UAE, Saudi Report Drone Incidents as Iran War Deadlock Drags on

Emirati officials said they were investigating the source of the attack and that the UAE had the right to respond to such “terrorist attacks”. The UAE president’s diplomatic adviser said this represented a dangerous escalation, whether carried out by the “principal perpetrator” or one of his proxies.

The UAE defense ministry said two other drones were “successfully” dealt with and that the drones were launched “from the western border”. He did not elaborate.

Saudi Arabia stated that the three unmanned aerial vehicles it captured entered Iraqi airspace and warned that it would take the necessary operational measures to respond to any attempt that would violate its sovereignty and security.

While hostilities in the Iran conflict have largely diminished since a ceasefire came into force in April, drones have been launched from Iraq towards Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

The Abu Dhabi Media Office said the drone, which had passed the UAE’s defenses, hit an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant. It was stated that radiological safety levels were not affected and there were no injuries. The UAE’s Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation later confirmed that the facility remained safe and no radioactive material was released from the attack.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said emergency diesel generators were powering “unit 3” of the plant and called for “maximum military restraint” near any nuclear power plant, adding that it was monitoring the situation closely.

During the war, which started with the US and Israel attacking Iran on February 28, Iran repeatedly targeted the UAE and other Gulf countries, which host US military bases, and hit areas containing civilian and energy infrastructure.

Iran stepped up such attacks on the UAE earlier this month after Trump announced a naval mission to open the Strait of Hormuz, which he suspended 48 hours later.

DIPLOMATIC DEADLINE

More than five weeks after a tenuous ceasefire in the conflict took effect, the demands of the United States and Iran remain vastly different, despite diplomatic efforts to end the war and reopen the strait, the world’s most important oil and gas shipping route.

Washington called on Tehran to halt its nuclear program and lift its control over the strait. Iran has demanded compensation for war damage, an end to the US embargo on Iranian ports, and a halt to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, where Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Trump, who did not end the stalemate with his harsh rhetoric, said in a post on Truth Social: “Time is Ticking for Iran and they better act FAST, otherwise there will be nothing left of them. TIME IS ESSENTIAL!”

Trump is expected to meet with his top national security advisers on Tuesday to discuss options for military action against Iran, Axios reported.

Trump held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week but has received no indication from China that this would help resolve the dispute and has previously threatened to resume attacks if Iran does not accept the deal.

Abolfazl Shekarchi, the top spokesman for Iran’s armed forces, said on Sunday that if Trump’s threats are carried out, the United States “will face new, aggressive and surprising scenarios and fall into a swamp of its own creation.”

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the US and Israel were trying to cover up the blame for destabilizing energy markets following their “unprovoked military attacks against Iran”.

OPPONENT BLOCKS

The disruption of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz led to the largest oil supply crisis in history, causing prices to rise. The United States has imposed its own blockade of Iranian ports and said it had diverted 81 commercial ships as of Sunday and disabled four ships to ensure compliance.

Ibrahim Azizi, who heads the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, said on Saturday that Tehran is preparing a mechanism to manage traffic in the strait along a designated route that will be announced soon.

Thousands of Iranians were killed in US and Israeli air strikes. Thousands more were killed in clashes between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel and Lebanon agreed on Friday to extend the ceasefire for 45 days, but it did not end the fighting.