As Iran warns the UAE of an imminent attack on US bases in the Gulf state, US President Donald Trump on Saturday called for help from countries affected by the closure of the oil chokepoint, the Strait of Hormuz.
An Iranian military spokesperson on Saturday afternoon announced: “The citizens of the United Arab Emirates should immediately leave ports, docking areas, and locations where US military personnel are present”.
The notice called on people to immediately evacuate areas surrounding Jebel Ali Port, Khalifa Port, and Fujairah Port, according to Fars news agency. The notice claimed the locations had become legitimate targets due to the presence of US military forces inside civilian areas. It said the ports would be targeted in the “coming hours”.
Later, the Israeli army confirmed it had detected a new barrage of missiles launched from Iran. The escalation follows Trump’s earlier announcement of the deployment of an additional 2,500 Marines to the Gulf, bringing the number of US military personnel to more than 50,000. Trump said that countries affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Strait of Hormuz would send warships in conjunction with the US to keep the strait “open and safe.”
In a statement on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump urged China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the UK to send warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
“In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water,” he added, Trump claimed that the US has destroyed “100% of Iran’s military capability, but it’s easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close range missile somewhere along, or in, this Waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are.”
He also pushed back against reports claiming that five US refueling aircraft were struck and rendered unusable in an attack at an airport in Saudi Arabia, calling it “fake news.”
“Four of the five had virtually no damage and are already back in service,” he stated.
Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz since March 1, following the launch of joint attacks by Israel and the US against Iran on Feb. 28, which have so far killed more than 1,200 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Hostilities have since escalated.
Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets, resulting in casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.
