Cairo: Gulf Arab states reported new missile and drone attacks on Sunday after Iran threatened to widen its campaign and called for the evacuation of three major ports in the United Arab Emirates as the war in the Middle East, now in its third week, expands further.
Israel and the United States attacked Iran on February 28, saying they were striking nuclear and military sites and encouraging the Iranian people to rise against their leaders. Iran has responded with attacks against Israel and neighbouring countries in the Persian Gulf.
The war has upended global air travel, disrupted oil exports from the region and sent fuel prices rising. US President Donald Trump said he hoped countries reliant on oil and gas exports would send warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz. None responded with firm commitments by Sunday, though some said they were considering action.
Israel said it continued to strike Iran on Sunday as Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE told residents they were working to intercept incoming projectiles, a day after Iran threatened three Emirati ports, the first time it has done so against a neighbouring country’s non-US assets.
Iran had earlier accused the US of launching Friday’s strikes on Kharg Island from the UAE, without providing evidence for the claim. The UAE and other Gulf countries that host US bases have denied allowing their land or airspace to be used for military operations against Iran, including toward the island, home to Iran’s primary oil terminal.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, said the US attacked Kharg and Abu Musa islands from locations in the UAE. He called the escalation dangerous and said Iran “will try to be careful not to attack any populated area” there.
US Central Command said it had no response to Iran’s claim.
Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE President, rejected Iran’s claim that the US used Emirati land or airspace for its attacks on Kharg Island.
Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman during the war. It says it targets US assets, even as Iranian strikes are reported at civilian sites such as airports and oil fields. Though their air defences have intercepted most, the war has caused significant damage and rattled economies in the Gulf countries.
Araghchi also told the London-based Al-Araby al-Jadeed on Sunday that Iran is ready to consider any proposal that includes “a complete end” to the war and said mediation efforts were ongoing between Iran and its neighbours to de-escalate. He gave no indication of whether progress has been made.
Iran fired barrages of missiles toward Israel on Sunday, sending residents rushing to shelters as sirens sounded and several strikes hit central Israel and the Tel Aviv area.
Strikes in the Tel Aviv region caused damage at 23 sites and sparked a small fire on Sunday.
Multi-site impacts have become a hallmark of the war, as Israel’s military says Iran is firing cluster bombs that can evade some air defences and scatter submunitions across multiple locations.
