US to respond to Iranian attacks on forces in Middle East: Trump

Washington
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the US would retaliate against Iran following missile and drone attacks on American forces in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“We’re going to hit them hard. There will be a response,” Trump told Fox News.
He noted that US air defence systems intercepted most of the incoming fire. One missile was identified as “not going to hit anything significant,” and US forces allowed it to pass through the airspace, Trump said.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said early Monday it had struck the King Hussein and Azraq airbases in Jordan with ballistic missiles while also targeting Al Minhad Air Base in the UAE with explosive drones.
The IRGC said the operation was retaliation for a US strike on Larak Island on Sunday, which reportedly aimed to stop the placement of sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil transit point.
Trump also expressed scepticism regarding a diplomatic breakthrough, noting that while Tehran sought a meeting, current US sanctions were “kicking in strongly.”
Trump calls for war crimes trial of Iranian leadership over alleged protesters’ deaths
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the Iranian leadership should face trial for crimes against humanity following allegations that it had killed over 100,000 protesters.
“They must be tried for war crimes against humanity,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
He characterised Iran as “officially a failed nation” with a leadership in “total disarray.”
“They have no Navy, they have no Air Force, they have no currency,” the US president claimed.
“It is dead,” he said, noting that the only assets remaining for Tehran were “fake news” from the US and a “willingness to kill their protesters,” alleging a death toll of 100,000 demonstrators.
There had been no independent confirmation of the alleged 100,000 deaths.
UAE reserves ‘right to respond’ to Iranian drone attack, calls it a ‘dangerous escalation’
The United Arab Emirates condemned an Iranian drone attack on Monday as a “dangerous escalation” and a flagrant violation of its sovereignty.
The UAE reserves the right to respond, its foreign ministry said on Monday.
The military’s air defences intercepted the Iranian drone over UAE territorial waters, the foreign ministry added.
Earlier, the UAE defence ministry said its air force engaged a drone over its territorial waters that had come from Iran
It did not provide further details on the drone, including whether it was shot down or its intended target.
Iranian state TV reported that its army had attacked the United Arab Emirates’ Al Minhad Air Base in response to US strikes on Larak Island.
“Since early this morning, the Islamic Republic of Iran Army has targeted locations housing US military helicopters and personnel at Al Minhad base in the UAE with dozens of explosive drones,” the army said, according to Iranian news agencies.
It described Al Minhad as an important logistics and air transport hub for foreign forces and vowed further retaliation against US troops.
The army said the attack was carried out in retaliation for the killing of members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and civilians in Sunday’s US strike on Iran’s Larak Island.
Jordan says it intercepted 8 missiles that breached its airspace as IRGC says it struck US bases
Jordan’s army said early on Monday that it had intercepted eight missiles that breached the country’s airspace.
The missiles were destroyed before posing any threat to civilians or property, the army said in a statement.
Earlier, Iran’s IRGC said it had struck the King Hussein and Azraq US airbases in Jordan with ballistic missiles in retaliation for a US attack on Iran’s Larak Island.
The IRGC said the attack involved missiles and drones targeting infrastructure and areas where fighter jets were stationed, claiming “heavy damage.”