Credit: Ryan Lim / AFP via Getty Images

(CNN)-- The United States eased export restrictions on the United Arab Emirates on Friday, elevating the status of its Arab Gulf ally to become one of its most trusted partners in defense and technology.

The Bureau of Industry and Security of the US Commerce Department announced that it would significantly upgrade the UAE's classification under the Export Administration Regulations, in recognition of its role as a key defense partner and its support in advancing US national security interests, including the war with Iran.

This step will allow authorized UAE entities to obtain advanced AI chips, AI servers, military and dual-use technology, commercial satellites, drones, and technologies used in the oil, gas, and civilian nuclear energy industries without undergoing US licensing procedures.

This measure boosts the UAE's ambition to become a global AI hub by facilitating access to advanced US technology, while simultaneously strengthening the close strategic partnership with Washington—a partnership that few Gulf states have enjoyed.

A US Commerce Department statement said, "This special status under the Export Administration Regulations is warranted in light of the ongoing military partnership between the United States and the United Arab Emirates, and the UAE's commitment to preventing the diversion and misuse of sensitive US technology."

The UAE Embassy in Washington, DC, said the decision "opens new avenues for joint research and development, strengthens technological cooperation, expands trade, and consolidates the defense partnership."

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi strongly criticized the move on X, saying the UAE "must be held accountable" for its role in the Iranian war, according to his statement.

On the first day of the war, Iran responded to US and Israeli strikes by targeting Arab Gulf countries allied with the United States, including civilian, military, and energy sites. The UAE bore the brunt of these attacks.