Iran fires drone strike at UAE in new wave of retaliation

Iran fired a drone at the United Arab Emirates on Monday in its latest retaliatory attack on the region after America fired fresh airstrikes over the weekend.

The Iranian drone was intercepted over territorial waters early Monday, the UAE’s Defense Ministry confirmed, denying the Iranian army’s claim that it targeted the Al Minhad Air Base in Dubai.

The UAE condemned the attack on its shores and warned that a peace deal needed to be reached soon that goes beyond June’s memorandum of understanding, which one Dubai official slammed as a failure.

“This dangerous escalation constitutes a blatant violation of the UAE’s sovereignty, security, and stability, and a direct threat to the safety of its citizens and residents,” the country’s Foreign Ministry said.

Airstrikes have resumed in the Middle East after the US fired on Iranian launchers accused of trying to lay more mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Anadolu via Getty Images

Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE’s president, said the current status in the region was unacceptable as the US and Iran renewed trading blows in a war that has lasted more than six months.

“The state of neither war nor peace cannot be a sustainable solution, just as the policy of targeting the Arab Gulf states and Jordan has proven to be a failure,” Gargash wrote on X, referencing Iran’s attack on Jordan.

“What is needed today are realistic and sustainable political solutions that address the political and economic dimensions of the crisis, beginning with overcoming the escalation and returning navigation in the Strait of Hormuz to its normal state, and extending to a more realistic approach that goes beyond the memorandum of understanding that failed to outline a practical and acceptable roadmap,” he added.

Ships in the Strait of Hormuz are sailing near the beach of Bandar Abbas, in Iran. via REUTERS

The UAE, which cut off all trade with Iran in a major blow for the Islamic Republic, warned that it would not hesitate to respond to any military aggression from Tehran.

Qatar, which has served as mediators in the Middle East, also condemned the attacks on the UAE and Jordan, warning that a return to active war would only risk further destabilizing the region.

“The continuation of these attacks represents a dangerous escalation that would complicate efforts aimed at containing tensions and undermine political and diplomatic efforts seeking to achieve security and stability in the region,” Qatar’s foreign ministry said.

President Trump has warned that the US will hit Iran “hard” in response to the latest attack, with the US leader posting an AI-generated video on Sunday of Iran’s Kharg Island oil hub being “blown to smithereens.”

With Post wires