Middle East
The United Arab Emirates flag flutters against the backdrop of the Abu Dhabi Skyline following a reported Iranian. Photo: AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) reserves “its full and legitimate right to respond” to Iran’s renewed “treacherous aggression,” the Emirati foreign ministry said on Monday, following multiple drone and missile attacks that “struck civilian infrastructure,” injuring at least three foreign nationals and causing material damage.
Abu Dhabi strongly condemned the “renewal of treacherous Iranian terrorist attacks which targeted civilian sites and facilities in the country using missiles and drones,” resulting in “the injury of three Indian nationals,” the ministry said in a statement.
The attacks are a “dangerous escalation and unacceptable aggression” and “a direct threat” to the UAE’s security, stability, and the safety of its territory, the statement added, noting that they violate international law and the United Nations Charter.
The UAE affirmed that it “reserves its full and legitimate right to respond to these attacks in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, national security, and the safety of its territories, citizens, residents, and visitors, in accordance with international law,” the ministry said, stressing that targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure is “an unacceptable act by all legal and humanitarian standards.”
Abu Dhabi further emphasized the “need to stop these treacherous attacks immediately to ensure full commitment to ending all hostile acts,” while holding Tehran “fully responsible for these treacherous attacks and their consequences.”
The escalation in rhetoric comes as Emirati defenses intercepted at least four cruise missiles launched from Iran, along with multiple drone attacks across different parts of the UAE on Monday, the country’s defense ministry said in a statement.
Earlier the same day, the state-run Emirates News Agency (WAM) had also reported that a twin-drone “Iranian terrorist attack” targeted a vessel affiliated with the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz. No injuries were reported.
The resumption of Iranian attacks on the UAE also comes in parallel to the simmering tensions between Iran and the United States in the Strait.
A senior Iranian military official, Major General Ali Abdollahi of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said in a statement carried by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcaster (IRIB), that Tehran would target US forces if they attempted to enter the Strait.
The threat came after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Monday the launch of a major maritime operation, “Project Freedom,” aimed at restoring safe commercial navigation through the Strait.
Notably, Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), cited an unnamed “military source” on Monday as warning that “if the UAE takes any irrational action, all its interests will become targets for Iran, and no part of Emirati installations will be safe.”
The source added that “so far, no official threat has been issued by the Emiratis, and what is being said at this point is merely reports quoted in the media,” allegedly threatening that “if the Emiratis become a tool of Israel and cross the line, they will receive a lesson they will never forget.”
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment