The Iranian military denied on Monday being behind the recent attack which hit a desalination plant in Kuwait, labeling the strike a US-Israeli false-flag operation aimed at "destabilizing and destroying the region."
"The brutal aggression by the Zionist regime against the desalination facility in Kuwait, carried out in recent hours under the pretext of accusing the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a sign of the vileness and depravity of the Zionist occupiers," the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters of the Iranian army said in a statement.
"We declare that US bases, personnel, and their interests in the region, as well as the military, security, and economic infrastructure of the Zionist regime in the occupied Palestinian territories, remain powerful targets for us," it added.
The Iranian military went on to urge "countries of West Asia must remain vigilant against the sedition of the US–Zionist axis aimed at destabilizing and destroying the region."
Regional states "must put an end to the presence of the criminal US army and occupying Zionists in the region," it stressed. The attack on the desalination plant took place on Sunday.
"A service building at a power and water desalination plant was attacked as part of the Iranian aggression against the State of Kuwait, resulting in the death of an Indian worker and significant material damage to the building," said a spokesperson for the Kuwaiti Electricity Ministry.
This is not the first attack Tehran has labeled a false flag. Iran has also denied recent strikes on fuel tankers in Oman and a refinery in Iraq's Erbil, as well as one that targeted an Aramco facility in Saudi Arabia at the start of the month.
US journalist Tucker Carlson reported earlier in March that Mossad agents were detained in Gulf states for planning bombings.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on March 15 that the US has been using its new Lucas drone – modeled after the Iranian Shahed – to carry out false-flag attacks in the region and attribute them to the Islamic Republic.
Tehran has said only US and Israeli-linked military and economic assets in the Gulf will be struck by its forces. Iran is warning Gulf governments against allowing Washington to use their bases for attacks on the Islamic Republic.
Iranian drone and missile strikes targeted the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on March 27, wounding at least 12 US troops and damaging aircraft and buildings.
A senior Iranian intelligence official told The Cradle on March 26 that the Islamic Republic is preparing a "strong response" against the UAE due to the “active role” it has played in the US-Israeli war on it.
Roughly 90% of Kuwait's drinking water comes from desalination.
"A decision has been made at the leadership level to end the weeks-long tolerance toward this country. In addition to US military barracks and bases in the UAE, which were targeted in Iran's defensive attacks, the Emiratis also provided some of their own air bases to the US to be used in attacking Iran," the intelligence officials went on to say, citing security reports.
"The UAE is considered a foothold for Israel in the region," the source continued, adding that Abu Dhabi has "carried out misleading operations against Oman and other countries" – likely a reference to false-flag operations pinned on Iran.