Over the weekend, Iran launched large-scale airstrikes against US military bases in multiple countries in the Middle East and warned other nations against taking any actions that could exacerbate the conflict. US President Trump had previously urged other countries to send troops to maintain security in the Strait of Hormuz and threatened to attack Iran’s Kharg Island again. The Israeli military stated that its operations against Iran would continue for at least another three weeks.
On Saturday (March 14) and Sunday (March 15), Iran launched several waves of attacks in succession, targeting US military bases in the Middle East countries including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq.
According to Iranian media reports, the targets of attacks by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps include the US military fighter jet equipment base in Khairki in Saudi Arabia, the US military’s Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, the Harir Air Base in Erbil, Iraq, the Ali Salem Air Base in Kuwait, and the Arifjan Military Base. The reports also state that Iran will continue to expand its powerful strikes against the United States and Israel.
During a phone call with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged other countries not to take any actions that could lead to the escalation and expansion of conflicts.
He also emphasized that Iran’s airstrikes were targeted at “invaders” and aimed to “defend Iran’s sovereignty, dignity, and territorial integrity”, and should not be seen as attacks on other Middle Eastern countries.
In an interview published on the same day in “The New Arab”, Alaghchi stated that Iran has ample evidence to prove that US military bases in the Middle East are being used to attack Iran, and the missiles that recently hit Kharg Island were launched from the United Arab Emirates.
He also stated that Iran’s attacks on its Persian Gulf neighbors were limited to US military targets, and expressed willingness to establish a committee with neighboring countries to investigate whether any non-US targets had been hit.
“The war will only end when we are certain that it will not recur and the compensation is paid,” said Mr Araghchi. Iran was open to any regional initiative that could bring about a just end to the war, he said, but there were no concrete proposals yet.
The day before, Alaqchi stated that the US security umbrella in the Middle East has proven to be riddled with loopholes. He wrote on the social media platform X: “The US is pleading with other countries, even China, to assist it in maintaining security in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran urges its neighboring fraternal countries to expel foreign aggressors, especially since they only care about Israel.”
