UAE condemns drone attack on Bahrain
The diplomatic track between Washington and Tehran faced a severe test over the past 24 hours following an exchange of strikes since both sides signed a memorandum of understanding. This marked the first exchange of fire since the memorandum was signed on June 17, yet despite the escalation both sides maintained an understanding that kept the strikes limited, allowing the memorandum to hold.
After a commercial vessel was targeted in the Strait of Hormuz in an apparent attempt to disrupt the third passage route established by the Sultanate of Oman for shipping, Washington immediately responded with air strikes targeting missile sites, drone installations, and coastal radar systems.
US President Donald Trump described the Iranian attack as a foolish breach of the ceasefire, stressing that any threat to navigation in the Strait of Hormuz would not go unanswered.
Vice President JD Vance said that violence would be met with violence. According to the American side, the strike did not constitute a resumption of war, but any attempt to negotiate through force would be met with force.
Under the pretext of responding to the American strike, Iran launched a drone assault on Bahrain, which the Kingdom described as a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and a blatant threat to the security of its citizens and residents. The aggression was met with regional and international condemnation: the UAE condemned the attacks and what they represented as a flagrant violation of Bahrain's sovereignty, while Kuwait, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Syria also condemned the assault.