AL-DHAFRA AIR BASE, United Arab Emirates — Vice President Joe Biden began a Mideast tour Monday vowing that the United States and its allies would destroy and ‘‘squeeze the heart’’ of the Islamic State, while thanking both American airmen and Emirati troops.

Biden spoke before hundreds of service members as jets roared down the runway at Al-Dhafra Air Base near Abu Dhabi, a main launching point for operations in Syria and Iraq targeting the Islamic State group.

The Emirates is one of the most important US military and political allies in the Persian Gulf. It is also a major commercial hub that includes the port city of Dubai.

Flanked by an F-22 Raptor and an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet, Biden applauded Emirati authorities for their ‘‘stepped up and expanded’’ role in the anti-ISIS campaign.

‘‘You capture the images that provide us with intelligence we need to target the enemy to protect our forces,’’ Biden said.

‘‘You control the skies of Iraq and Syria. As a matter of fact, you all control the skies in the whole damn world,’’ Biden added to cheers from the gathered airmen.

The seven-state Emirates federation, which includes Dubai, is one of the largest oil producers in OPEC.

It hosts regional offices for numerous American companies in industries including aerospace, energy, technology, and hospitality.

Biden’s remarks, however, did not touch on the worries of Emiratis and Saudi Arabia over regional Shi’ite power Iran.

Tensions between allied Sunni Arab countries and the Islamic Republic have been high since January, when Saudi officials executed a Shi’ite cleric and protesters later overran two of the kingdom’s diplomatic posts in Iran.

Saudi Arabia and the Emirates also are involved in a war in Yemen against Shi’ite rebels there who have received Iranian support, raising fears of a regional war. This has drawn some support away from the US-led coalition battling Islamic State militants.

Late Monday, Biden met with Abu Dhabi’s crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He is scheduled to meet with Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, who is the federation’s vice president and prime minister, on the trip as well.

The Emirates is the first stop on a regional tour that will also take in Israel, the West Bank and Jordan. His wife, Jill, is accompanying him.

The trip will include talks on US economic and energy interests, as well as security concerns about Iran and Syria, the White House said.