DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United Arab Emirates\u2019 air force intercepted an Iranian drone over its territorial waters Monday, the Defense Ministry said, an attack that comes after the United States and Iran exchanged fire on the weekend, the first significant military action in a month.<\/p>\n
During the lull in fighting, the U.S. has been ratcheting up economic pressure on Iran with the hope of forcing concessions out of Tehran, including reopening the vital Strait of Hormuz to shipping. <\/p>\n
After the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, Iran established a chokehold on the strait, though which a fifth of the world’s traded oil passed in peacetime, slowing ship traffic to a trickle. As the fighting resumed, the price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, climbed above $90<\/a>, up about 25% from the start of the war, presenting a growing problem for U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of the midterm elections. <\/p>\n In a short statement, the Defense Ministry said it \u201cdealt with\u201d an Iranian drone that was detected over its waters approaching from Iran. There were no reports of damage. <\/p>\n The UAE Defense Ministry later issued a second statement denying a claim by the Iranian army that the Al Minhad Air Base in Dubai had been targeted, saying it was false. <\/p>\n The incident came after U.S. forces on Sunday struck Iranian rocket launchers on an Iranian island, breaking a lull in fighting in the war that has lasted more than six months.<\/p>\n Iran responded by launching missiles at U.S. sites in Jordan, which were intercepted.<\/p>\n Early Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said that Iran would \u201cnot hesitate to exercise the inherent right of legitimate defense and will respond decisively to any military aggression.\u201d<\/p>\n Before heading to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s<\/a> summit in Kyrgyzstan with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who has favored a negotiated end to the conflict, stressed that Iran was not seeking war. <\/p>\n \u201cBut,\u201d he said, \u201cwe will respond decisively to aggressors.\u201d<\/p>\n The summit brings together a group billed as a counterweight to U.S. global influence, and includes Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pezeshkian was scheduled to meet with Putin on the sidelines on Tuesday. <\/p>\n Meantime, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was set to host meetings<\/a> of the Group of 20 finance ministers in North Carolina on Monday and Tuesday, which come as Washington pressures other countries to help the U.S. economically isolate Iran<\/a>. <\/p>\n The shifting strategy centers on threats to punish any country or entity that continues to conduct business with Tehran<\/a>.<\/p>\n Trump stressed last week that he is \u201cnot in a hurry\u201d<\/a> to get Iran back to the negotiating table<\/a>, and he continues making the case that the Islamic Republic\u2019s leadership is on the ropes<\/a>. <\/p>\n