TEHRAN: Iran has officially denied carrying out any missile or drone attacks on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in recent days, amid growing regional tensions.
Speaking to Iranian state television, Ibrahim Zulfaqari, spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters of Iran, said, “The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran are not involved in any action against the UAE.” He further added, “The UAE must not be deceived by the Americans, Israelis, and their armament. Unjustifiable media aggression, defamation, and misinformation of Iran are going on.”
He warned that any attack from the side of the UAE in the vicinity of Iran’s islands, ports, or coast will receive a “thunderous reply.”
On the contrary, the Ministry of Defense of the UAE said that its forces were attacked using missiles and drones by the Iranian forces, leading to the activation of the air defense system. Explosions in the different parts of the UAE were the outcome of the successful operations that intercepted ballistic, cruise missiles, as well as drones.
The Iranian state media made clear there was no intended strike on the oil infrastructure in Fujairah or any other area in the UAE. According to military officials within Iran, quoted by the state media, the attacks on the UAE were repercussions to US provocation in the Strait of Hormuz.
There have been reactions from across the region. For example, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia is reported to have called UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and condemned the attacks attributed to Iran. In addition, the Qataris also condemned the attacks and expressed their full support for UAE security.
There is tension between the US and Iran in the Gulf region, where both the US and Gulf forces are put on high alert within the sensitive corridor of the Strait of Hormuz.
