsibility is inward. Our priority is to communicate clearly and consistently with our own teams. People need timely updates, reassurance where possible, and space to process what is happening around them, as well as the flexibility to care for their dependents as a priority,” said Lama Zalat, communications director at IMI.
She explains that her team is taking care with its messaging, “slowing down anything that is not essential, and ensuring that external communications are necessary, proportionate, and sensitive to the wider context”.
“The last thing any organisation should do in a moment like this is sound disconnected from reality. For shareholders and partners, we remain focused on transparency. Where there are operational implications, we communicate them directly,” she added.
Zalat also stated that the situation is “not abstract for those of us in the region. It affects our families, our teams, and our communities”.
“That reality reinforces our responsibility to communicate with empathy and discipline. We are fortunate to live and work in the UAE, a country where the safety of its people is a clear priority, and where government communication is timely and transparent. That clarity enables us, communications professionals, to respond and lead teams with consistency and confidence,” Zalat said.
Transparent communication
Natasha Hatherall, founder and CEO of TishTash Communications, told In.Comms’ sister title PRWeek UK: “We’ve created a safe space where our team can be honest about how they are feeling. Many of us are struggling to concentrate, so we’re sharing openly and supporting each other. It helps to know this is normal right now.”
“Like many agencies and comms professionals operating in the region right now, our approach has been rooted in calm, informed continuity,” she concluded.
Dhara Bhatia, group PR director at Katch International, has adopted a similar approach, navigating the situation day by day. She told PRWeek that the agency has been “prioritising the wellbeing of our people first and foremost, while maintaining transparent communication with clients”.
Posting on LinkedIn, CIPR vice president Advita Patel said that those in internal comms have a duty to “support leaders in communicating effectively with their teams”.
“It’s not our place to offer a political opinion, but we should work with relevant teams to craft messages that will give leaders confidence in how to communicate. A two-line note to managers, ‘here’s how to approach check-ins this week’, can go a long way,” she said.
She also urged leaders not to over communicate. “A short acknowledgement from a senior leader, something like ‘We know some of you may be affected by current events unfolding in the Middle East and parts of Europe. Our priority is to support you and ensure the safety of colleagues directly impacted,’ does more than you'd think,” she explained.
Some have also hit out at the misinformation spread around the situation. Global MENAT managing director Peter Jacob told PRWeek: “Despite some of the click-bait headlines and frankly inaccurate social media chatter that we’ve seen outside of the region, the overall mood is one of calm with regular communications and updates from the government and much of everyday Dubai life functioning as normal.”
“Social media and X have also been quite useless in tracking developments this time around. Bar a couple of accounts, it’s all AI slop, conspiracy theories and wild conjecture. Makes you realise — once again — how important communication is to community building and confidence,” said Hisham Wyne, founder and executive director of media skills training company HWM Dubai in a post on LinkedIn.