Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has claimed that the U.S. strikes targeting Kharg Island also included another island in the Persian Gulf, Abu Musa.
The U.S. military struck Kharg Island late Friday, in what President Donald Trump called “one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East.” The strikes “totally obliterated” the military targets on the island, viewed as Iran’s oil lifeline, but left its oil infrastructure untouched, Trump said.
Speaking with MS Now a day after, Araghchi included Abu Musa when discussing the strikes. He said the United States attacked both Abu Musa and Kharg from two locations in the United Arab Emirates, specifically Ras al Khaimah and a place “very close to Dubai.”
Trump’s statement announcing the strikes notably makes no mention of Abu Musa. U.S. Central Command’s video of the operation shortly after also only mentions Kharg, saying they struck 90 Iranian military targets on the island.
Abu Musa is a tiny island located in the eastern Persian Gulf, hundreds of miles away from Kharg. Iran maintains a military presence there, but its sovereignty is disputed by the UAE. According to the Associated Press, it is a flashpoint in tensions between Iran and the Gulf countries.
The Kharg strike is now threatening to inflame those even more.
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After urging UAE residents to evacuate ports, docks, and U.S. military bases, Iran launched a barrage of missiles and drones at the country.
The UAE said it intercepted nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones, while some debris from one of those interceptions caused a fire at a major port in Fujairah.
