Iran says had 'no pre-planned programme' to attack UAE: state TV

TEHRAN: Iran had “no pre-planned programme” to attack oil facilities in the United Arab Emirates, Iranian state TV said Monday, after the UAE blamed the Islamic republic for a drone strike at an energy installation in Fujairah.

Authorities in the emirate said the strike injured three Indian nationals who were taken to hospital. The UAE meanwhile said it had been targeted by a fresh Iranian barrage which it described as a “dangerous escalation”, amid a ceasefire in the Middle East war.

“The Islamic Republic had no pre-planned programme to attack the oil facilities in question, and what happened was the product of the US military’s adventurism to create a passage for ships to illegally pass through the forbidden passages of the Strait of Hormuz, and the US military must be held accountable for it,” an Iranian military official told state TV.

Also read: Three injured in strike targeting energy installation in UAE’s Fujairah: authorities

“US officials must end the ugly behaviour of using force in the diplomatic process and stop military adventurism in this sensitive oil region that affects the economies of all countries in the world.”

US President Donald Trump had announced on Sunday a plan to guide ships from neutral countries out of the Gulf, saying it was a humanitarian effort to help their stranded crews.

Iran’s navy fired “warning shots” at US warships in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, state media said, after the American military sent destroyers into the Gulf.

Trump said US forces had “shot down” seven small Iranian military boats. A US admiral earlier said six such vessels were destroyed, but Tehran denied any had been sunk.