Tehran, Washington trade threats over Hormuz as UAE reports attacks

Tensions flared across the Middle East on Tuesday as Iran and the United States traded threats over the Strait of Hormuz while the United Arab Emirates came under Iranian missile and drone attacks on Monday, testing a four-week ceasefire despite calls for de-escalation.

Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said in a social media post on Tuesday that the security of shipping and energy transit had been threatened by breaches of a four-week-old truce by the US and its allies.

He warned that Tehran has barely responded to recent provocations amid the ongoing standoff over the vital choke point. "We know full well that the continuation of the status quo is intolerable for America and we have not even started yet," he said.

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The latest escalation came after the UAE reported Iranian attacks on Monday for the first time since the truce was declared on April 8. The close US ally confirmed it was targeted by 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four drones launched by Iran.

In a statement, the UAE's Foreign Ministry said: "These attacks constitute a dangerous escalation and unacceptable violation, posing direct threats to the UAE's security, territorial stability and civilian safety."

One strike hit an energy facility in Fujairah, leaving three Indian nationals injured, while a drone attack targeted a tanker operated by ADNOC, the UAE's state-owned oil giant, authorities said.

A senior Iranian military official did not deny the strikes but stressed the Islamic republic had "no preplanned program to attack the oil facilities in question".

"US officials must end the ugly behavior of using force in the diplomatic process and stop military adventurism in this sensitive oil region that affects the economies of all countries in the world," the official told state TV.

Later on Monday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei accused the UAE of backing and cooperating with the "aggressors" against Iran, saying Tehran hopes "all regional countries have learned the necessary lessons from the developments that occurred during these 50 days".

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz — the strategic waterway that once carried one-fifth of global crude supplies before US and Israeli forces launched strikes against Iran on Feb 28. Tehran, however, has vowed not to relinquish control of the choke point, its core geopolitical leverage.

Trump claimed US forces had "shot down" seven small Iranian military boats. A US admiral earlier said six such vessels were destroyed, but Tehran denied any had been sunk. Tehran also claimed a US naval frigate was hit on Monday, a claim denied by the US military.

South Korean authorities confirmed on Monday that the merchant vessel HMM Namu suffered an engine room explosion and fire while navigating the strait, with no crew injuries reported.

'No military solution'

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi emphasized the ongoing clashes prove "there is no military solution to this political crisis", while praising Pakistan's sustained mediation efforts.

"The US should be wary of being dragged back into quagmire by ill-wishers. So should the UAE. Project Freedom is Project Deadlock," he wrote on X, referring to the plan announced by Trump to guide ships from neutral countries out of the Gulf.

Saudi Arabia joined calls on Tuesday for de-escalation and urged diplomatic negotiations to reach a political settlement. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Tehran to return to the negotiating table and stop weaponizing regional energy transit, echoing appeals from French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

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Oil prices retreated slightly on Tuesday after surging on Monday. Brent crude, the international standard, fell $1.14 to $113.30 per barrel. Before the Iran war began in late February, it was trading near $70.

The strait is a vital thoroughfare for global supplies of oil, fertilizer and other commodities, and has been virtually closed since the US and Israel began attacks on Iran on Feb 28, causing price spikes around the world.

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar told broadcaster TVNet that the world should brace for a prolonged global energy and supply crisis amid the protracted regional conflict.

Contact the writers at cuihaipei@chinadaily.com.cn