MUSCAT: Oman has claimed that Iran has expressed its readiness to engage in efforts to reduce tensions in the region, signalling a potential de-escalation after weeks of heightened conflict.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi informed Omani Foreign Minister Yousuf bin Alawi through a phone conversation about his country’s intention to work on reducing tensions. The announcement occurs during a period of increasing military conflict between the United States and Iran.
The United States has intensified its military operations against Iranian targets which has led to Iranian responses through missile and drone attacks. President Trump declared that American forces destroyed the Iranian Navy headquarters, while they also sank nine Iranian naval ships and they plan to attack the rest of the ships.
In a social media post President Trump repeated that the United States will destroy all of Iran’s navy while he declared that all remaining Iranian warships will eventually sink to the ocean floor.
The United States launched B-2 stealth bombers to conduct direct attacks against Iran’s underground missile sites using 2,000-pound bombs.
Iran has launched hundreds of missile and drone attacks against its enemies in response to their attacks. The U.S. Central Command reported that three American soldiers died and five soldiers suffered serious injuries because of the latest Iranian attack.
UAE condemns Iranian missile strikes, closes embassy in Tehran
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has decided to close down its embassy in Iran and withdraw the ambassador after the recent missile attacks by Iran targeting UAE land.
The UAE Foreign Affairs Ministry published a press release on the social media platform X to announce that the UAE embassy in Iran will be closed and the ambassador will be withdrawn. The decision comes after the recent missile attacks by Iran targeting the UAE’s land. The attacks have caused significant damage to the UAE, targeting civilian areas such as residential areas, airports, seaports, and other facilities, thus threatening the lives of UAE citizens.
Afra Al-Hameli, the UAE Foreign Affairs Ministry’s Director of Strategic Communications, described the Iranian missile attacks in strong words and termed the attacks a direct threat to the sovereignty and safety of UAE citizens.
“This decision was made in response to the missile attacks launched by Iran, which have directly targeted our territory and endangered the lives of our citizens,” the UAE Foreign Affairs Ministry said.
The UAE’s decision to restrict visa access for Iranian citizens connects to existing tensions between the two nations, which now show increased signs of deterioration. The situation developed after multiple Iranian missiles and drones attacked U.S. military bases, with some projectiles landing close to Dubai’s airport, which resulted in three fatalities, including one Pakistani national, and multiple injuries to other individuals.
The UAE issued a warning to Iran that it should not launch attacks against its land. Iran maintains that its military strikes targeted US installations, which it denominates as American territory.
