The United Arab Emirates intercepted a missile and drone attack from Iran on Tuesday, as tensions escalated across the Middle East with fresh strikes on energy installations and conflicting statements on when the war might end.
The attack came hours after Iranian foreign minister told broadcaster PBS News that his country had ruled out further talks with the United States and was prepared to continue missile attacks for “as long as needed”.
Iran launched fresh strikes on energy installations in the Gulf, including a petroleum complex in Bahrain, as oil prices soared on fears of supply disruptions. Bahrain’s sprawling Al Ma’ameer oil facility was hit, causing a fire and damage, with the country’s state-owned energy firm Bapco declaring force majeure — the latest Gulf producer to activate the legal clause.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday he would waive some sanctions on oil due to market turmoil over supply concerns. “We’re also waiving certain oil-related sanctions to reduce prices,” Trump told reporters after his administration previously signalled it would roll back sanctions on oil exports from Russia. “We’re going to take those sanctions off till this straightens out.”
Trump suggested the Iran war could soon end, but he remained vague on a timeline for stopping the attacks. “It’s going to be ended soon, and if it starts up again they’ll be hit even harder,” Trump said at a news conference in Florida, referring to Iran. He previously told lawmakers that the campaign would be a “short-term excursion”.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards responded by saying they would “determine the end of the war” — not the Americans. Trump also pressed for what he called “ultimate victory” against Tehran’s clerical establishment, which over the weekend picked the son of slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei as its new chief.
The Israeli military said on Monday it launched a wave of “broad strikes” against “terror targets” in Tehran, the second of the day. AFP journalists reported a powerful explosion in the Iranian capital at the same time as aircraft were heard overhead.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke by phone with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan after an incoming Iranian missile was intercepted in Turkey’s airspace. “The Islamic Republic of Iran has always declared its readiness to reduce tension in the region; provided that the airspace, soil and waters of our neighbours are not used to attack the Iranian people,” Pezeshkian said in a statement about the call.
The UAE said it was being targeted “in a very unwarranted manner” in the war, stressing it would “not partake in any attacks against Iran”, which has lashed out at Gulf countries seen as US allies. “The UAE does not seek to be drawn into conflict or escalation,” said Jamal Al Musharakh, the UAE’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva.
Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani said security in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key transport route for global oil and gas supplies, cannot be restored as long as the war continues. “It is unlikely that any security can be achieved in the Strait of Hormuz amid the fires ignited by the United States and Israel in the region,” he said.
The toll from Israeli strikes on Lebanon rose to 486 people killed and 1 313 wounded, the Lebanese health ministry said. The ministry had previously reported a death toll of 394. AFP could not independently verify the figures.
The head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc Mohamed Raad pledged to continue fighting Israel “whatever the cost”, in remarks broadcast by Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV. Defending his party, and blasting the Lebanese government, Raad said the group’s goal is to “drive the enemy out of our occupied land… And quite plainly, we have no other option to preserve honour, pride and dignity than the option of resistance.”
Australia has granted asylum to some of Iran’s visiting women’s football team over fears they faced persecution at home for not singing the national anthem before a match. The Iranian players’ stance ahead of an Asian Cup tournament match in Australia last week was widely seen as an act of defiance against the Islamic republic. Five players escaped the team hotel on Australia’s Gold Coast overnight.
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