Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Iran has issued an ultimatum to hotel owners in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, warning that hosting US military personnel could make their properties legitimate military targets, the semi-official Fars news agency reported. Fars reported that US forces have taken refuge in regional hotels following Iranian missile strikes and joint operations with allied militant groups that targeted American military infrastructure across the Middle East. The warning covers any facility hosting foreign military personnel and takes effect immediately if such activity continues, Xinhua news agency reported.
The report also claimed US personnel have established a presence at civilian sites across the region, including a logistics base near Beirut’s old airport and advisory operations at Damascus’ Republic Palace, the Four Seasons, and Sheraton hotels. US Marines were reportedly moved this week to Djibouti International Airport via Istanbul and Sofia.
Earlier, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi warned hotels in Gulf Arab countries against accepting US military personnel, accusing the soldiers of fleeing their bases and using civilian sites as cover. “From the outset of this war, US soldiers fled military bases in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) to hide in hotels and offices. They use GCC citizens as human shields,” Araghchi wrote on the social media platform X. He compared the situation to hotels in the United States, which he claimed deny bookings to officers who may endanger customers, and urged Gulf hotels to adopt the same practice.
