The Independent World
· collected 2026-08-19 · by Shweta Sharma and Alex Croft
Iran has threatened to target any Gulf states assist the US in the conflict, after the United Arab Emirates accused Tehran of launching two ballistic missiles in the first such incident since May.
uncertain
Emirates → threaten → May
“Nothing is hidden from our eyes”, Iran’s army chief Ali Abdollahi said, adding: “We warn: Any assistance and facilitation to the aggressive US army is tantamount to participation with the US military forces.”
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assistance → hide → forces
The UAE defense ministry said the missiles targeted "maritime traffic" based on its assessments.
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missiles → say → assessments
Both missiles fell into the sea, it said.
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it → fall → sea
Meanwhile, Iranian regime insiders told Financial Times that Tehran could target US military assets in Europe.
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Tehran → tell → Europe
Tehran has considered strikes on US targets in south-eastern Europe, including Bulgaria, which last month approved the use of its Bezmer air base by US refuelling aircraft, the two insiders said.
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insiders → consider → aircraft
Cyprus has also been identified as a potential target, one of the insiders said.
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one → identify → insiders
A British air base on the island was struck by a drone in March.
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base → strike → March
It came as Trump said there were “no talks or conversation” going on or scheduled with Iran.
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Trump → come → Iran
Calling Hormuz as “New US territory” he shared a crude map of the region with a large blue circle over Hormuz.
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he → call → Hormuz
Rubio holds call with UAE's security adviser
US secretary of state Marco Rubio held a phone call with UAE’s national security adviser Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan about regional security.
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Rubio → hold → security
"The two discussed a number of regional security issues, including Lebanon, as well as continued US-UAE coordination to hold Iran and its terrorist proxies accountable for ongoing attacks," the state department said in a statement.
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department → discuss → statement
During the call, Rubio stressed the importance of freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, the statement said.
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statement → stress → Hormuz
UAE has suspended all trade exchanges and financial transactions with Iran indefinitely after accusing Iran of firing two ballistic missiles towards the Gulf state.
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UAE → suspend → state
Iran has denied the allegations, calling it a false flag operation.
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Iran → deny → it
US military official blames Biden administration after reports of dwindling weapons stockpile
US under secretary of war Michael Duffey has blamed the Biden administration for failing to develop the country's industrial base, amid growing reports about the US military’s dwindling weapons stockpile.
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Duffey → blame → stockpile
As the Iran war drags on, there have been multiple reports of the US military burning through long-range missiles and interceptors.
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military → drag → missiles
US president Donald Trump has maintained that the military has “massive amounts” of munitions.
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military → maintain → munitions
“We would always like to have more weapons than we have right now, which is why we are so focused on engaging with our industrial partners, entering these deals, and ensuring that we ramp the production of these key missiles as quickly as possible”, Duffey told Fox News.
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Duffey → like → News
“We are making up for lost time.
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We → make → time
The Biden Administration did not deliver — they did not focus on developing the industrial base that we need in order to ensure that we have munitions for the foreseeable future.
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we → deliver → future
President Trump and [US Defense] Secretary [Pete] Hegseth are delivering”, he added.
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he → deliver → ?
The creation of a ‘Muslim Nato’ shows Trump is losing his grip in the Middle East
As Donald Trump continued his attacks on Iran earlier this month, a deal that could radically reshape security in the Middle East was quietly being done in Saudi Arabia.
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that → show → Arabia
On 7 August, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed the Mecca Joint Defence agreement, a Nato-style mutual defence pact that states an attack on any one of the group will be considered an attack on all.
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attack → sign → all
All three countries have been the target of Iranian retaliatory attacks across the Middle East since US-Israeli strikes killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in February.
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strikes → kill → February
Turkey boasts the second largest army in Nato (second only to the US), while Saudi Arabia is the second most oil-rich nation on the planet.
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Arabia → boast → planet
Pakistan is a nuclear power that has also acted as a broker between the US and Iran throughout the ongoing conflict.
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that → act → conflict
Iran warns Gulf states against helping US
Iran’s military has warned Gulf states against providing assistance to US forces, saying that nothing is “hidden from our eyes”.
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nothing → warn → eyes
Ali Abdollahi, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, said the presence of large numbers of US military aircraft, particularly refuelling planes, at bases across the region would be difficult to explain without the knowledge of host countries.
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presence → say → countries
“Any assistance and facilitation to the aggressive US army is tantamount to participation with the US military forces,” Abdollahi said in a statement carried by Iran’s Fars news agency.
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Abdollahi → say → agency
From a 230-year-old ally to a bombing target: How Trump is trying to wreck the US-Omani relationship
On Monday, President Donald Trump made yet another unprecedented and violent threat against a country in the Middle East.
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Trump → try → East
Oman, an American ally for almost 200 years, would be bombed “to s***” if it interfered with a potential US-Iran peace deal, Trump told a FOX News reporter.
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Trump → bomb → reporter
It was not the first time that Trump had threatened Oman, previously warning the country in May to “behave” or face potential military action.
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Trump → threaten → action
Throughout the US-Israeli war in Iran, Muscat has endured retaliatory strikes across its ports and energy infrastructure but has still taken part in negotiations towards a resolution.
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Muscat → endure → resolution
The Strait of Hormuz runs between both countries and it therefore has a personal interest in progress.
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it → run → progress
South Korea minister says Trump is pressuring Seoul over Iran
South Korean foreign minister Cho Hyun said on Wednesday that US president Donald Trump's order to curb joint military drills appeared aimed in part at pressuring Seoul to support US efforts in the Iran war, alongside other unresolved issues such as investment.
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order → say → investment
Trump has ordered the Pentagon to scale down one of the major military drills between US and South Korean militaries.
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Trump → order → militaries
He has asked the drills to be shortened from 11 days to five days.
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drills → ask → days
"I think President Trump's message includes pressure over several pending issues concerning the South Korean government, as well as a message to North Korea and an intention by the United States to break a stalemate in the Iran war," Cho said.
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Cho → think → war
One potential source of friction could be South Korea's pledge to invest $350bn in the United States under a trade deal signed last year, Cho said.
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Cho → invest → deal
…and 31 more, not listed.
