| |
UAE Intercepts Iranian Drone 08/31 06:19
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- The United Arab Emirates' air force
intercepted an Iranian drone over its territorial waters Monday, the Defense
Ministry said, an attack that comes after the United States and Iran exchanged
fire on the weekend, the first significant military action in a month.
During the lull in fighting, the U.S. has been ratcheting up economic
pressure on Iran with the hope of forcing concessions out of Tehran, including
reopening the vital Strait of Hormuz to shipping.
After the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, Iran established a
chokehold on the strait, though which a fifth of the world's traded oil passed
in peacetime, slowing ship traffic to a trickle.
As the fighting resumed, the price of Brent crude oil, the international
standard, climbed above $90, up about 25% from the start of the war, presenting
a growing problem for U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of the midterm
elections.
UAE says Iranian attack is a 'dangerous escalation'
In a short statement, the UAE Defense Ministry said it "dealt with" an
Iranian drone that was detected over its waters approaching from Iran. There
were no reports of damage.
"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 Foreign Ministry said.
The Defense Ministry later issued a second statement denying a claim by the
Iranian army that the Al Minhad Air Base in Dubai had been targeted, saying it
was false.
The incident came after U.S. forces on Sunday struck Iranian rocket
launchers on an Iranian island, breaking a lull in fighting in the war that has
lasted more than six months.
Iran responded by launching missiles at U.S. sites in Jordan, which were
intercepted.
Early Monday, Iran's Foreign Ministry said Iran would "not hesitate to
exercise the inherent right of legitimate defense and will respond decisively
to any military aggression."
Iran says it has right to defend itself and will 'respond decisively'
Before heading to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's summit in
Kyrgyzstan with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Iranian President Masoud
Pezeshkian, who has favored a negotiated end to the conflict, stressed that
Iran was not seeking war.
"But," he said, "we will respond decisively to aggressors."
The summit brings together a group billed as a counterweight to U.S. global
influence, and includes Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President
Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pezeshkian was
scheduled to meet with Putin on the sidelines on Tuesday.
US weekend attack comes after weeks of rising economic pressure
Meantime, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was set to host meetings of
the Group of 20 finance ministers in North Carolina on Monday and Tuesday,
which come as Washington pressures other countries to help the U.S.
economically isolate Iran.
The shifting strategy centers on threats to punish any country or entity
that continues to conduct business with Tehran.
Two weeks ago, the UAE suspended all trade with Iran after saying it had
come under renewed fire from Iran with two missiles fired at shipping traffic
splashing down harmlessly in the Persian Gulf. Iran denied the attack.
Bessent later suggested it was pressure from Washington that led to the UAE
decision.
Trump stressed last week that he is "not in a hurry" to get Iran back to the
negotiating table, and he continues making the case that the Islamic Republic's
leadership is on the ropes.
Appointments to Iran's senior security leadership in the past month,
however, have signaled Tehran's defiance after weathering decades of sanctions
as well as a lack of tolerance for dissent at home.
US military says strike on Iranian rocket launchers 'limited' and 'precise'
On Sunday, U.S. Central Command said it had struck Iranian launchers after
observing forces with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps preparing to launch
rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military said last
week it had completed clearing sea mines from the waterway's international
shipping routes.
Semiofficial news outlets in Iran reported sounds of explosions near Larak
island on the strait and the Revolutionary Guard said there had been casualties.
U.S. military officials disputed Iran's claim that the latest American
strikes were an act of aggression, calling them a "limited, precise action"
against what they said were minelaying forces.
Iranian state television later showed what it said were ballistic missiles
being fired at American bases in Jordan, and Jordan's military said it
intercepted eight that had entered its airspace.
A return to open conflict would be dangerous for the region, where Iran has
targeted U.S. military bases and infrastructure in Gulf countries since the war
began on Feb. 28.
The last time the U.S. military confirmed targeting Iran was on July 29,
when it announced a "heavy wave of strikes" on dozens of Revolutionary Guard
targets including coastal surveillance and defense sites.
Trump said on Aug. 1 he would order the military to hold off on new strikes
at the urging of Gulf allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
|
|
