Iran's army on Monday claimed that it launched a drone attack on the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) Al Minhad Air Base, saying that the strike targeted areas where US forces and helicopters were stationed.
According to Iranian State television, which cited a statement issued by the Iranian Army, the attack took place early on Monday as Tehran responded to the recent US military actions against Iranian positions.
Iran said that the attack was a retaliation for a US strike on Iran's Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the US military, American forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island on Sunday after US forces observed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) personnel preparing to use rockets to deploy sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters reported that the US described the launchers as an imminent threat to maritime traffic.
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Iran, however, stated that the US attack killed members of the IRGC as well as Iranian civilians on Larak Island. The Iranian Army cited those deaths as the reason for the retaliatory attack on Al Minhad.
There is currently no independently confirmed information establishing casualties or damage from the August 31 attack. Iran has claimed that the attack occurred and said it targeted locations containing US personnel and helicopters, but Reuters report suggests that there was no immediate UAE response to the Iranian claim and that the UAE Defence Ministry had not issued a statement at the time of reporting.
The latest claim comes months after Al Minhad Air Base was previously affected by Iranian attacks during the wider conflict. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in March that an Iranian projectile had struck near Al Minhad Air Base in the UAE, while Australian defence personnel stationed there remained safe.
The base is therefore strategically significant because it hosts or supports military personnel from countries allied with the United States, including Australia and the United Kingdom.
The reported attack on Al Minhad came amid a broader Iranian retaliation following the US strike on Larak Island. Iran launched ballistic missiles toward US military positions in Jordan, with Jordanian air defences intercepting the missiles, Reuters reported.
Separately, IRGC claimed that it had shot down a US MQ-9 drone over the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian reports cited by Asharq Al-Aswat.
The Financial Times reported that the latest exchange marked the first direct US-Iran military confrontation in more than a month and heightened concerns over the security of the strategic waterway.
The reported drone attack on Al Minhad therefore represents another potentially significant expansion of the confrontation, particularly because the alleged target is a UAE base hosting foreign military personnel.
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