UAE presidential adviser condemns Iran attacks on civilians

The IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency cited a military source as warning that if the UAE becomes “a plaything of Israel” and takes any “unwise” action, Iran would target all Emirati interests and treat the country as “part of the Zionist regime.”

“No official threat has so far been announced by the Emiratis,” the military source told Tasnim. “But if the Emiratis become a plaything of Israel and make a wrong move, they will learn a lesson they will never forget.”

“If the UAE takes any unwise action, all its interests will become targets for Iran, and no part of Emirati facilities will be safe,” the source added.

“The UAE knows it is sitting in a very fragile glass house, and insecurity is absolute poison for it,” the source said. “If it wants to repeat the mistake of the 40-day war, we will completely abandon restraint and treat this Zionist nest as part of the Zionist regime.”

The United Nations is still trying to understand US statements that the Strait of Hormuz is open, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Monday.

“There’s not much clarity at this point, but what we do not want to see is a return to outright kinetic activity in this area,” Dujarric told UN reporters.

Reports of an exchange of fire in the strait and the United Arab Emirates intercepting Iranian missiles were concerning, he said.

“We need to see a return of what has been centuries of practice of common law, which is freedom of navigation in these waters,” Dujarric said.

The Israeli army is monitoring the situation and remains on full alert, a military source told Iran International.

The source said there had been no change to the Home Front Command’s instructions.

Air defense systems and offensive capabilities remain on full alert, unchanged since the decision on the ceasefire with Iran, the source said.

The source said updates would be provided if there were any changes to the instructions.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Iran’s attack on the United Arab Emirates amounted to a renewal of its war against US and Israeli allies in the region.

“The United Arab Emirates, our strategic ally, has just been attacked by Iran,” Bennett said on X.

“This is, in effect, a declaration of the renewal of Iran’s war against the allies of the United States and Israel across the region,” he added.

Bennett said the regional alliance was vital to Israel’s security and to what he called moderate partners in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf.

“Iran continues to try to intimidate the region and poses a threat to global security,” he said.

“We stand with our ally,” he added.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it received a report of an incident 14 nautical miles west of Mina Saqr in the United Arab Emirates, with a third party reporting that a vessel was on fire.

UKMTO said the vessel had requested other vessels in the area to keep a safe distance, adding that the cause of the fire had not been verified.