A US-Iran ceasefire that had held since early April appeared on the verge of collapse on Monday after Iran launched a barrage of missiles and drones at the United Arab Emirates (UAE), triggering air defence intercepts across the country and setting off fires at a major oil facility.
The UAE said its air defences engaged 19 Iranian missiles and drones, while a drone strike sparked a major fire at the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, injuring three Indian nationals.
The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre reported two cargo vessels ablaze off the UAE coast. South Korea’s government confirmed an explosion and fire aboard a South Korean-operated ship anchored in the strait, though no injuries were reported.
The attacks came within hours of US President Donald Trump launching what he called “Project Freedom,” a military operation to escort stranded commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blocked since the conflict began in late February.
Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, said American forces successfully opened a passage through the strait, but confirmed that Iran fired multiple cruise missiles, drones, and small boats at civilian ships under US protection. US military helicopters sank six of the Iranian small boats, with Cooper stating that “each and every” threat had been defeated.
Trump, in a Fox News interview, warned Iran it would be “blown off the face of the earth” if it targeted US ships protecting commercial vessels, while stopping short of declaring the ceasefire broken.
The UAE’s foreign affairs ministry condemned what it called “renewed terrorist, unprovoked Iranian attacks targeting civilian sites,” holding Iran fully responsible. The UAE also announced it would restrict its airspace for a full week, disrupting commercial flight routes and airport access across the country.
Iran’s position remained contradictory. Iranian state television quoted an anonymous military official denying any plan to target the UAE, attributing the Fujairah fire to what it called “US military adventurism to create an illegal passage.” Iran’s foreign minister separately warned that both the US and the UAE “should be wary of being dragged back into a quagmire.”
Two US Navy destroyers, the USS Truxtun and USS Mason, transited the Strait of Hormuz under sustained attack, facing coordinated small boats, missiles, and drones. Neither vessel was struck.
Saudi Arabia called for de-escalation after both sides traded fire, as alarm spread across a region already rattled by weeks of fragile diplomacy. The Strait of Hormuz carries roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply, and prolonged disruption has pushed energy prices sharply higher across Europe and Asia.
