UAE bars use of its airspace for military action against Iran

The ⁠United Arab Emirates will not let its airspace, territory or ‍territorial waters be used for any hostile military ‌actions against ‍Iran, the UAE foreign ministry said on Monday, reaffirming its commitment to neutrality and regional stability.

Uncertainty over the possibility of military action in Iran has lingered after U.S. President Donald Trump said last ⁠week that an "armada" was heading towards the country but that he hoped he would not have to use it.

Trump's warnings to Tehran were against killing ‌protesters or restarting its nuclear programme.

Iran has been embroiled in protests which rights groups say left ‍thousands of people, including bystanders, killed. ‍The rights groups ‍describe the unrest as ⁠the biggest ‍crackdown since Shi'ite Muslim clerics took power in the 1979 revolution.

US media said that aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and three accompanying destroyers arrived Friday in the Indian Ocean en route to the Gulf of Oman in anticipation of a US attack on Iran.

The US administration says that all options, including military action, remain on the table in dealing with Tehran, as the US and Israel seek to change Iran's ruling system.

Iranian officials have warned that any US attack would draw a "swift and comprehensive" response.

Last June, Israel, with US backing, launched a 12-day war against Iran, prompting retaliatory drone and missile attacks from Tehran before Washington announced a ceasefire.