Iran’s warnings on Saturday spread across the United Arab Emirates amid a widening conflict as the war entered its third week, with Tehran urging residents to leave areas tied to U.S. forces and threatening action against U.S.-linked assets. The Iranian foreign ministry also publicly described how and from where it said U.S. strikes were launched, as U.S. and allied efforts focused on keeping regional shipping flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran told people to evacuate Dubai’s Jebel Ali port and the nearby Khalifa port in Abu Dhabi, as well as a third port in Fujairah, alleging that U.S. forces were using Emirati sites to stage attacks. Tehran said the United States had used “ports, docks and hideouts” in the UAE to launch strikes on Kharg Island, which hosts the main terminal for Iran’s oil exports, and it urged residents to move away from locations it said were being used by U.S. troops.
U.S. Central Command said it had “no response” to Iran’s claim that it used UAE locations to launch strikes. Hours later, reporting found no sign of attacks on Jebel Ali or the Khalifa port, but it did find a fire in Fujairah after debris from an intercepted Iranian drone hit an oil facility and set off the blaze.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, told MS NOW that the U.S. attacked Kharg Island and Abu Musa Island from two UAE locations, Ras Al-Khaimah and a place “very close to Dubai.” Araghchi said the claims were dangerous and added that Iran “will try to be careful not to attack any populated area” there. In the same reporting, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE’s president, Anwar Gargash, said on social media that the UAE has the right to defend itself while “still prioritizes reason and logic, and continues exercising restraint.”
Iran has previously fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Arab Gulf neighbors in the war, and it has said it was targeting U.S. assets even as hits or attempts were reported on civilian sites such as airports and oil fields. On Saturday, Iran’s joint military command reiterated a threat to attack U.S.-linked “oil, economic and energy infrastructures” in the region if Iran’s oil infrastructure is hit, according to the reporting.
Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency said Kharg Island strikes caused no damage to oil infrastructure and described the targets as an air defense facility, a naval base, an airport control tower, and a helicopter hangar tied to an offshore oil company. U.S. Central Command said it destroyed naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers and other military sites, describing the U.S. response to earlier attacks.
The warning also intersected with public messaging by U.S. President Donald Trump about the war’s focus, as global anxiety rose over oil prices and supply. Trump said Saturday he hoped countries including China, France, Japan, South Korea, the U.K. and others would send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz “open and safe.” Britain said it was discussing with allies a “range of options” to secure shipping, and Trump had earlier said the country “obliterated” military sites on Kharg Island.
Araghchi later urged neighbors to “expel foreign aggressors” and described Trump’s call as “begging,” while stating that the strait was closed only to “those who are attacking us and their allies.” At the same time, Iran’s parliamentary speaker said strikes on the country’s oil infrastructure would provoke a new level of retaliation.
The conflict also continued to affect U.S. diplomatic facilities. A missile struck a helipad inside the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on Saturday, and no one immediately claimed responsibility. The State Department again warned U.S. citizens in Iraq to leave “now,” citing that commercial flights were not available and adding that Iran and Iran-aligned militia groups “may continue to target” U.S. citizens, interests and infrastructure.
In Lebanon, the humanitarian crisis deepened as Israel launched waves of strikes against Hezbollah militants backed by Iran, with reporting describing more than 800 people killed and 850,000 displaced. The U.S. also announced new steps to reinforce its military posture in the region, with a U.S. official saying 2,500 more Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli were being sent to the Middle East, a move the Wall Street Journal had reported earlier.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans, and the report noted that Marine Expeditionary Units can conduct amphibious landings but also support embassy security, evacuations, and disaster relief. The Tripoli was spotted by commercial satellites near Taiwan, more than a week away from waters off Iran. Earlier in the week, the Navy had 12 ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, in the Arabian Sea.
U.S. officials also identified six service members who died in a military aircraft crash in western Iraq. The Department of Defense said the refueling aircraft supporting operations against Iran crashed on Thursday and identified Maj. John A. Klinner, 33; Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31; Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34; Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38; Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28. Central Command said the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace,” and said the other plane landed safely.