TEHRAN, March 28 (Xinhua) -- A depot storing Ukrainian anti-drone defense systems in Dubai was destroyed in a missile strike by Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Saturday.
Tasnim quoted Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman of Iran's main military command Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, as saying that the depot was hit during joint missile operations by the IRGC's Navy and Aerospace Division, alongside attacks on U.S. personnel in Dubai, which he said inflicted heavy casualties. Zolfaghari said 21 Ukrainians were in the warehouse at the time and that the systems were intended to assist U.S. forces.
Earlier Saturday, Iran struck a U.S. Army support vessel near Oman's Salalah port, the semi-official Fars news agency reported. Zolfaghari said Iran respects Omani sovereignty.
Ukraine denied the strike, calling it false. Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy said, "This is a lie; we officially refute this information."
Meanwhile, Ukraine has agreed to new defense cooperation with the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to both countries to sign security and defense agreements. The deals include sharing expertise on missiles and unmanned aerial systems.
Zelensky's visits to the UAE and Qatar came a day after he announced a defense agreement with Riyadh.
The developments follow Iran's retaliation to joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities on Feb. 28, which killed Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior commanders, and civilians. Iran has since launched missile and drone attacks targeting U.S. and Israeli assets across the Middle East. ■
