Tehran: Iran rejected claims of orchestrating a drone attack on oil infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates, with state television reporting on Monday that Tehran had “no pre-planned programme” for such an operation following UAE allegations targeting the Islamic Republic over a strike in Fujairah, AFP reported.
Officials in Fujairah said the incident wounded three Indian nationals, who received hospital treatment. The UAE, meanwhile, termed a subsequent Iranian drone salvo as a “dangerous escalation,” occurring against the backdrop of a fragile Middle East ceasefire.
“The Islamic Republic had no pre-planned programme to attack the oil facilities in question, and what happened was the product of the US military’s adventurism to create a passage for ships to illegally pass through the forbidden passages of the Strait of Hormuz, and the US military must be held accountable for it,” an Iranian military official stated on state TV.
“US officials must end the ugly behaviour of using force in the diplomatic process and stop military adventurism in this sensitive oil region that affects the economies of all countries in the world.”
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump outlined plans to escort vessels from neutral nations out of the Gulf, framing it as a humanitarian measure to aid trapped crews.
Iran’s state media reported that its navy fired “warning shots” at US warships in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, after American destroyers entered the Gulf.
Trump stated US forces had “shot down” seven small Iranian military boats, while a US admiral referenced the destruction of six such craft. Tehran dismissed the claims as false and denied any losses.
