Iran attacks UAE; U.S. says it sank boats in Strait of Hormuz

An already shaky ceasefire between the United States and Iran appeared to be on the verge of collapse Monday, as the United Arab Emirates came under attack from Iranian drones and missiles and the U.S. said it sank Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz.

President Donald Trump, in a Fox News interview later Monday, warned Iran that it will be “blown off the face of the earth” if it targets U.S. ships that are protecting commercial vessels transiting the strait.

Trump also said in a Truth Social post that a South Korean cargo ship had come under fire from Iran in the waterway. “Perhaps it’s time for South Korea to come and join the mission!” Trump wrote in the post.

Stock market indices closed sharply lower and oil prices rose on Monday, as investors’ fears grew that the war’s impact on the global economy could be exacerbated or prolonged.

The escalation came less than a day after Trump announced “Project Freedom,” an attempt by the U.S. to “free” ships that have been stranded as a result of Iran’s de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Despite the hostilities, Trump avoided saying that the ceasefire with Iran — which he announced on April 7 and later extended unilaterally — had been violated, ABC News journalist Jonathan Karl said after speaking with the president on the phone.

Admiral Brad Cooper, who leads U.S. Central Command, told reporters Monday afternoon that American forces eliminated six small Iranian boats that were attempting to interfere with commercial shipping movements, Reuters reported.

Tehran’s state media denied that its boats had been sunk.

The UAE’s Defence Ministry, in a translated post on its official X account, said Monday morning that its air defenses “are currently dealing with missile attacks and incoming drones from Iran.”

The ministry said that “the sounds heard in various parts of the country are the result of the UAE air defense systems intercepting ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones.”

It later said that its defense systems engaged 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four drones, with the attacks resulting in three “moderate injuries.”

The UAE’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, in a separate statement, said the three injured people were Indian nationals.

Abu Dhabi “condemned in the strongest terms the renewed terrorist, unprovoked Iranian attacks targeting civilian sites and facilities in the country using missiles and drones,” the foreign affairs ministry said.

The UAE late said it would restrict its airspace for a full week, affecting commercial air travel routes and airport access across the country, MS NOW reported.

The UAE is located on the southern rim of the Persian Gulf, a major chokepoint for the shipment of oil.

A social media account associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps later Monday appeared to confirm that it launched the attacks against the UAE.

In translated messages on Telegram, the account posted visuals of what it said were drone and missile attacks carried out by the “IRGC Cyber ​​Corps.” One post claimed to show the aftermath of a drone attack on UAE’s Port of Fujairah, while another included a video purporting to a ship on fire following a missile strike.

An alert issued to phones in Dubai and Abu Dhabi on Monday evening local time warned people, “Due to the current situation, potential missile threats, immediately seek a safe place in the closest secure building.”