An Iranian analyst on the country’s state TV has given a big warning to Donald Trump, warning that Tehran’s army could attack the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Iranian analyst Morteza Simiari warned that “all major financial, trade and banking centers of the UAE” could be targeted in response to the UAE’s cooperation with the United States.
He said, “Iran’s armed forces are fully prepared and if America makes any mistake in the region, they can launch a campaign to capture the coastline of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. For this they have conducted extensive exercises.” The TV presenter then asked about “the coast” and the analyst replied: “Coastal invasion of the UAE and Bahrain has been part of the exercises and plans of our armed forces. In the past few days, there have been false reports that Iranian (financial) assets have been seized in the UAE. The aim is to put pressure on the Iranians and carry out psychological warfare.
“If the authorities in the UAE make such a serious mistake… remember when our bank SEPA was attacked, and then American Citibank in Dubai was targeted? In this case, all the main financial, trade and banking-related centers in the UAE would be targeted.
“We are taking the UAE authorities very seriously because of their ongoing cooperation with the United States.”
Iran has rejected a US proposal aimed at ending the current war, Iranian state broadcaster Press TV quoted a “senior political-security official” as saying.
However, the broadcaster has not disclosed the name, position and title of the officer. The report further said: “Iran will end the war when it decides to do so and when its own conditions are met.”
More than 1,500 people have been killed in Iran in the US-Israeli strikes, according to the country’s health ministry. Israel, for its part, reports 20 deaths since the conflict began, including two soldiers killed in Lebanon.
The United States has lost at least 13 military personnel, and more than a dozen civilians have been killed in the occupied West Bank and several Gulf Arab states.
Israeli strikes targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon have resulted in approximately 1,100 deaths. Meanwhile in Iraq – where Iran-aligned armed groups have also joined the fighting – 80 members of security forces have been killed, according to senior security adviser Khalid al-Yakoubi.
