Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Iran on Saturday accused the United States of launching military strikes from the United Arab Emirates, escalating tensions in the Gulf as the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel entered its third week.
Tehran warned residents to evacuate areas around key Emirati ports, including the region surrounding Jebel Ali Port in Dubai and Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi, alleging that American forces had used locations in the UAE to launch attacks on Iranian territory.
The warnings marked the first time Iran has openly threatened assets in a neighboring Gulf country that are not directly linked to the United States, raising fears of a broader regional escalation.
Iran alleges US strikes launched from UAE
Iranian officials claimed that U.S. forces used “ports, docks and hideouts” inside the UAE to carry out strikes on Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal in the Gulf. Tehran did not provide evidence to support the allegation.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with MS NOW that the United States launched attacks on Kharg Island and Abu Musa Island from two locations in the UAE, including Ras Al Khaimah and an unspecified site “very close to Dubai.”
Araghchi described the alleged use of Emirati territory as “dangerous,” adding that Iran would attempt to avoid striking densely populated areas in the country despite the escalating confrontation.
The U.S. military’s regional command, United States Central Command, declined to comment on the accusations, while the UAE government had not issued a public response as of Saturday.
Drone debris sparks fire at Fujairah oil facility
Although Iran warned civilians to leave areas near major ports, there were no immediate reports of direct strikes on the facilities in Dubai or Abu Dhabi.
However, debris from an intercepted Iranian drone struck an oil facility near the port of Fujairah, igniting a fire that sent smoke billowing over the site before it was brought under control.
The incident highlighted the growing risk to critical energy infrastructure across the Gulf, where ports, refineries and export terminals play a central role in global oil markets.
Threats against oil infrastructure
Iranian military officials reiterated warnings that any further attacks on the country’s oil infrastructure could trigger retaliatory strikes on energy facilities linked to the United States or its partners across the region.
A statement from Iran’s joint military command warned that “oil, economic and energy infrastructures” associated with Washington could become legitimate targets if Iranian facilities continue to be hit.
Iran’s parliament speaker has also warned that strikes against the country’s petroleum export infrastructure would provoke a new level of retaliation.
Iranian media downplay damage from strikes
Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency reported that the recent attacks on Kharg Island did not damage the oil export facilities themselves.
According to the agency, the strikes instead targeted military sites including an air defense installation, a naval base, an airport control tower and a helicopter hangar belonging to an offshore oil company.
By contrast, U.S. officials said the strikes destroyed Iranian military infrastructure including naval mine storage facilities, missile depots and other strategic sites used by Iranian forces.
Israel expands strikes inside Iran
Meanwhile, Israel said it carried out another wave of airstrikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure.
The Israel Defense Forces announced that its aircraft had struck more than 200 targets across Iran in the previous 24 hours, including missile launchers, air defense systems and weapons production facilities.
The strikes are part of Israel’s expanding military campaign aimed at weakening Iran’s missile capabilities and military infrastructure amid the ongoing regional conflict.
Missile strikes US embassy compound in Baghdad
The violence also spread to Iraq on Saturday when a missile struck a helipad inside the compound of the United States Embassy in Baghdad, one of the largest U.S. diplomatic facilities in the world.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, though the compound has been repeatedly targeted in recent years by rockets and drones launched by Iran-aligned militias operating in Iraq.
Following the incident, the United States Department of State again urged American citizens in Iraq to leave the country immediately, advising them to travel by land due to the suspension of commercial flights.
The department warned that Iran and affiliated militia groups could continue targeting U.S. personnel, infrastructure and interests across the region.
Lebanon humanitarian crisis worsens
Elsewhere in the region, the humanitarian situation in Lebanon continued to deteriorate as Israeli strikes against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah intensified.
Lebanese authorities and humanitarian agencies say more than 800 people have been killed and approximately 850,000 displaced amid the escalating violence, adding to growing regional instability linked to the broader conflict.
With hostilities expanding across multiple fronts and key energy infrastructure increasingly under threat, international observers warn that the conflict risks drawing in additional regional actors and further destabilizing the Middle East.
