Tehran [Iran], March 15 (ANI): President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian said the United States must leave West Asia for the region to achieve security as the tensions in the Gulf continue to escalate.

In a post on X, Pezeshkian said, 'In short: For the region to be secure, the United States should not be there.'

The conflict in West Asia has widened with the US, Israel and Iran targeting each other's energy targets, threatening the global supply of oil and gas.

On Saturday, it was reported that a drone strike had targeted the Fujairah Port in the UAE, triggering a fire.

A well-informed Gulf analyst confirmed that the Iranian attack on Fujairah caused a fire from falling debris after the successful interception of a drone by UAE air defence systems, with no injuries reported.

The analyst said the incident highlights the urgency of preventing any further escalation in the region. According to the analyst, the repeated targeting of the UAE reflects its strategic importance in regional commerce, diplomacy and financial flows, rather than any weakness.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that attacks on American bank branches operating in the Gulf region could expand if further strikes by the US and Israel target Iranian banking infrastructure, according to Press TV.

Naeini said Iranian attacks on American bank branches in neighbouring countries were carried out in response to recent US-Israeli strikes on Iranian bank properties earlier this week and briefly disrupted banking operations in the country.

At least 17 vessels have been attacked in key Middle East shipping lanes over the past two weeks amid the ongoing conflict, according to a report by CNN citing data from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

The attacks have occurred in and around the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman since March 1, the news report said.

At least one person, an Indian national, has been killed as a result of the attacks, according to UKMTO and India's embassy in Oman.

The current confrontation began on February 28 when US-Israeli airstrikes killed senior Iranian officials and commanders. Since then, Iranian armed forces have launched daily missile and drone operations targeting locations in Israeli-held territories as well as US military bases and assets across the region. (ANI)