India, June 12 -- It was the last day of February. Israel and the United States had bombed Iran, plunging the Middle East into a new and largely unnecessary conflict. In Dubai, at the start of that final weekend of the month, everyone looked at the conflict with interest mixed with concern about what it would do to the global economy. But nobody thought that the war would impact their lives with such immediacy.

They were wrong.

That Saturday night, Dubai was getting ready to have as much fun as usual. At Tresind Studio, one of only two restaurants in the region to receive three stars from the Michelin guide, diners were enjoying the multi-course tasting menu when they heard an explosive sound. The managers rushed out to the restaurant's...