US reopens Hormuz lane as UAE says Iran attacks it, citing ceasefire test

Body

The U.S. military said it fired on Iranian forces and sank six small boats targeting civilian ships as American forces worked to reopen a passage through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, actions the UAE said came as Iran attacked it for the first time since the ceasefire began in early April. The renewed confrontation unfolded while the U.S. and Iran continued talks on ending the war.

U.S. Central Command said the U.S.-led Joint Maritime Information Center advised ships Monday to cross the strait in Oman’s waters and that it set up an “enhanced security area.” Adm. Brad Cooper, the Central Command commander, told reporters that American forces opened a passage through the strait that is free of Iranian mines.

Cooper said Iran launched multiple cruise missiles, drones and small boats at civilian ships under U.S. military protection, and he said U.S. military helicopters sank six of the small boats. Cooper added that commanders on the scene had the “authority necessary to defend their unit and to defend commercial shipping.” The U.S. military also said two American-flagged merchant ships successfully transited the strait on Monday as part of a new initiative.

The U.S.-led effort came as the United Arab Emirates described strikes on its territory and said it had issued the first missile alerts there since the ceasefire began. The UAE Defense Ministry said its air defenses engaged 15 missiles and four drones fired by Iran, and authorities in Fujairah, on the Gulf of Oman, said one drone sparked a fire at a key oil facility and wounded three Indian nationals.

The UAE condemned what it called “renewed treacherous Iranian aggression” and called for an immediate halt to the attacks. In Oman, authorities said a residential building near the strait “was targeted,” resulting in two foreign workers wounded, four vehicles damaged and nearby windows shattered, according to state-run media.

Iran did not confirm or deny the attacks in a direct way, but Iranian officials warned against escalation while also describing operational steps for ships. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X that both the U.S. and the UAE “should be wary of being dragged back into quagmire.” In similarly vague terms, Iranian state television earlier quoted an anonymous military official as saying Tehran had “no plan” to target the UAE or one of its oil fields.

Iranian state television also carried a description of the oil-facility attack that framed it as a response to U.S. military actions, with the anonymous official saying the incident resulted from “U.S. military adventurism to create an illegal passage.” The report said the official appeared to be referring to President Donald Trump’s latest efforts to reopen the strait, a critical waterway for global energy.

In addition to warnings from Iranian officials, the U.S. said it had enforced a naval blockade on Iranian ports since April 13 and had told at least 49 commercial ships to turn back, according to Central Command. The U.S. warned shipping companies they could face sanctions for paying Iran for transit through the strait, while acknowledging that shipping companies and insurers appeared unlikely to take the risk of passage.

Iran’s military command also said ships passing through the strait must coordinate with it. Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi told state broadcaster IRIB, “We warn that any foreign military force — especially the aggressive U.S. military — that intends to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted.”

Other countries reported incidents tied to the disruption. South Korea said a fire on a South Korean-operated vessel in the strait was extinguished and that none of the 24 crewmembers were hurt, after earlier reports said an explosion and fire broke out on a Panama-flagged ship operated by HMM and affected its left-side engine.

While the military confrontation played out around the strait, Iranian-linked reporting also described the diplomatic positions. Iran’s latest proposal for ending the war calls for the U.S. lifting sanctions, ending the blockade, withdrawing forces from the region and ceasing all hostilities, including Israel’s operations in Lebanon, according to semiofficial Nour News and Tasnim agencies.

Iranian officials said they were reviewing the U.S. response, and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters Monday that changing demands made diplomacy difficult, without providing details. Iran’s officials said their proposal does not include issues related to its nuclear program and enriched uranium, and the reporting said Iran wants other issues resolved within 30 days as it seeks to end the war rather than extend the ceasefire.

Trump had warned Sunday that Iranian efforts to halt passage through the strait “will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully,” and he described “Project Freedom” as humanitarian in aim, designed to aid stranded seafarers on hundreds of ships stuck in the Persian Gulf since the war began.