Iranian Army Targets US Base in UAE in Response to Larak Attack

By Al Mayadeen English

Iran says its forces struck the US military presence at Al Minhad in the UAE and downed an American MQ-9 drone in response to the US attack on Larack Island.

The Iranian Army said Monday that it had targeted the US military presence at Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates with suicide drones, describing the operation as a response to the US attack on Larak Island in southern Iran.

According to a statement issued by the Iranian Army’s Public Relations Department, the drones targeted positions used by US forces and helicopter units at the base, which serves as an important support and air-transport hub for foreign military forces.

The operation comes following US attacks on Iranian territory and a series of Iranian retaliatory operations against US military positions across the region.

Iranian army targets US base in UAE

The Iranian Army said its suicide drones struck positions housing helicopters and US troops at Al Minhad.

The base is considered an important center for military support and air transport for foreign forces operating in the region, giving the reported strike significance beyond the immediate military target.

Tehran presented the operation as a direct response to the US attack on Larak Island, where two people were martyred, and others were wounded, according to Iranian reports.

The Iranian response demonstrates that Tehran is seeking to extend the military consequences of attacks against its territory to the wider network of US military infrastructure in the region.

Rather than limiting its response to the immediate site of the US attack, Iran has demonstrated that US military facilities across the Gulf and neighboring countries can become part of its deterrence calculations.

IRGC downs US MQ-9 over Hormuz

Iranian forces also reported a separate success over the Strait of Hormuz. Mehr News Agency, citing a statement from the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that the IRGC had shot down a US MQ-9 drone over the strategic waterway.

According to the report, the drone was brought down using air-defense missiles before crashing into Gulf waters.

The reported interception is significant given the location of the incident. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most strategically important maritime passages, and Larak Island sits close to its narrowest point.

Iran expands response to US aggression

At dawn, the IRGC carried out a combined ballistic missile and drone operation targeting the US-operated King Hussein and Al-Azraq bases in Jordan in retaliation for the attacks on Larak Island.

The IRGC said the strikes caused "heavy damage" to the targeted facilities and warned that continued US "aggression and crime" would not resolve Washington’s inability to control the Strait of Hormuz.

The force further warned that every attack against Iran would receive a more severe response.

Taken together, the operations in Jordan and the UAE confirm Iran's strategy that aims to demonstrate that attacks on Iran will generate consequences for US military infrastructure across the region.

Larak Island’s strategic importance

Larak Island occupies a highly strategic position near the Strait of Hormuz. It lies at the narrowest point of the waterway and alongside the maritime routes used by commercial shipping, making it an important location for monitoring and surveillance.

Larak Island, alongside other islands and cities in southern Iran, was subjected to intensive attacks targeting vital facilities, ports, and maritime surveillance towers during a series of daily US attacks on Iran in July.

The latest attack therefore occurred against a backdrop of repeated military pressure on Iran’s southern territories and strategic infrastructure.