Iran strikes critical UAE port and threatens to abduct US military staff after Trump targets Kharg Island
The action follows an attack by the US on Kharg Island.
Iran has launched a drone strike on a critical port in the United Arab Emirates amid threats from officials of kidnapping US troops.
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Plumes of black smoke were seen billowing into the skies above the port of Fujairah, which is one of the UAE's largest oil facilities.
Donald Trump said last night the US military carried out "one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East" following a strike on Kharg Island.
The island is around 16 miles off the mainland in the northern Persian Gulf and handles 90 per cent of the Islamic regime's fuel exports.
In response, Iran said any attack on its energy infrastructure will result in retaliatory strikes on regional facilities owned by oil companies with US shares or that cooperate with America, according to Iranian state media.
The report cited Tehran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military command headquarters.
Manouchehr MottakiI, an Iranian MP, has also reportedly threatened US troops with capture if they attempt to seize the crucial oil hub.
"If they dare to commit such an act and sit on a part of our soil, why shouldn't we go to a part of their soil - which now exists in the form of their regional bases - carry out a helicopter landing there, and capture their forces?" he was quoted by Iran International as saying.
Iranian media also reports that no damage came from the strikes, after Trump claimed the US attacks “obliterated” military targets on the island.
However, the US president confirmed the military chose not to target oil infrastructure.
Read more: Rachel Reeves drawing up plans to help with energy costs as Iran war continues
He wrote on Truth Social on Friday: "Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island.
"Our Weapons are the most powerful and sophisticated that the World has ever known but, for reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island.
"However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision.”
Iran has put the key shipping route in a stranglehold since the war began, causing global oil and gas prices to soar to record levels.
US forces have been looking for a way to respond and had been weighing up seizing Kharg Island over the past few days.
If access to the island is cut off, it would seriously cripple the economy of the Islamic Republic.
Shortly before posting about the latest US strikes, Mr Trump spoke to reporters as he was boarding Air Force One.
He said the war with Iran would carry on "as long as necessary" and would end "once they've been decimated".
The president had previously claimed the war would end if Iran would offer their "unconditional surrender".
Asked what that meant, he said: "It means, very simply, that we are in a position of dominance that nobody's ever seen before."Whether or not they're able to say the words."