Al Jazeera reports: The United Arab Emirates has said its air defences intercepted ballistic and cruise missiles fired from Iran, while a fire was reported at an oil facility in Fujairah after a suspected drone attack. Tehran has not officially commented.Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, along with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the European Union, have condemned the suspected Iranian strike on the UAE.The incident comes as tensions rise, with United States President Donald Trump warning Iran would be “blown off the face of the earth” if US Navy ships are targeted in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran had claimed a US naval frigate was hit – a claim denied by the US military.Here is what we know:In Iran The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) denied that any commercial ships had transited the Strait of Hormuz, after the US military said two US-flagged merchant vessels had passed through the vital waterway under escort.
US forces reportedly sank six small Iranian boats that were allegedly attempting to disrupt commercial shipping. This occurred during “Project Freedom”, a US operation designed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has denied these claims.
Background
State media reported that the Iranian fast boats the US military claimed to have targeted on Monday were not IRGC-affiliated but civilian vessels carrying goods and passengers, and that five innocent people were killed. State media reported that a fire broke out on several commercial ships in a dock in Iran’s southern port of Dayyer. First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref asserted that managing the Strait of Hormuz remains a “legitimate right” of Iran.
Key facts
- US forces reportedly sank six small Iranian boats that were allegedly attempting to disrupt commercial shipping.
- This occurred during “Project Freedom”, a US operation designed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
- State media reported that a fire broke out on several commercial ships in a dock in Iran’s southern port of Dayyer.
What this means
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasised that the escalating situation makes it “clear that there’s no military solution to a political crisis”. Former US Assistant Secretary of State Mark Kimmitt said Washington and Tehran remain “a long way apart”, but limited progress may be possible if both sides narrow their demands. Advertisement In the Gulf UAE hit: The United Arab Emirates said it was targeted by Iranian strikes, including one on its vital Fujairah energy hub that wounded three Indians.
Two injured in Oman: Two people were injured in Oman, on its coast along the Strait of Hormuz, when a residential building was targeted, state media reported. US destroyers in Hormuz: The destroyers entered the Gulf as part of a mission to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the US military said. Global condemnation: The alleged Iranian attacks on the UAE have triggered widespread international condemnation from Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the GCC and the EU.
Originally reported by Al Jazeera. This story has been edited and re-presented by BRIC Team.
