DOHA — On August 18 the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defense stated that its air defense systems detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran toward the UAE.
Two missiles were launched: one fell outside UAE territorial waters and the other inside, but neither struck land. The UAE Interior Ministry briefly issued a public alert that was later lifted, and Iran has made no immediate official comment on the launches.
Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates each issued official statements on August 18 condemning the August 17 drone attack on the office of Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and the residence of the director of the Security and Intelligence Agency in Erbil.
The Kurdistan Regional Government Counter-Terrorism Service attributed two Hadid-110 explosive-laden drones to Iranian territory, with no casualties reported. Iran rejected the attribution.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein held a phone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the Erbil incident, during which he condemned the attack as setting a serious precedent and requested clarification of Iran’s official position.
Araghchi expressed surprise and stated he had no information indicating the attacks originated from Iranian territory.
He said that he would issue an official statement clarifying the Iranian government’s position and reaffirmed opposition to any actions that could fuel escalation.
