As UAE Vows Punishment For Houthi Attack, US Reiterates Support

Zeifollah al-Shami told the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) affiliated Tasnim news agency in an interview after Monday's attack that the most important message of the Houthis operation was telling the United Arab Emirates that there would be retaliation if the UAE continued to attack Houthi forces.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels Monday targeted a key oil facility in Abu Dhabi and the UAE capital's international airport with explosive-laden drones launched from Sana'a airport, the Saudi-led Coalition that backs Yemen's internationally recognized government said Monday.

The Houthi drone strike coming amid indirect talks between the United States and Iran to revive the 2015 nuclear talks might add another negative factor in to the complicated process. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Israel say that Iran’s support for militant groups is a serious threat to regional stability and an agreement with Iran should also tackle this issue in addition to Tehran’s nuclear program.

The UAE also hosts the US Navy and other forces. The Houthi threat could also be seen as a threat against the presence of the US military.

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According to the Abu Dhabi police, three fuel tanker trucks exploded in the industrial Musaffah area near oil storage facilities firm Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, adding that a separate "minor" fire broke out at a construction site of the emirate’s main airport. Houthis’ military spokesman claimed responsibility for the two incidents and said they had launched a military operation "deep in the UAE" and would announce details in coming hours.

"The attack by the [Houthi] Yemeni armed forces against the UAE was part of a legal and legitimate response that was carried out in retaliation for the escalation of war by the UAE and its continuous military actions against the people of Yemen," he told Tasnim.

In its report on today's attack, another IRGC-affiliated news agency, Fars, said it was the Houthis' "concrete warning to Abu Dhabi for continuing its aggression in Yemen despite [earlier] warnings."

The attacks on Abud Dhabi Monday involved 20 drones and 10 ballistic missiles, Fars said in a report entitled "The Reason for the Yemeni Attack on Abu Dhabi Today", while calling it the "biggest strike on the UAE in the country's 50-year history."

The UAE has substantially reduced its involvement in Yemen and the Houthi claim os Emirati aggression seems overblown.

Iran-backed Houthi group conducts regular cross-border missile and drone attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia and the Saudi-led coalition has retaliated with air strikes inside Yemen. Houthi claims of attacks inside the UAE, however, have been rare and mostly denied by Abu Dhabi.

Earlier this month the Houthis hijacked a UAE-flagged cargo vessel heading to the Saudi port of Jizan, just north of Yemen. The Houthis claimed the vessel was a “military cargo ship” carrying equipment into Yemen’s territorial waters to engage in “hostile acts”.

In 2019 the UAE, a member of the Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting Iran-backed Houthi forces for over seven years, scaled down its military presence in Yemen amid heightened regional tensions with Iran.

Iran and Saudi Arabia held talks last year with Iraqi mediation to mend their broken diplomatic relations. Iran and the UAE have also been moving toward a reproachment recently after years of tensions in their relations.

Mahmoud-Reza Sajjadi said in an interview with IRNA on Monday that Russia can be a good source to import services and commodities that are difficult to procure from other countries due to Washington’s sanctions regime.

Iran and Russia are reportedly mulling the idea of linking their banking networks and doing their transactions in their local currencies to reduce their dependence on the US dollar.

Sajjadi added that Iran’s relations with Russia is not limited to trade and agriculture, saying that the two countries have a history of successful military cooperation, particularly in Syria.

He described Russia as an important strategic partner and said the proposed 20-year agreement with Moscow has a lot of security and political benefits for Iran.

His remarks came as many Iranians have been expressing resentment over the proposed deal with Russia, saying it is a sell-out, although Iran has not revealed any details about the possible agreement.

Upon an invitation by Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Ebrahim Raisi will pay an official state visit to Russia in a few days, but Iranian officials say signing the 20-year roadmap is not on the agenda of his visit asRussia has so far held back from finalizing the deal.

Iraqi media published photos and videos of Brigadier General Esmail Ghaani (Qaani) Sunday night as he was visiting the Wadi al-Salaam cemetery in the city of Najaf.

In the footage he was shown paying homage at the shrine of Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr (father of Muqtada al-Sadr), and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Forces who was killed alongside Ghaani’s predecessor Qasem Soleimani in a US air strike in January 2020.

Ghaani is reportedly set to meet with Iraqi politicians, trying to resolve the differences among Shiite groupings in the next Iraqi government.

Earlier in January, Iraq's parliament finally held its inaugural session that descended into a furious chaos, in which one MP was hospitalized.

One of parliament's first tasks is electing the country's president, who will then name a prime minister tasked with forming a new government.

The movement of Moqtada Sadr – who is against Iran’s presence in Iraq -- won the majority with 73 out of the assembly's 329 seats, but pro-Iran groups claim they can muster the backing of 88 lawmakers to make a bigger coalition.

Iran’s interference in Iraqi affairs led to large protests in 2019 that lasted for months.

The Saudi-led Coalition said in a statement on Monday that the drones were launched from Sana'a airport in Yemen after Iran-backed Houthi militia claimed responsibility for the assault.

Al Mayadin television close to Iran said that Houthis had fired 20 drones and ten ballistic missiles at the target, but there is no independent confirmation.

According to the Abu Dhabi police, three fuel tanker trucks exploded in the industrial Musaffah area near oil storage facilities firm Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, adding that separate "minor" fire broke out at a construction site of the emirate’s main airport.

"Initial investigations found parts of a small plane that could possibly be a drone at both sites that could have caused the explosion and the fire," the police statement said, adding that there was no "significant damage" from the attack and a full investigation has been launched.

Houthis’ military spokesman said they launched a military operation "deep in the UAE" and would announce details in coming hours.

Iran-backed Houthi group conducts regular cross-border missile and drone attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia but claims of attacks inside the UAE have been rare and mostly denied by Abu Dhabi, which largely scaled down its military presence in Yemen in 2019 amid a stalemate and heightened regional tensions with Iran.

A report by state media said the diplomats arrived several days ago, marking the first time that Saudi Arabia is receiving diplomats from Iran since 2016, when Riyadh severed relations with Tehran after Iranian hardliners attacked and ransacked its diplomatic missions in Iran.

Iran has taken the development as a positive sign for improving ties and a possible exchange of diplomats. Jeddah is the permanent venue of the 57-member organization.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that Iran is focusing for now on reopening its offices in OIC with three diplomats. Iran has long said it's ready to reopen its embassy in Riyadh.

In recent months, neighboring Iraq has hosted talks between the two countries aimed at normalizing ties. Although Tehran in recent days has been claiming that new talks will take place, Riyadh has been silent on the issue, saying previous talks in 2021 remained explaratory.

Saudi Arabia is also concerned about Iran's nuclear and ballistic missiles programs. Iran says the nuclear program has peaceful purposes and its missile program is merely defensive.