DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Authorities in the United Arab Emirates on Friday sounded an incoming missile alert for Dubai but shortly afterward told the public to “disregard the previous warning,” an indication that it was likely triggered by mistake.
The brief text message from the UAE’s Interior Ministry, the first of its kind during the Iran war, seemed to signal an accidental alert that went out to the public. It wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the warning just after 5:15 p.m. local time.
The authorities did not elaborate. The mobile phone alerted startled many in Dubai, the first in weeks since the ceasefire in the war.
Iran is suspected of launching a drone attack against a tanker off the coast of Oman on Thursday as Tehran increasingly challenges the region and the U.S. over its control of the Strait of Hormuz, even with the current interim deal in the Iran war.
A short time after the alert, the Emiratis said there was a telephone call between Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. It quoted Sheikh Abdullah as telling Araghchi that the UAE “emphasized the importance of full commitment” to the interim deal between Iran and the United States.
“Serious diplomacy and responsible dialogue are the optimal path for addressing all regional and international crises,” it said.
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