Recent developments not to affect UAE citizens, residents and visitors

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said it was closely following regional developments, and reaffirmed the importance of de-escalating current tensions.

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In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Ministry stressed the importance of dialogue and political solutions in the current situation.

It also confirmed that recent developments will not affect citizens, residents, or visitors to the UAE.

UAE officials discuss the issue at an event. File photo

The Ministry said that all sectors across the country continue to operate as normal.

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday Iranian missile strikes on bases in Iraq had not harmed any US troops stationed there and damage was minimal, an outcome he said showed Tehran wanted to prevent an escalation into conflict.

Iranian forces fired missiles at military bases housing US troops in Iraq early on Wednesday, saying it was in retaliation for the killing in a US drone strike of powerful Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 3.

“All of our soldiers are safe and only minimal damage was sustained at our military bases,” Trump said.

“Iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned and a very good thing for the world.”

There was no immediate reaction from Iranian officials to Trump’s comments.

The semi-official Fars news agency described the US president’s remarks as a “big retreat from threats.”

An airport official stamps a passport at the Dubai International Airport. File photo

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who earlier on Wednesday addressed a gathering of Iranians chanting “Death to America,” said Iran’s attacks were a “slap on the face” of the United States and said US troops should leave the region.

Khamenei, in his speech on Wednesday, ruled out any resumption of talks with Washington on the 2015 nuclear pact.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had said the strikes “concluded” Tehran’s response to the killing of Soleimani.

“We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression,” he wrote on Twitter.

Trump’s reaction in the immediate aftermath of Wednesday’s attacks had been to say on Twitter that “All is well!” and that Washington was assessing damage.

That early tweet and the comment by Iran’s foreign minister had acted to soothe some initial concerns about a wider war and calmed jittery financial markets. Oil prices slipped back after an early spike.

US and European government sources said they believed Iran had deliberately sought to avoid US military casualties in its missile strikes to prevent an escalation.

But an Iranian army spokesman had denied “foreign media reports” suggesting there had been some kind of coordination between Iran and the United States before the attack to allow bases to be evacuated, Fars news agency said.

Iranian state television said Iran had fired 15 ballistic missiles from its territory at US targets in its neighbour Iraq early on Wednesday.

The Pentagon said Al Asad air base and another facility in Erbil in Iraq were struck.

Iranian television had said 80 “American terrorists” had been killed, without saying how it obtained this information.

After the Iranian missile attack, state television showed footage of the burial of Soleimani, with hundreds of people chanting “God is greatest” when the strikes were announced over loudspeakers.

“His revenge was taken and now he can rest in peace,” Iranian television said.

Germany, Denmark, Norway and Poland said none of their troops in Iraq were hurt.

Britain, which also has personnel in Iraq, condemned the Iranian action. Iraq said its forces did not suffer casualties.

Iranian television reported an official in the supreme leader’s office as saying the missile attacks were the “weakest” of several retaliation scenarios. It quoted another source saying Iran had lined up 100 other potential targets.

State media showed footage of what it said were Iran’s missiles being fired into the night sky.

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi received word from Iran that its response to the US killing of its top general was either imminent or under way, his spokesman said on Wednesday.

“Shortly after midnight on Wednesday we received a verbal message from the Islamic Republic of Iran that the Iranian response to the assassination of the martyr Qassem Soleimani had started or was about to start,” his spokesman said.

Tehran told Abdul Mahdi it would only target locations where US forces were present but did not specify the locations, the spokesman said in a statement.

A lack of US casualties could give Trump an opening to de-escalate the mounting tensions with Iran and pull the nation back from the brink of war. Trump, who is facing reelection at the end of the year, campaigned for president on a promise to keep the United States from engaging in “endless war.”

Agencies