UAE denies Iran's Al Minhad Air Base attack claim, responds to drone approaching from Iran
The United Arab Emirates on Monday denied reports claiming that Iran had launched missiles at Al Minhad Air Base, amid heightened tensions following a fresh exchange of fire between the United States and Iran.
The UAE Ministry of Defence said reports suggesting that Al Minhad Air Base, which houses US personnel, had been targeted were false.
“Media reports regarding a missile attack on Al Minhad Air Base are baseless,” the ministry said in a statement on X.
The ministry said the UAE Armed Forces remained on a high state of readiness to respond to potential threats and protect the country's sovereignty, security and stability. It also urged the public to rely on official sources and avoid circulating rumours or inaccurate information.
UAE intercepts Iranian drone over territorial waters
The denial came after the UAE Defence Ministry announced that its air force had intercepted an Iranian drone over the country's territorial waters on Monday.
In a brief statement, the ministry said it had “dealt with” a drone detected over UAE waters approaching from Iran.
Iran had earlier said it targeted the base using “dozens of attack drones”. There were no immediate reports of damage.
The latest incident comes after a lull in direct fighting between the US and Iran was broken over the weekend, renewing concerns of a wider escalation across the Middle East.
US strikes Iranian rocket launchers
On Sunday, US forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on an Iranian island, marking the first confirmed action between the two sides in about a month.
US Central Command said its forces acted after observing personnel linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz.
The US military said it had completed clearing sea mines from international shipping routes in the strategic waterway last week.
Iranian semi-official media reported explosions near Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, while the Revolutionary Guard said there had been casualties.
US military officials rejected Iran's description of the strikes as an act of aggression, calling the operation a “limited, precise action” against what they described as minelaying forces.
Iran fires missiles towards US sites in Jordan
Iran responded to the latest US strikes by launching missiles towards US sites in Jordan, according to the reports.
Iranian state television aired footage it said showed ballistic missiles being fired at American bases in Jordan. Jordan's military later said it had intercepted eight missiles that entered its airspace.
The exchange has raised fresh concerns about a return to open conflict in a region where Iran has targeted US military bases and infrastructure in Gulf countries since the war began on February 28.
The last time the US military confirmed carrying out strikes inside Iran was on July 29, when it announced what it described as a “heavy wave of strikes” targeting dozens of Revolutionary Guard locations, including coastal surveillance and defence sites.
US President Donald Trump had said on August 1 that he would hold off on ordering further strikes following appeals from Gulf allies, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Monday's drone interception and the UAE's denial of reports about an Iranian missile attack on Al Minhad Air Base come as tensions between Washington and Tehran once again threaten to spill over into the wider Gulf region.
With agency inputs