"Iran had warned prior to the war that any attack on its soil would trigger retaliation not just against Israel, but against U.S. bases across the Gulf and in Iraq. In the opening hours of the war, Iran launched waves of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar."
"Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and other officials have insisted that Iran is not at war with the region - only targeting Israel and U.S. military bases. But Iranian drones and missiles have struck numerous civilian targets across the Gulf, including tourist areas of Dubai."
"Iran has also moved to strangle commercial shipping in the Gulf, closing the Strait of Hormuz and vowing to set fire to any ship that attempts to pass through."
Following a brief ceasefire in October after two years of regional conflict, a major escalation has erupted across the Middle East. Iran launched ballistic missiles and drones at Israel, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Iraq's Kurdish region in response to attacks on its soil. Pro-Iranian militias attacked U.S. bases in Iraq, and Iran expanded strikes to Saudi Arabia and Oman on the second day. Despite Iranian officials claiming they are not at war with the region but only targeting Israel and U.S. military bases, Iranian strikes have hit numerous civilian targets including Dubai's tourist areas. This discrepancy between stated positions and actions is prompting regional countries to consider direct retaliation against Iran. Additionally, Iran has moved to block commercial shipping by closing the Strait of Hormuz.
#middle-east-escalation #iran-military-strikes #regional-conflict-expansion #us-military-involvement #strait-of-hormuz-blockade
Read at Axios
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]