The United Arab Emirates (UAE) said it intercepted a drone approaching from Iran over the country’s territorial waters and denied reports of an attack on its Al-Minhad air base. This came after the United States and Iran renewed hostilities for the first time since July.
The Iranian army, citing Iranian news agencies, said that early on Monday dozens of drones were launched to attack U.S. military sites at Al-Minhad air base in the UAE. The incident followed overnight reciprocal strikes by the U.S. and Iran, further dashing hopes for a settlement to the conflict, which has lasted more than six months.
In a statement on platform X on Monday, the UAE Ministry of Defense called these reports “false” and urged the public “to rely on official information sources and refrain from spreading rumors or inaccurate information”. Later, the ministry said the UAE Air Force had intercepted a drone “over the country’s territorial waters, which was approaching from Iran”.
Renewed hostilities and responses
U.S. forces on Sunday struck two Iranian launch sites on Iran’s Larak island, about 660 km (410 miles) east of Kharg island, a U.S. official said. Iranian media reported that Iran responded by attacking two bases used by U.S. forces in Jordan and the Al-Minhad air base in the UAE.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the strikes on Jordan targeted U.S. bases used to launch and support the attack on Larak. The Iranian army added that its drone attack on the UAE air base was aimed at U.S. troop and helicopter locations in retaliation for the losses caused by the Larak strike.
Iran has carried out a series of attacks on Persian Gulf countries since the U.S. and Israel began a war against Iran in late February. However, at the urging of regional allies — Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE — U.S. President Donald Trump said on August 1 that he would order the military to refrain from new strikes on Iran.
UAE presidential advisor Anwar Mohammed Gargash condemned the renewed escalation, saying “the policy of targeting Gulf Arab states and Jordan has proven to be a failure”. “Political decisions must start with de‑escalation and the restoration of normal navigation through the Strait of Hormuz”, Gargash added.
Talks at an impasse
The return to hostilities on Sunday came after the Trump administration increased economic pressure on Iran and its business partners with new sanctions, while mediators stepped up efforts to revive talks on a potential deal to end the war. High‑level delegations from Oman, Pakistan and Qatar visited Tehran last week in an attempt to advance negotiations.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a key sticking point in the talks. Last week, Trump said all mines had been detonated or removed from international waters in the strait, and Iran had been warned that any vessel laying new mines would be destroyed.
Although Trump has repeatedly stated that the Strait of Hormuz is open, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps called these claims “a clear lie”, confirming that the strait remains closed to vessels without Iran’s transit permission. Before the war, nearly one‑fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed through this waterway.
Source: Al Jazeera
