Iran’s army said on Monday morning that it carried out a drone attack on Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, targeting locations where US forces and helicopters were stationed.

Iran described the attack as retaliation for a US strike on Larak Island, where US forces targeted two Iranian launchers after members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were observed preparing to lay sea mines. Tehran reported that the strike killed Iranian soldiers and civilians.

The UAE did not immediately comment on Iran’s claim. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also confirmed ballistic missile attacks on the King Hussein and Al Azraq US bases in Jordan in response to the strike on Larak.

The escalation has also deepened the maritime crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards reported that two naval mines struck a supertanker attempting to pass illegally through the southern part of the waterway. The vessel caught fire and was brought to a complete halt.

The Guards stressed that compliance with their regulations for passage through the strait was mandatory and warned that other ships violating their security rules would face the same fate.

(Reuters, max)