UAE paid Iran billions of dollars to halt strikes: Report The  UAE  paid Iran billions of dollars in return for a halt to attacks on the country in an about-face for the Gulf state that staked out the most hawkish position on  Iran , lobbying the  US  to continue waging war on the Islamic Republic, Reuters reported on Friday. The UAE has already delivered $3bn to Iran as part of the agreement, which two regional sources said reached as high as $10bn. Two other sources told Reuters that the UAE would eventually pay Iran $20bn.