TEHRAN: Several US allies, including Qatar, United Arab Emirates, South Korea and Kuwait, reported drone-related incidents on Sunday after Tehran warned Washington that it would no longer refrain from retaliatory action in the region.
Qatar’s defence ministry said a cargo vessel entering its waters from Abu Dhabi was struck by a drone near the port of Mesaieed. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre also confirmed that the ship was hit by an unidentified projectile.
“There was a small fire that has been extinguished, there are no casualties. There is no reported environmental impact,” the centre said.
The UAE accused Iran of carrying out an attack on its territory, in what would mark only the second alleged strike on Gulf states since the ceasefire began a month ago.
“UAE air defence systems successfully engaged two UAVs launched from Iran,” the defence ministry said.
Kuwait also confirmed an attempted drone attack, stating that its armed forces detected and intercepted several hostile drones in its airspace.
Although no group claimed responsibility for the Qatar incident, Iran’s Fars news agency alleged that the targeted vessel “was sailing under a US flag and belonged to the United States”.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia strongly condemned the attacks on the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait, reaffirming its support for measures aimed at protecting the Gulf states’ security and stability.
In a social media statement, Iranian parliament national security commission spokesman Ebrahim Rezaei warned the US of further escalation.
“Our restraint is over as of today,” Rezaei said. “Any attack on our vessels will trigger a strong and decisive Iranian response against American ships and bases.”
The warning came after a Friday incident in which a US fighter jet disabled two Iran-flagged vessels in the Gulf of Oman to stop them from reaching Iranian ports.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard also warned that attacks on its commercial ships would be met with heavy strikes on American targets and vessels. Iranian army official Mohammad Akraminia added that countries enforcing US sanctions “will certainly face difficulties crossing the strait”.
At the same time, Iran’s military chief Ali Abdollahi reportedly met Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and received “new directives and guidance for the continuation of operations to confront the enemy”, according to state television.
Separately, South Korea’s foreign ministry said its cargo ship HMM Namu was struck by unidentified aircraft in the Strait of Hormuz last Monday. Spokesman Park Il said two aircraft hit the vessel’s port-side ballast tank within a minute, sparking a fire and causing major structural damage. Iran’s embassy in Seoul denied any involvement.
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, during a call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, warned that using the Strait of Hormuz as a pressure tactic “only serves to deepen the crisis”.
