UAE says two missiles detected earlier were launched from Iran

• The UAE defence ministry detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran targeting maritime traffic, both landing in the sea without causing damage.
• Iran denied involvement, calling the UAE's claims "baseless," amid rising tensions after failed US-Iran peace talks.
• The UAE assured public safety and readiness to confront threats, following recent accusations against Iran for attacks on its vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

CAIRO - The United Arab Emirates’ defence ministry said on Aug 18 that it had detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran, the first such incident reported since a May 4 strike on the Fujairah port.

The defence ministry said in a statement later that the missiles were targeting “maritime traffic” based on its assessments. Both missiles fell into the sea, it added.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei rejected early on Aug 19 the statement by the UAE, describing it as “baseless”.

The missile launch comes as a 60-day window for US-Iranian peace talks expired on Aug 17 without a breakthrough, raising fears of a new escalation in the conflict that has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz since February.

“The defence ministry affirms its full readiness to deal with any threats and firmly confront anything that aims to destabilize the state’s security,” it said in a statement.

The UAE’s interior ministry sent a phone alert earlier on Aug 18 to residents stating that the situation was safe and people should resume normal activities after an earlier alert warning of a missile threat. The UAE had accused Iran recently of attacking its state-owned ADNOC vessels while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has not claimed responsibility for the attacks on ADNOC vessels. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have previously ​threatened action against vessels transiting the strait if they are linked to Tehran’s adversaries ​or fail to comply with Iranian directives. REUTERS