Iran and US Conflict Spreads to Gulf States
The war between Iran and the United States (US) continues to rage. Iran reported that its military attacked a US military base in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but the Gulf state has denied Iran’s claim.
As reported by Reuters on Monday (31/8), the attack was announced by the Iranian military. Iran said it launched a drone attack in the early hours of Monday local time. The attack was carried out after Tehran was hit by Washington’s latest strike.
The Iranian military said its forces targeted Al Minhad Air Base in the UAE with a number of drones. The area is said to be where US troops and military helicopters are stationed.
According to the Iranian military, the drone attack was a response to the deaths of members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iranian civilians on Larak Island. Tehran had previously reported that the latest US strike caused fatalities and injuries.
Washington bombarded Larak Island in southern Iran on Sunday (30/8) local time. This was the first publicly known US strike on Iranian territory since late July, when fighting had halted.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its strike targeted two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island. CENTCOM also stated that the strike was launched after the US military detected the IRGC preparing rockets loaded with naval mines to be fired into the Strait of Hormuz.
Larak Island is a small Iranian island in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz, which has recently become an important point for Tehran in the military and shipping control sectors. The island is also used by the IRGC to monitor ship traffic passing through one of the world’s most important maritime routes.
The IRGC reacted strongly, accusing the US of carrying out an “act of aggression” targeting Larak Island, and vowed to retaliate and “punish the aggressor”.
CENTCOM denied the accusation, asserting that US forces carried out a “limited and precise action” against IRGC forces who were “laying mines, which posed a real and imminent threat in the Strait of Hormuz”.
The IRGC announced that its forces also attacked two US airbases in Jordan, namely King Hussein and Azraq airbases, with ballistic missiles and drones in the early hours of Monday (31/8). The attack was intended to avenge the latest US bombardment of Larak Island.
According to the IRGC, the attack caused “severe damage”.
In addition to attacking US bases in Jordan, according to state media Press TV, Iran also launched missiles at US ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, the Jordanian military announced that its forces intercepted eight missiles detected entering its airspace on Monday (31/8) morning local time.
In its statement, as reported by Anadolu Agency on Monday (31/8), the Jordanian military said the missiles were destroyed before they could pose a threat to civilians or property in the country.
Jordan did not mention the source or origin from which the missiles were launched.
The United Arab Emirates denied claims that Iran had targeted an airbase housing US forces on its territory.
However, authorities in Abu Dhabi acknowledged that their forces intercepted an Iranian drone detected flying over their territorial waters.
The UAE Ministry of Defence, in a statement reported by AFP and Anadolu Agency on Monday (31/8), asserted that reports of an Iranian attack on Al Minhad Air Base were “untrue”.
“Media reports regarding a missile attack on Al Minhad Air Base are baseless,” the UAE Ministry of Defence stressed in a statement via social media platform X.
The UAE Ministry of Defence added that its Armed Forces remain at a high state of readiness to respond to any threats and to safeguard the country’s sovereignty, security and stability.
The denial was issued several hours after the Iranian military announced, in the early hours of Monday (31/8), that its forces had targeted Al Minhad Air Base, which houses US troops, in the UAE with “dozens of attack drones”.
The UAE Ministry of Defence reported that its forces had dealt with a drone coming from Iranian territory, detected flying over their territorial waters.
“The Ministry of Defence announces that the UAE Air Force responded to a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) detected in the country’s territorial waters, approaching from the direction of Iran,” the UAE Ministry of Defence stated via social media platform X.