U.S. And Iran Trade Fire In Strait Of Hormuz As UAE Reports Attacks From Tehran

A U.S.-Iran ceasefire was teetering on May 4 as the two countries traded fire in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reporting attacks from Tehran for the first time since a truce was declared nearly a month ago.

“Iran says it fired missiles at US warship to prevent it entering Hormuz Tehran, Iran – Iranian media say a United States warship trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz has been hit with two missiles after ignoring warnings”

Al Jazeera

The Straits Times reported that the violence shook a ceasefire that had “largely held since going into effect on April 8,” even as the U.S. and Iran continued to clash over passage through the waterway.

Al Jazeera

The Straits Times said the blaze of escalation followed a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced an operation to escort trapped vessels through the strait, and it cited Fox News quoting him threatening that Iran would be “blown off the face of the earth” if it attacks US ships.

Iran appeared “undaunted” in the Straits Times account, vowing to keep exerting control over the Strait of Hormuz, which the report described as the narrow waterway through which one-fifth of the world’s oil flowed before the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb 28.

In the same report, a U.S. admiral said U.S. forces sank six small Iranian ships, while Iran denied any had been sunk and said it fired warning shots at U.S. warships.

The Straits Times also said the UAE came under a barrage of missiles and drones from Iran, and it quoted the UAE foreign ministry calling the attacks “a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable transgression, posing a direct threat to the state’s security, stability, and the safety of its territories.”

The escalation centered on Trump’s “Project Freedom,” which multiple outlets described as a U.S. effort to guide stranded ships out of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz during the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

The Straits Times said Trump had announced an operation to escort trapped vessels through the strait after demanding that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and it described the truce as “largely held” since April 8 even as the situation deteriorated.

Al-Jazeera Net

The Boston Herald reported that the U.S. military fought off attacks from Iranian drones, missiles and armed small boats as it facilitated the passage of two U.S.-flagged vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, citing U.S. Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper.

In the same Boston Herald account, Trump said in a Truth Social post, “We’ve shot down seven small Boats or, as they like to call them, ‘fast’ Boats,” and it added that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would hold a press conference on Tuesday.

The Age described the first day of “Project Freedom” as a period when Iran fired missiles at civilian targets in the United Arab Emirates and appeared to strike ships in the Strait of Hormuz, while the UAE’s Ministry of Defence said it intercepted “12 ballistic missiles and three cruise missiles” launched from Iran on Monday (US time), as well as four drones.

The Age also quoted Trump’s social media warning that if Iran attacked American vessels involved in the exercise, “they’ll be blown off the face of the earth,” and it said the U.S. responded by sinking seven Iranian “small boats,” according to Trump.

Meanwhile, The Nation Thailand reported that Trump said the United States would assist vessels and crews that had been “locked up” in the key shipping route for more than two months and were running short of food and other supplies, and it quoted his Truth Social message: “We have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business.”

As the U.S. and Iran traded accounts of what happened in the Strait of Hormuz, the reporting also showed how each side framed the other’s actions as either provocation or aggression.

“- Published President Donald Trump says the US has struck seven Iranian "fast boats" in the Strait of Hormuz, as Washington seeks to guide stranded ships out of the Gulf through the largely closed waterway”

BBC

The Straits Times said Iran denied that any ships had been sunk and claimed it had earlier fired warning shots at U.S. warships, while it also reported that a U.S. admiral said U.S. forces sank six small Iranian ships.

The Boston Herald similarly described the U.S. fighting off attacks from Iranian drones, missiles and armed small boats, while it reported that the UAE blamed an Iranian drone strike for a large fire at its Fujairah port that hospitalized three people.

The Age added that the UAE’s foreign ministry condemned the “dangerous escalation” from Iran and reserved its rights to respond, and it said three Indian nationals were injured in the drone and missile attacks.

In parallel, Middle East Eye reported that Iran fired more than a dozen missiles at the UAE in response to what it called US “military adventurism” in the Strait of Hormuz, and it quoted the UAE foreign ministry statement calling the attacks “a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable transgression, posing a direct threat to the state’s security, stability, and the safety of its territories.”

Middle East Eye also said Iranian state media cited a senior official saying the attack was in retaliation for US military manoeuvres and not pre-planned, quoting: “The Islamic Republic had no plan to attack [these oil facilities],” and “What happened is the product of American military adventurism aimed at creating a passage for ships to illegally cross the restricted Strait of Hormuz”.

The Nation Thailand described Iran’s unified command response to Trump’s announcement, with Ali Abdollahi warning that “We warn that any foreign armed forces, especially the aggressive US army, will be attacked if they intend to approach and enter the Strait of Hormuz.”

Beyond the immediate battlefield claims, U.S. diplomacy moved toward the United Nations as the Strait of Hormuz crisis intensified.

Daily Sabah reported that the United States and several Gulf Arab countries were preparing a U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at condemning Iran over disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, and it said U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told reporters on a briefing call that negotiations would take place this week on the resolution.

Boston Herald

Daily Sabah said the U.S. was co-drafting the new resolution with Bahrain, with input from Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, and it described the resolution as expected to require Iran to cease attacks on merchant shipping and attempts to impose tolls on shipping in the strait.

The same report said the draft would demand that Iran stop placing sea mines and disclose the locations of mines, and it quoted Waltz describing the draft resolution as a “narrower effort” than the previous failed resolution.

Daily Sabah also said Russia and China blocked a resolution last month that Washington hoped would galvanize international efforts to restore freedom of navigation of the waterway.

In parallel, The Straits Times reported that U.S. Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper repeatedly declined to address questions about whether the ceasefire had been broken, while U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said he would “defer to to the White House on declaring violations” and added, “It’s a fluid situation.”

The Nation Thailand added that CENTCOM said the latest effort would combine “diplomatic action with military coordination,” and it reported that the Trump administration sought support from other countries for an international coalition to protect shipping in the strait.

The crisis carried immediate consequences for shipping, energy markets, and regional safety, with multiple outlets tying the violence to oil price spikes and disruptions.

“2 Min Read Crude prices spiked sharply after reports of a drone attack on key energy infrastructure in the UAE, triggering fresh fears of supply disruptions in an already fragile geopolitical environment”

CNBC TV18

The Boston Herald reported that oil prices surged on news that Iran had attacked Fujairah and tankers were under renewed threat in the Strait of Hormuz, and it gave specific figures: the price for a barrel of Brent crude leaped 5.8% to settle at $114.44, while West Texas Intermediate advanced more than 4% and settled at $106.42 per barrel.

CNBC TV18

The Age similarly said the price of oil shot up another 5 per cent and described Brent crude climbing nearly 6 per cent to just below $US115 a barrel, while it also said the national average price of petrol rose above $US4.45 a gallon.

CNBC TV18 reported that Brent crude briefly surged past $115 per barrel, even touching $119 at one point, while WTI climbed over 3% to $105.3, and it said the development “snaps a brief period of calm” after an April 8 ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.

On the ground, the Boston Herald said the UAE issued several missile alerts to its residents for the first time since the ceasefire began nearly a month ago, and it reported that the UAE Defense Ministry said its air defenses had engaged 15 missiles and four drones fired by Iran.

The Straits Times said a strike targeting an energy installation in the emirate of Fujairah injured three Indian nationals, and it also reported that two people were injured when a residential building was hit in Oman’s Bukha along the coastline of the Strait of Hormuz, state media reported.

Looking ahead, The Straits Times said the violence prompted calls for the U.S. and Israel to renew attacks on Iran after a campaign that had previously struck thousands of targets, killed Iran’s supreme leader and other top officials, and shuttered the vital Strait of Hormuz, causing global energy prices to soar.

The Nation Thailand added that the International Maritime Organisation says hundreds of ships and as many as 20,000 seafarers have been unable to pass through the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict began, and it reported that CENTCOM said the latest effort would combine “diplomatic action with military coordination.”