The Iranian army warned today that it would target the United Arab Emirates if the UAE attacks islands in the Gulf that are controlled by Iran but to which the Emirates have claims, Agence France-Presse reported, BTA reported.
"We warn the United Arab Emirates that if new aggressions are launched from its territory against the Iranian islands of Abu Musa and Greater Tunb in the Persian Gulf, the powerful armed forces of Iran will subject Ras al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates to fierce strikes", the operational command of the Iranian armed forces said, quoted by the Iranian news agency Tasnim.
The islands of Abu Musa and Greater Tunb are located in the Gulf, near the beginning of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil supplies pass through. The islands have long been a source of tension between Iran and the UAE.
Tehran accuses its Gulf neighbors of allowing US forces to launch attacks on Iran from their territory. Since the start of the Middle East war on February 28, Iran has launched numerous missile and drone attacks on targets in the Gulf states, claiming they are attacking US interests in those countries.
President Donald Trump said the US was considering a "gradual reduction" of the operation in the Middle East, the agencies reported, citing a post by the US leader on Truth Social. The request comes amid conflicting reports of Washington's increased military presence in the Middle East, the Pentagon's request for another $200 billion for the war, and even plans for possible ground operations.
"We are very close to achieving our goals, so we are considering gradually reducing our large-scale military efforts in the Middle East against the terrorist regime in Iran," he wrote.