Iran’s army has claimed it launched a drone attack targeting a US military installation at Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates. Iranian news agencies, citing an army public relations statement, reported that numerous drones had been launched at the base since before dawn. The statement said locations where US troops and helicopters were deployed were among the targets.

Iran said the operation was retaliation for what it described as a US attack on Larak Island. Tehran claimed that members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and civilians were killed in that attack. The army statement said the strike on Al Minhad was intended to avenge the deaths of the IRGC members and civilians on Larak Island.

The claimed attack comes amid heightened military tensions between Iran and the United States following the reported US attack on Larak Island. Iran had earlier claimed to have attacked a US military base in Jordan. The successive Iranian claims of retaliatory strikes coincide with intense tensions involving the Strait of Hormuz, raising concerns that conflict in the Middle East could widen.