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Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Sunday accused the United States of launching attacks on two Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and warned that Tehran will respond, according to Iranian state media Press TV.
Araghchi said the attacks targeted Kharg Island, which hosts Iran's major oil export terminals, and Abu Musa, a strategic island near the entrance of the Strat of Hormuz. "Last night they attacked Kharg Island and Abu Musa Island with the artillery-rocket system HIMARS, which is a short-range rocket system," he said. He claimed the rockets were launched from locations in the UAE, including Ras Al Khaimah and an area close to Dubai. "They launched these rockets from the soil of our neighbours. It is crystal clear they are using our neighbours' territory to attack us, and this is absolutely unacceptable," he said. Press TV reported Araghchi as saying that Iranian forces tracked the attacks and warned that launching weapons from densely populated areas was extremely dangerous. He added that Iran would respond, but would exercise caution to avoid hitting residential areas. "What we are doing within the framework of legitimate defence is targeting American bases, facilities, assets and interests, which unfortunately are located in the territories of our neighbours," he said. According to Press TV, the strikes did not hit Iranian energy infrastructure but caused damage to military sites on the two islands. Earlier, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters Ebrahim Zolfaghari warned that Iran considers it a legitimate right to target the locations from which US missiles were launched. He said the US military had been launching missiles from ports, docks and hideouts within cities in the UAE against Abu Musa Island and parts of Kharg Island. "We warn the UAE leadership that the Islamic Republic of Iran views it as its legitimate right to strike the origins of American missile launches," Zolfaghari said, according to Press TV. He also urged residents in the UAE to stay away from areas near ports, docks and locations used by US forces to avoid harm during potential Iranian retaliatory strikes. Meanwhile, a key oil hub in the UAE was disrupted, and the US Embassy in Iraq was struck by drones on Saturday (local time) amid escalating West Asia conflict, according to CNN. A fire broke out at the Fujairah Port earlier after debris from an intercepted drone fell on the facility, the Fujairah Media Office said, as reported by CNN. The incident came after Iran's military warned it could target ports and docks in the UAE in retaliation for a US strike on the critical Iranian oil export hub of Kharg Island. (ANI)
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