Cairo — Gulf states reported new missile and drone attacks on Sunday after Tehran threatened to expand its campaign and called for the evacuation of three major ports in the United Arab Emirates amid Iranian strikes there — part of a broader offensive. War with the United States and Israel – Progress in their third week.
Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates warned people they were working to intercept incoming projectiles, a day after Iran called for the port to be evacuated, threatening for the first time a neighboring country. Non-US country assets.
Iran earlier accused the United States of using “ports, docks and bunkers” in the UAE to launch strikes Kharg IslandThe headquarters of the main terminal that handles Iranian oil exports, without providing evidence. The UAE and other Gulf states that host US bases have denied allowing their lands or airspace to be used for military operations against Iran.
Iranian strikes At least a dozen were killed Civilians in the Gulf countries, most of whom are migrant workers. At least 13 US military personnel have been killed since the war began, including seven in combat and six others He died in a plane crash over Iraq Last week.
US President Donald Trump expressed his hope that the allies would send warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon has worsened, with more than 800 people killed And 850 thousand displaced people At a time when Israel launched waves of strikes against Iranian-backed Hezbollah fighters.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that the United States attacked Kharg Island and Abu Musa Island from two locations in the United Arab Emirates, Ras Al Khaimah and a place “very close to Dubai.” He described this as dangerous and said that Iran “will try to be careful not to attack any populated area” there.
US Central Command said it had no response to Iran’s allegations. The diplomatic advisor to the President of the UAE, Anwar Gargash, rejected accusations that the United States used its land or air as a base for its attacks on Kharg Island.
Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones at its neighbors in the Arabian Gulf during that period WarBut it said it was targeting US assets, even as attacks or attempts to target civilian targets such as airports and oil fields were reported.
Araqchi said that the Strait of Hormuz is closed only to “those who attack us and their allies.”
With increasing global concern Oil prices and suppliesTrump said on Saturday that he hopes China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and other countries will send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz “open and safe.” In response, Britain said it was discussing with its allies “a range of options” to secure shipping.
In a post on social media, Araqchi urged neighbors to “expel foreign aggressors” and described Trump’s call as “begging.”
On Saturday, Iran’s Joint Military Command reiterated its threat to attack US-linked “oil, economic and energy infrastructure” in the region if the Islamic Republic’s oil infrastructure is attacked.
Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency said the strikes on Kharg Island did not cause any damage to the oil infrastructure. It added that it targeted an air defense facility, a naval base, an airport control tower, and a helicopter hangar belonging to an offshore oil company.
US Department of Defense on Saturday Six service members have been identified Who died when the military refueling plane they were on board crashed on Thursday while supporting operations against Iran.
Service members were Major John A. Kleiner, 33; And Captain Ariana J. Savino, 31; Technology. Sgt. Ashley P. Pruitt, 34; and Captain Seth R. Koval, 38; and Captain Curtis J. Angst, 30; And technology. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, according to U.S. officials.
The incident in western Iraq followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace,” according to US Central Command. The other plane landed safely.
A missile hit a helipad inside the US Embassy compound in Baghdad on Saturday. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. The embassy complex, one of the largest US diplomatic facilities in the world, has been repeatedly targeted by missiles and drones launched by militias allied with Iran.
The State Department once again warned its citizens in Iraq not to leave “now” by land due to the unavailability of commercial flights. He noted that Iran and its allied militias “may continue to target” American citizens, interests, and infrastructure.
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Metz reported from Ramallah, West Bank, and Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Melanie Liedman in Jerusalem; Sally Abu Al-Joud, Karim Chehayeb and Bassem Marwa in Beirut; Tia Goldenberg in Washington contributed to this report.