UAE On High Alert After Alleged Missile Detection, Iran Calls It ‘Baseless Accusations’

Dubai: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Defence on Tuesday claimed that the air defence systems had detected two ballistic missiles fired from Iran towards the country, with both projectiles landing in the sea. According to the ministry, the first missile came down outside the UAE’s territorial waters, while the second landed within them, adding that there were no reports of damage or casualties.

The incident was announced as regional tensions rose again following the expiry on Monday of a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in June. Notably, the MoU had opened channels for technical talks to ease the West Asia conflict.

In a statement posted on X, the UAE Ministry of Defence confirmed the detection and interception context. "The UAE Ministry of Defence announced that the UAE's air defence systems detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran towards the country. The first fell outside the country's territorial waters, while the second fell within its territorial waters," the UAE government wrote.

The government, in the post, stated that the armed forces remained on a high state of readiness, saying, “The Ministry of Defence affirms that it remains on high alert and fully prepared to address any threats, and to respond firmly to any attempt aiming to undermine the security of the UAE, in a manner that safeguards its sovereignty, security and stability, and protects its interests and national capabilities.”

The UAE administration also appealed to the public to rely only on official sources and said, "The public is urged to obtain all information from official authorities in the country and to avoid rumours and misinformation."

Iran Rejects Allegations

On the other hand, Iran pushed back against Abu Dhabi’s account, with Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei saying that the claim was unfounded and damaging to regional trust. Baghaei completely rejected the UAE's claim and expressed regret over the accusations against the Islamic Republic of Iran, according to a statement issued by the Iranian Foreign Ministry through the official Telegram channel.

"This behaviour is contrary to the principle of good neighbourliness and disrupts ongoing efforts to strengthen trust between regional countries and prevent the escalation of insecurity in the region," Baghaei said.

He called on Gulf states to avoid what he termed baseless accusations. "The Foreign Ministry spokesman called on all regional parties to refrain from making baseless accusations against the Islamic Republic of Iran, considering the existing complexities due to the ongoing evils of the US and the Zionist regime against regional peace and security, especially the history of numerous false flag operations," he said.

Backdrop Of Rising Gulf Tensions

The event occurred at a fragile moment in the Gulf, when Iran has been expanding military activity toward US-aligned states, and diplomacy has stalled since the June MoU lapsed. The agreement was intended to facilitate technical discussions to de-escalate the West Asia conflict, but with its expiry on Monday, both Tehran and Washington remain at odds over security commitments.

Meanwhile, the UAE reiterated that the country's defence posture would not change, saying that the security forces were prepared to respond to any attempt to compromise national security and sovereignty.