Yesterday, the United States launched strikes targeting military installations on an island crucial for Iran’s oil exports, from which 90 percent of its oil is dispatched.
Iran responded with strong accusations, alleging that the United States used “ports, docks, and hideouts” in the United Arab Emirates to execute the strikes. The UAE has firmly denied these allegations, while Iran vowed to retaliate.
This marks the first occasion since the onset of the conflict over two weeks ago that Iran has issued direct threats against assets not belonging to the United States.
Kuwait’s primary airport also suffered damage from an Iranian strike.
Former President Trump expressed surprise at Iran’s response, noting that the UAE, Qatar, and Iraq experienced overnight attacks, including a hit on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq.
“It was the biggest surprise I had of this whole thing,” Trump commented.
Israel has also reported more Iranian strikes on Tel Aviv in the early hours of Sunday morning, local time.
US Central Command said it had no response to Iran’s claim that it launched strikes from the UAE. A diplomatic adviser to the UAE’s president, Anwar Gargash, said on social media the country has the right to defend itself but “still prioritises reason and logic, and continues exercising restraint.”
Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Arab Gulf neighbours during the war, but it has said it was targeting US assets, even as strikes hit or were intercepted en route to civilian infrastructure such as airports and oil fields.
On Saturday, Iran’s joint military command reiterated its threat to attack US-linked “oil, economic and energy infrastructures” in the region if its own such infrastructure was hit.
Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency said the Kharg Island strikes caused no damage to oil infrastructure.
It said they targeted an air defence facility, a naval base, the airport control tower and an offshore oil company’s helicopter hangar.
US Central Command said it destroyed naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers and other military sites.
Israel earlier announced another wave of strikes in Iran targeting infrastructure, and said its air force had hit more than 200 targets in the past 24 hours, including missile launchers, defence systems and weapons production sites.
â with Associated Press
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