Mysterious airstrikes target Iran after US attacks, raising questions of who launched them
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A series of mysterious, unclaimed airstrikes hit Iran US says it has ended its attacks It reopened the question of who else might target the Islamic Republic.
Thursday’s attacks came just as Iran was preparing to bury it. late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali KhameneiIt hit the southern regions of Iran. The country’s theocracy did not directly blame anyone for the attacks, but a lawmaker issued a warning to the United Arab Emirates for allegedly supporting the United States in its campaign against Iran.
Gulf Arab states, which have been repeatedly targeted by Iran since the war began on Feb. 28, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday about the attacks. The attacks are happening at their insistence and the US’s insistence. Strait of Hormuz It must be open and free to passing ships. Iran insists that the strait, through which about a fifth of oil and natural gas passes, should now be under its full control and that ships should start paying fees to Tehran, even though the world has considered it an international waterway for decades.
Iran’s control of the strait during the conflict led to a global energy crisis. Oil prices fell sharply $120 a barrel is the highest since wartime.
Israel, which participated in the Iran war, has not claimed responsibility for any attack against Iran recently.
Unclaimed attacks came after the US stopped its attacks
The US military’s Central Command said it completed a series of strikes that hit nearly 90 targets around 6:30 a.m. local Iranian time on Thursday. Shortly thereafter, Iranian news outlets and state media reported a series of airstrikes and explosions targeting the country’s Bushehr, Sistan and Baluchistan provinces, the cities of Ahvaz and Chabahar, and other areas.
Central Command did not respond to a request for comment on the additional attacks.
Iran responded to the attacks on Thursday by launching a broader barrage of attacks across the Middle East, targeting Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar. Missile warning sirens blared in four countries, sending people to seek shelter. It was reported that one person was injured in Kuwait as a result of air defense systems targeting the fire coming to the region.
UAE leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan traveled to Kuwait immediately after the Iranian attack to meet with the ruling emir of the small, oil-rich country. Gulf Arab states also held talks with the foreign minister of Qatar, which is deeply involved along with Pakistan in talks on the interim agreement in place between Iran and the United States to halt the return of open war.
During the Iran war, officials say both Saudi Arabia and the UAE launched airstrikes targeting Iran after Tehran struck energy fields in their countries.
Israel, which carried out an intense campaign against Iran during the term of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Has not attacked the Islamic Republic since June. Israel also generally claims immediate responsibility for its attacks on Iran.
The Israeli government said Netanyahu spoke to Trump on Thursday night and that Trump briefed Netanyahu “about America’s moves in the Gulf.”
Israeli defense minister Israel Katz also repeated his threats that his country is ready to confront Iran if necessary.
In his speech at the military ceremony, Katz said that the Israeli army “is alert and ready to renew the operation, re-establish air superiority and launch a blue-white (Israeli) strike against Iran, even for the third time, to eliminate threats.” “If we have to return, we will return with greater strength.”
Iran continues its threats
On Friday, Iranian state media quoted Esmail Kousari, a member of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee and a former commander of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, as warning that the UAE “will pay the price for cooperation with the United States.” He accused the Emirates of playing a “behind the scenes” role in recent US attacks.
Iran has repeatedly accused the Gulf Arab states of actively supporting the US war effort; They denied this during the war. The United States has maintained a large military base area in Gulf Arab states since the 1991 Gulf War, including Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters.
Iran, meanwhile, insists it should be the sole controller of the Strait of Hormuz. But the United States continues to pressure sailors to travel a southern route through Omani territorial waters to avoid Iran.
The Joint Maritime Information Center, a multinational agency overseen by the U.S. Navy, issued a new advisory Friday urging ships to follow that route. A similar message was fired for ships to use this route Three ships were hit by Iran’s attack on Tuesday.
“Despite the recent unprovoked attacks on commercial ships, seafarers are reminded that the southern route of the strait has been widened and remains open to all traffic,” the maritime center said in a statement. It was said.
