‘Not only is he alive, but he is also well and as sharp as I’ve ever seen him,’ says US Senator Lindsey Graham
Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan speaks as he meets Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Downing Street, London, Britain, September 16, 2021. REUTERS
Emirati President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan appeared in a meeting with a United States senator on Wednesday, making a first appearance since rumours about his health spread following a now-deleted Turkish presidency statement.
Earlier this month, Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan went to Saudi Arabia and was meant to later visit the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, amid an ongoing rift between the two Gulf powers.
But on Sunday, Erdogan said he was postponing his Abu Dhabi trip because the Emirati leader had a “health problem” — in a statement that was later deleted.
The incident fuelled rumours online about Sheikh Mohamed’s health, with his Wikipedia page even briefly being edited to say he was dead.
On Wednesday, the presidential court shared video footage of the Emirati president, smiling alongside US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham during a meeting at Qasr Al Shati in Abu Dhabi.
The UAE’s official WAM news agency also shared photographs of the meeting, in which Sheikh Mohamed appeared alongside Graham.
“To those who are perpetuating false narratives against the United Arab Emirates and President Sheikh MohamedBin Zayed personally, you are full of it,” Graham said on X.
“I met with him today for an hour and a half. Not only is he alive, but he is also well and as sharp as I’ve ever seen him,” added Graham, who said he was heading to Saudi Arabia next.
To those who are perpetuating false narratives against the United Arab Emirates and President Sheikh @MohamedBinZayed personally, you are full of it. I met with him today for an hour and a half. Not only is he alive, but he is also well and as sharp as I’ve ever seen him. To…
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) February 18, 2026
The Emirati leader’s team on Saturday evening released photos taken the same day showing Sheikh Mohamed, known as MBZ, smiling and apparently in good health, with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the emir of Qatar.
