UAE intercepts drone after US and Iran exchange attacks

After the United States and Iran resumed hostilities for the first time since July, the United Arab Emirates notes it has engaged a drone coming from Iran over its waters and denied reports of an attack on its Al Menhad airbase.

Key points

• US forces on Sunday struck two Iranian launchers on Iran's Larak Island, some 660km (410 miles) east of ⁠Kharg Island, a US official remarked.
• The Jordan strikes targeted US bases applied to launch and backing the attack on Larak, Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted in an official note.
• Iran has carried out a wave of attacks on Gulf countries since the US and Israel introduced their war on Iran in late February.
• High-level delegations from mediators Oman, Pakistan and Qatar visited Tehran last week in a bid to advance negotiations to bring the war to an end.
• "Political solutions must begin with de-escalation and restoring normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, " Gargash continued.

Iran's army remarked in an official note cited by Iranian news agencies that dozens of drones were rolled out at US military assets at the Al Menhad airbase in the UAE early on Monday.

In an official note on X on Monday, the UAE's Ministry of Defence described the reports as "false" and "urged the public to rely on official sources for information and to refrain from circulating rumours or inaccurate information".

Afterwards, the ministry stated the UAE's air force intercepted a drone "over the country's territorial waters, approaching from Iran".

For context, the incident comes after the US and Iran exchanged attacks overnight, further denting hopes for a resolution of the more than six-month-long conflict.

US forces on Sunday struck two Iranian launchers on Iran's Larak Island, some 660km (410 miles) east of ⁠Kharg Island, a US official remarked. Iran retaliated by attacking two bases applied by US forces in Jordan and the UAE's Al Menhad airbase, according to Iranian media.

In practice, the Jordan strikes targeted US bases applied to launch and backing the attack on Larak, Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted in an official note.

For context, the Iranian army remarked its drone attack on the UAE's airbase targeted sites where US forces and helicopters were stationed in response to the Larak casualties.

Iran has carried out a wave of attacks on Gulf countries since the US and Israel introduced their war on Iran in late February. But at the urging of Gulf allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, US President Donald Trump remarked on August 1 he would order the military to hold off on new strikes on Iran.

Notably, the UAE's presidential adviser, Anwar Mohammed Gargash, condemned the renewed escalation, saying "the policy of targeting the Arab Gulf states and Jordan has proven to be a failure".

Sunday's return to hostilities comes after the Trump administration ramped up economic pressure on Iran and its business partners with new sanctions, and mediators intensified efforts to resume negotiations on a potential accord to end the war.

For context, the Strait of Hormuz remains a crucial sticking point during negotiations. Last week, Trump remarked all mines had been detonated or removed from the international waters of the strait, and Iran had been cautioned that any vessel placing new mines would be destroyed.

While Trump has repeatedly remarked the Strait of Hormuz is open, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ‌has called those statements "an obvious lie", reiterating that it remains closed to ships without Iranian permission to transit.

Meanwhile, the waterway carried almost a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the war.

Taken together, the developments around UAE intercepts drone after US and Iran exchange attacks point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.