Iran has vehemently denied being responsible for launching ballistic missiles towards the neighboring United Arab Emirates, which it has described as “baseless” and saying such charges could hurt trust and security buttressing in the region.
In keeping with “the principle of good neighbourliness,” the UAE should refrain from what Tehran called “unfounded accusations,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry’s top official Esmail Baghaei. According to the ministry’s statement published on the Telegram channel, making such claims could hamper the efforts to boost trust and avert further escalation in the region.
The UAE on Tuesday said it spotted two ballistic missiles fired from Iran towards the UAE and provided the comments. UAE said that the first missile landed outside its territorial waters and the second outside its territorial waters.
The UAE subsequently froze trade and financial relationships with Iran until further notice, based on the allegation. It followed residents were given a short warning by phone, that they might see a missile threat.
Iran has refuted another accusation of the missile firings and asked regional nations to stop making “unfounded” claims. Baghaei also pointed out the responsibility of the U.S. and Israel for the region’s instability and mentioned the U.S. and Israel’s record of false-flag operations as Tehran put it.
Meanwhile, Iran has threatened to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut off until that reaches a peace treaty with the United States. The vital conduit is an important pathway for shipping from the port in UAE and the rest of the Gulf.
The flare-up follows tensions in the Middle East as a whole have spiked. Tankers belonging to UAE state-owned oil company ADNOC have reportedly been targeted in recent weeks, adding to concerns over regional shipping and energy security.