OP, I've read your original post, all your subsequent posts and a good selection of the replies. First, in the current situation it is literally impossible to tell what will happen in 4 weeks, as of today. You're going to have to live with the uncertainty for at least a few days, possibly for weeks or months. As others have said, your OH needs to be in very close contact with his bosses in the UK and with those already out in UAE and keep up with events as the position emerges.
However, as with some other posters, I am horrified but not surprised as your near- total lack of knowledge about the reality of the UAE, and its proximity to Iran is not the biggest issue. For context, I worked for a particular global company for 5 years with a prominent presence in UAE and for a 6 month period I spent 10 days a month working there. That was pre-Covid - lockdown then hit and I spent the rest of my time at the company working remotely with the same colleagues in Dubai. I have travelled a lot both for work and leisure, and never bothered to go to Dubai on my own dime for most of the reasons others have stated, however I was quite glad to go there for work as it was interesting. It was also, crucially, broadly winter when I was spending time there (October to February) which is a good time to be out of the UK for 10 days a month in sunshine.
So a few random things I strongly urge you to think about, before you go - regardless of what happens with Iran:
- The climate is almost unliveable for most Brits, no matter what they say. By April it is over 40 celsius most days and it isn't desert heat, it's humid. You go from air conditioned building to air conditioned vehicle to air conditioned building and that's the only way to survive. That alone would probably stop me moving there (and I've lived in SE Asia). I have colleagues and friends who grew up there and still find the climate almost unliveable, and that has worsened in recent years with climate change
- I assume you're female. On a day to day basis, it's perfectly possible to live an apparently 'normal' Western-style life in Dubai as a woman, and never come into any tricky situations. But you are very much reliant on luck as you simply do not have the same human rights you have at home. In Dubai, everything is fine... until it isn't. My husband (note: husband - we're married) came out to visit me on one trip. I didn't change my name on marriage and so when he came out I got him to bring a copy of our marriage certificate with him. It's not common in tourist hotels but it's perfectly credible we might have had to prove our marriage or be breaking the law. I really mean this - look into your right, decide if you're comfortable living like that medium term. Have a serious think about how much you trust your OH, too
- Visa, work, financial and legal matters - go and find expat forums and hang out on them to understand the position on all sorts of things. Be extremely careful of any financial entanglements when you're out there. It's very easy to come a-cropper legally in Dubai if you do things the wrong way.
- It might seem like the money is good but remember there are almost zero public services (unless you are Emirati, which you aren't). You will pay for everything. Factor that in.
- Again for context, I lived in a different, SE Asian majority Muslim country and would do so again. Religion is not an issue, culture is. I am an adventurous traveller and would never choose to live and work in Dubai (I was offered more than one job when I was working out there and I politely declined). Each to their own, but make sure you're making knowledgeable, informed, active choices about what you're doing.
- Ethics - as others have said, there are some serious ethical issues underpinning Dubai's society.
- Through work, I have friends in Dubai, some of whom are British born and brought up, and some of whom grew up in Dubai (none are Emirati though - you can be born and live your whole life in Dubai and never gain citizenship or any real rights under the law). They all live a very good life out there and they are there for reasons. But I don't think any of them would disagree with the down sides.
I think you need to treat this as a wake-up call to do the research you should've done previously. Nobody has a crystal ball so I may well be proved wrong within days or weeks, but I suspect the situation is going to blow over relatively quickly as Trump doesn't have the political capital at home to wage war for long in the Middle East. What Netanyahu does is anyone's guess but Iran is weakened and my guess is things will calm down, at least outside of Iran's borders, pretty quickly. If that is the case, great. But do your research whilst you have the chance. I have little doubt that whatever you OH has agreed to, in the current situation at minimum he will have an easy 'out' from his employer if you change your minds about going. You might find that even if the current situation calms down, you might want that.
I wish you well, whatever you decide. But please - research properly and make an active and informed decision.