Trump urges US allies to send warships to Strait of Hormuz as Iran vows to retaliate
CAIRO — Gulf states reported new missile and drone attacks on Sunday after Tehran threatened to widen its campaign and called for the evacuation of three major UAE ports as Iranian strikes there – part of a wider war with the United States and Israel – progress into their third week.
Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates warned people they were working to intercept incoming projectiles, a day after Iran called for the evacuation of the port, threatening a neighboring country’s non-U.S. assets for the first time.
Iran had previously accused the United States of using the UAE’s “ports, docks and hideouts” to launch strikes on Kharg Island, home to the main processing terminal for Iranian oil exports, without providing evidence. The United Arab Emirates and other Gulf countries that host U.S. bases have denied allowing their territory or airspace to be used for military operations against Iran.
Iranian strikes have killed at least a dozen civilians in the Gulf states, most of them migrant workers. At least 13 members of the US military have been killed since the war began, including seven in combat and six in a plane crash over Iraq last week.
US President Donald Trump said he hoped allies would send warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s humanitarian crisis has worsened, with more than 800 people killed and 850,000 displaced as Israel launched waves of strikes against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the United States attacked Kharg Island and Abu Musa Island from two locations in the United Arab Emirates, Ras Al Khaimah and a location “very close to Dubai,” calling it dangerous and saying Iran would “try to be careful not to attack any populated areas” there.
US Central Command said it had no response to Iran’s claims. A diplomatic adviser to UAE President Anwar Gargash has rejected accusations that the United States used its territory or air as a base for its attacks on Kharg Island.
Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at its Gulf Arab neighbors during the war, but has said it was targeting U.S. assets, although there have been reports of strikes or attempts against civilian assets such as airports and oil fields.
Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz was closed only to “those who attack us and their allies.”
As global concern soars over oil prices and supplies, Trump said Saturday he hoped China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and others would send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz “open and secure.” In response, Britain said it was discussing a “range of options” with allies to secure shipping.
Araghchi, in a social media post, urged his neighbors to “expel foreign aggressors” and called Trump’s call “begging.”
On Saturday, Iran’s Joint Military Command reiterated its threat to attack US-linked “oil, economic and energy infrastructure” in the region if the Islamic Republic’s oil infrastructure is hit.
Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said the strikes on Kharg island caused no damage to oil infrastructure. They said they had targeted an air defense installation, a naval base, the airport control tower and the helicopter hangar of an offshore oil company.
The US Department of Defense on Saturday identified six service members who died when the military refueling plane they were on crashed Thursday while supporting operations against Iran.
The soldiers were Maj. John A. Klinner, 33; Captain Ariana G. Savino, 31; Technology. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34; Captain Seth R. Koval, 38; Captain Curtis J. Angst, 30; and technology. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, according to U.S. officials.
The crash in western Iraq followed an unspecified incident involving two planes in “friendly airspace,” according to US Central Command. The other plane landed safely.
A missile struck a helipad inside the US embassy compound in Baghdad on Saturday. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. The embassy complex, one of the largest U.S. diplomatic facilities in the world, has been repeatedly targeted by rockets and drones fired by Iran-aligned militias.
The State Department again warned Iraqi citizens to leave “now” and by land since commercial flights were not available. He noted that Iran and Iran-aligned militias “may continue to target” U.S. citizens, interests and infrastructure.
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Metz reported from Ramallah, in the West Bank, and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem; Sally Abou AlJoud, Kareem Chehayeb and Bassem Mroue in Beirut; and Tia Goldenberg in Washington contributed to this report.
