UAE adviser urges de-escalation as Iran denies Kharg attack and US-Iran tensions rise
UAE diplomatic adviser called for an end to regional escalation, Iran refuted claims of damage to its oil hub, and a Palestinian detainee was released amid heightened US-Iran confrontations.
United Arab Emirates presidential diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash urged an immediate halt to the regional escalation and a return to normal navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, saying a "state of neither war nor peace" cannot be sustained. He criticized the targeting of Gulf states and Jordan as ineffective and called for realistic, sustainable political solutions.
In the West Bank, 25-year-old Palestinian shepherd Thabet Masalem was released from administrative detention after nearly a month, following an appeal by his lawyer. Authorities had held him without trial on accusations of "violent friction incidents with settlers," a release that is considered unusual under Israeli military law.
Iran’s National Iranian Oil Company chief Hamid Bovard told Nournews that oil operations on Kharg Island continued unchanged, dismissing US President Donald Trump’s AI-generated video claiming the island had been bombed as "laughable" and stating conditions were "calm and appropriate." The island, which handles about 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports, is undergoing storage-tank and jetty upgrades.
The Revolutionary Guards reported that a supertanker struck two naval mines in the southern Strait of Hormuz and was forced to stop, warning that vessels violating its security rules would face similar action. The United States had earlier struck Iranian launchers on Larak Island, alleging preparation for mine deployment in the strait.
In response, Iran launched ballistic missiles at US bases in Jordan and the UAE’s Al Minhad Air Base, saying the attacks targeted locations where US forces were stationed and were retaliation for the Larak strike.
President Trump posted the AI video and later shared a clip of himself playing golf, while the White House and Defense Department did not comment. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran is not seeking war but will respond forcefully to any aggression, warning that further escalation could destabilise the region.