Iranian media reported on Monday that the attack on oil facilities in the UAE’s port of Fujairah was the result of US “adventurism” in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Iran had no pre-planned intention to attack the Fujairah oil facilities,” an Iranian military official told the Iranian broadcaster IRIB.
“The incident resulted from US military adventurism to create an illegal passage through restricted areas of the Strait of Hormuz. US must be held accountable,” the official added.
The comments suggest that the strikes on the Fujairah oil facilities were Iran’s response to the US’s new attempt to get commercial ships out of the Strait of Hormuz, though so far there’s been no official comment from Tehran about the attacks on the UAE.
The UAE said that its air defenses “engaged” 19 Iranian missiles and drones on Monday, and, according to sources speaking with CNN, an Israeli Iron Dome system that was secretly deployed to the Gulf Arab state was used to intercept projectiles. At least three people, Indian nationals, were injured by the attacks on the Fujairah oil facilities.
President Trump announced on Sunday night that US forces would “guide” commercial ships out of the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command claimed that two US Navy destroyers transited the strait and enabled two US-flagged commercial ships to also make the passage.
The Iranian Navy said that it fired missiles and drones at US warships, and CENTCOM also claimed that its forces destroyed six Iranian boats, which was denied by Iranian officials.
The attacks on the UAE would mark Tehran’s most significant response yet to US military escalations since the ceasefire ended the US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran.
“Iranian analyst tells me that Tehran’s warning shots at US warships and the strikes on the UAE reveal Iran’s new posture: If Trump plans to restart the war, Iran will not wait for Trump to do so before it retaliates. It will strike preemptively in a measured way to deter Trump,” Trita Parsi, an Iran expert and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute, wrote on X.
