ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Gulf Arab states scrambled to intercept a fresh barrage of Iranian missiles and drones on Sunday, hours after Tehran issued stark threats to expand its military campaign by targeting three major ports in the United Arab Emirates. The attacks come as the escalating conflict in the Middle East, now entering its third week, continues to ripple across the region, disrupting global energy markets and prompting urgent diplomatic pleas from world leaders.
The war ignited on February 28 when Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites, with officials in both countries framing the action as a bid to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions and encourage internal dissent against the Iranian regime. Iran has retaliated with waves of missile and drone assaults not only against Israel but also against U.S. assets and infrastructure in neighboring Persian Gulf nations, including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman. On Saturday, Iran for the first time explicitly threatened non-U.S. assets in a neighboring country by calling for the evacuation of the UAE's ports of Jebel Ali, Fujairah, and Khalifa, according to statements from Iranian officials.
Early Sunday morning, air raid sirens blared across the UAE, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia as defense forces reported intercepting multiple incoming projectiles. The UAE's Ministry of Defense confirmed that its air defenses successfully neutralized several drones and missiles aimed at key economic hubs, though preliminary assessments indicated minor damage to an oil storage facility near Fujairah. No casualties were reported from the latest interceptions, but the incidents heightened fears of a broader regional conflagration.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States of orchestrating Friday's strikes on Iran's Kharg Island oil terminal and the disputed Abu Musa Island from bases within the UAE. "The U.S. attacked Kharg and Abu Musa islands from locations in the United Arab Emirates," Araghchi said in an interview with the London-based Al-Araby al-Jadeed. He described the alleged escalation as "dangerous" and emphasized that Iran would "try to be careful not to attack any populated area" in the UAE, while vowing retaliation against what he called aggressors.
The UAE swiftly denied the claims. Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, rejected the accusations outright, stating that Emirati territory and airspace had not been used for any military operations against Iran. "Iran's assertions are baseless and intended to sow discord among neighbors," Gargash said in a statement released by the UAE Foreign Ministry. U.S. Central Command, based in Tampa, Florida, offered no immediate response to Araghchi's allegations, though American officials have repeatedly affirmed that operations against Iran are conducted from international waters or allied territories outside the Gulf states.
Since the conflict began, Iran has launched hundreds of missiles and drones toward Gulf countries, claiming to target exclusively U.S.-linked military installations. However, reports from Bahraini, Saudi, and Emirati authorities indicate that some strikes have hit civilian infrastructure, including airports in Doha, Qatar, and oil fields in eastern Saudi Arabia. Air defense systems in the region have intercepted the majority of threats, but the sustained attacks have inflicted significant economic damage, with estimates from the Gulf Cooperation Council putting repair costs in the billions of dollars.
In a bid to safeguard vital shipping lanes, U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday urged major oil-importing nations to deploy warships to the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20 percent of the world's oil supply passes. "I hope countries reliant on oil and gas exports would send warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz," Trump said during a White House briefing. He specifically called on China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom to contribute naval forces, noting their heavy dependence on Gulf energy imports.
Responses from the targeted countries were cautious but engaged. U.K. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told Sky News that London was "intensively looking with our allies at what can be done, because it’s so important that we get the strait reopened." He added, "Ending this conflict is the best and surest way to get the strait reopened." South Korea's Foreign Ministry announced it would "coordinate closely with Washington and review Trump’s proposal," while Japan's defense minister indicated consultations were underway without committing to deployment. China, Iran's largest oil buyer, has remained silent on the matter, though state media criticized Trump's remarks as "hegemonic interference."
Iran dismissed Trump's appeal as desperation. Araghchi posted on social media that the U.S. president's call amounted to "begging," and Iran's joint military command warned it would strike "oil, economic and energy infrastructures" linked to the U.S. across the region if its own facilities, like Kharg Island, faced further attacks. The strait, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, has seen sporadic disruptions, with several tankers reporting near-misses from Iranian drones, contributing to a 15 percent spike in global oil prices since the war's outset.
The human cost of the conflict mounts daily. In the Gulf states, Iranian strikes have killed at least a dozen civilians, predominantly migrant workers from South Asia laboring in construction and oil sectors. Iran's Health Ministry, citing figures from the judiciary's Mizan news agency, reported 1,300 deaths inside the country, including 223 women and 202 children. The International Committee of the Red Cross corroborated the toll, noting widespread destruction in urban areas around Tehran and Isfahan.
Israel, a primary target of Iranian retaliation, reported three injuries from Sunday's missile barrages, which struck central regions including the Tel Aviv area. Magen David Adom, Israel's national emergency service, documented a large crater in a residential street and shrapnel damage to an apartment building, with 23 sites affected in total. The Israeli military attributed the dispersed impacts to Iran's use of cluster munitions, which scatter submunitions over wide areas and challenge interception efforts. Overall, 12 Israelis have been killed by Iranian fire since February 28, with dozens more wounded.
U.S. losses stand at 13 service members, including six who perished in a plane crash in Iraq last week amid heightened operational tempos. The conflict has also spilled into Lebanon, where Iran-backed Hezbollah has exchanged fire with Israeli forces. Lebanon's Health Ministry reports at least 820 deaths and 850,000 displacements since the escalation, exacerbating the country's fragile post-civil war recovery.
In Beirut, heavy rains compounded the misery for the displaced. Fadi Younes, a resident uprooted from the city's southern suburbs, described to The Associated Press how wind and water had soaked his family's makeshift tent in a downtown park. "We don’t know where this will end," Younes said, clutching a drenched blanket. "A person only truly feels at ease in their own home." Further south in Haret Hreik, excavator operator Hachem Fadlallah worked amid rubble-strewn streets, emphasizing the urgency of clearing paths. "The important thing is that the roads remain open for hospitals and for people," he told reporters.
Amid the chaos, glimmers of diplomacy persist. Araghchi indicated in his Al-Araby al-Jadeed interview that Iran is open to "any proposal that includes a complete end" to the war, noting ongoing mediation between Tehran and its Gulf neighbors. However, he provided no details on progress, and Iranian state media continued to broadcast defiant rhetoric. Gulf leaders, meeting virtually on Sunday, reiterated calls for de-escalation while bolstering defenses.
As the war disrupts air travel— with major carriers like Emirates and Qatar Airways canceling dozens of flights daily— and sends fuel prices soaring toward $100 per barrel, international pressure builds for a ceasefire. The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to convene an emergency session on Monday, where envoys from the U.S., Iran, and Arab states will outline paths forward. Yet with threats of widened attacks lingering, analysts warn that without swift intervention, the conflict risks drawing in more actors and destabilizing the global economy for months to come.