UAE intercepts Iranian drone as US-Iran tensions escalate

The United Arab Emirates' Defense Ministry said Monday that an Iranian drone was intercepted over its territorial waters, marking a fresh escalation in the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States and their regional allies.

The interception came just a day after the first significant military exchange between Washington and Tehran in over a month. On Sunday, US forces struck rocket launchers on an Iranian island, saying the equipment was being prepared to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran retaliated by firing missiles at US positions in Jordan, all of which were intercepted.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country was not seeking war but vowed to "respond decisively to aggressors." The UAE described the drone attack as a "dangerous escalation" from Iran.

During the relative lull in fighting, the US has intensified economic pressure on Tehran, aiming to force concessions—including the reopening of the vital Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping.

In a separate development, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met Greek leaders in Athens on Monday, asking for help in implementing a US-brokered framework agreement to end the war with Israel. Aoun noted that Lebanon's people are "tired" after long wars and suggested Greece's good relations with both sides could facilitate progress. He stressed that the agreement "should not be implemented by one side but both sides," referring to continued Israeli airstrikes despite a June 20 ceasefire. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece stands ready to support de-escalation, adding that "the security of Lebanon and Israel are not conflicting goals."

Meanwhile, the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is heading toward Thailand for a port visit after a record-setting deployment of more than 250 days at sea. The carrier, with roughly 5,000 sailors aboard, had been supporting US operations in the Middle East.