Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi News LIVE updates: Iran launched a new airstrike across the Persian Gulf on Thursday evening as the US-Israel conflict reached its 7th day on Friday. A wave of missile and drone attacks have been reported in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.
The United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran on Saturday, prompting Tehran to retaliate by firing missiles at Israel and several sites in the Persian Gulf where US military installations are located.
According to a Bloomberg report, the UAE warned Dubai residents of incoming projectiles and urged them to immediately seek shelter in the nearest secure building. After about an hour, a complete holiday was signaled.
There were also reports of explosions near Abu Dhabi International Airport.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News that his country had not asked for a ceasefire and had no intention of negotiating. “We see no reason why we should re-engage with those who did this and who are not honest in their negotiations,” he said.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also warned that retaliatory attacks would intensify in the coming days, according to the Nour agency.
Saudi Arabia also continued to thwart attacks on Thursday, saying it intercepted several missiles and drones overnight. The strikes were mostly aimed at Al Kharj near Riyadh, where the US has facilities, or to the east, where Saudi Aramco is headquartered.
The United Arab Emirates warns of action
UAE officials have privately warned Iran of possible action against Tehran, the WSJ report said, adding that it was unclear when or if the government would act.
The Gulf state is also reportedly weighing freezing billions of dollars of Iranian assets held in the United Arab Emirates to limit Tehran’s access to foreign currency and globally.
Stay tuned to this LIVE blog for all the latest news updates from Dubai, UAE and Abu Dhabi.
