Iran has warned it could target the UAE’s Ras al-Khaimah if attacks on its Gulf islands are launched again from the area, The Caspian Post reports, citing Al Jazeera.

In a statement, an Iranian military spokesperson said: “We warn the United Arab Emirates, in case of repeated encroachment from the source of that country to the Iranian islands … in the Persian Gulf, the powerful Iranian armed forces will put Ras al-Khaimah under their crushing blows.”

The disputed islands lie near the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route through which around one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies pass.

Earlier this month, the UAE said its air defence systems intercepted a drone over Ras al-Khaimah, with debris falling in the al-Hamra area.