US tries to force open the Strait of Hormuz as the UAE comes under
attack in a test of Iran truce
[May 05, 2026]
By ADAM SCHRECK, BEN FINLEY and SAM METZ
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military said it fired on
Iranian forces and sank six small boats targeting civilian ships as it
moved to reopen the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. The United Arab
Emirates, a key American ally, said it had come under attack from Iran
for the first time since a fragile ceasefire took hold in early April.
The U.S. military said two American-flagged merchant ships had
successfully transited the strait on Monday as part of a new initiative.
The UAE Defense Ministry said its air defenses had engaged 15 missiles
and four drones fired by Iran. Authorities in the eastern emirate of
Fujairah said one drone sparked a fire at a key oil facility, wounding
three Indian nationals. The British military reported two cargo vessels
ablaze off the UAE.
Tehran did not outright confirm or deny the attacks but early on
Tuesday, 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 had “no plan” to target
the UAE or one of its oil fields.
"The incident resulted from U.S. military adventurism to create an
illegal passage,” the official said about the oil facility attack,
apparently referring to U.S. President Donald Trump 's latest efforts to
reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global energy.
Breaking Iran’s chokehold on the strait would ease global economic
concerns and deny Iran a major source of leverage. But such efforts also
risk reigniting the full-scale fighting that erupted when the U.S. and
Israel first attacked Iran on Feb. 28, prompting it to close the strait.
Shipping companies, and their insurers, are unlikely to take such a
risk, given that Iran has fired on ships in the waterway and vowed to
keep doing so. Iran has said the new U.S. effort is a violation of the
fragile ceasefire that has held for more than three weeks.
US says it has reopened a lane through the strait
Iran’s effective closure of the strait, which runs between Iran and
Oman, has caused a spike in worldwide fuel prices and rattled the global
economy. The U.S.-led Joint Maritime Information Center had advised
ships Monday to cross the strait in Oman’s waters, saying it had set up
an “enhanced security area.”
Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters that
American forces have successfully opened a passage through the strait
that is free of Iranian mines. He said Iran launched multiple cruise
missiles, drones and small boats at civilian ships under the U.S.
military’s protection.
U.S. military helicopters sank six of the small boats, Cooper said,
adding that “each and every” threat had been defeated.
“The U.S. commanders who are on the scene have all the authority
necessary to defend their unit and to defend commercial shipping -- as
we saw and demonstrated earlier today,” Cooper said.
Trump had warned Sunday that Iranian efforts to halt passage through the
strait “will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully.”
He described “Project Freedom” in humanitarian terms, designed to aid
stranded seafarers on hundreds of ships that have been stuck in the
Persian Gulf since the war began.
Missile alerts in the UAE for the first time since ceasefire
The UAE condemned what it called “renewed treacherous Iranian
aggression” and called for an immediate halt to the attacks.
Four missile alerts were issued Monday urging UAE residents to find
shelter — the first such alerts since the ceasefire began nearly a month
ago. Commercial planes bound for the UAE — home to the global travel
hubs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi — turned around midair.
The extent of the attack on Fujairah was unclear, but it is the terminus
of a pipeline the UAE has used to avoid shipping some of its oil through
the strait. The emirate on the Gulf of Oman is home to extensive oil
storage facilities and is the UAE’s main sea access outside the strait.
“These attacks represent a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable
violation,” the UAE’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on X.
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A patrol boat moves through the water as cargo ships sit at anchor
in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Saturday, May 2,
2026.(Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)
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. The report carried by
state-run media did not provide further details.
Iran seeks to maintain its grip on the strait
Iran’s military command has warned that ships passing through the
strait must coordinate with them.
“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,” Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi told state
broadcaster IRIB.
South Korea said Tuesday that a fire on a South Korean-operated
vessel in the Strait of Hormuz has been fully extinguished and that
none of the 24 crewmembers were hurt.
Officials earlier said an explosion and fire broke out Monday
evening on the Panama-flagged ship operated by South Korean shipping
company HMM and that the cause was not immediately known. The vessel
had been anchored near the United Arab Emirates in the Strait of
Hormuz, and the fire affected its left-side engine.
Trump said in a social media post that Iran had “taken some shots”
at vessels including a South Korean cargo ship, without elaborating.
South Korean officials have not yet commented on Trump’s call for
Seoul to “join the mission” in the strait.
The UAE has accused Iran of targeting a tanker linked to its main
oil company with two drones as it navigated the strait. It did not
say when the attack occurred. No injuries were reported.
The disruption of the waterway has squeezed countries in Europe and
Asia that depend on Persian Gulf oil and gas, raising prices far
beyond the region.
The U.S. has warned shipping companies they could face sanctions for
paying Iran for transit of the strait.
The U.S. has meanwhile enforced a naval blockade on Iranian ports
since April 13, telling at least 49 commercial ships to turn back,
according to Central Command.
The blockade has deprived Tehran of oil revenue it needs to shore up
its ailing economy. U.S. officials have expressed hope that the
blockade will force Iran to make concessions in talks on its
disputed nuclear program and other longstanding issues.
Little progress seen in negotiations
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 the semiofficial Nour News and Tasnim
agencies, which have close ties to Iran’s security apparatus.
Iranian officials said they were reviewing the U.S. response, though
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters Monday
that changing demands made diplomacy difficult. He did not give
details.
Iran has claimed its proposal does not include issues related to its
nuclear program and enriched uranium — long a driving force in
tensions with the U.S. and Israel.
Iran wants other issues resolved within 30 days and aims to end the
war rather than extend the ceasefire. Trump expressed doubt over the
weekend that the proposal would lead to a deal.
___
Finley reported from Washington and Metz from Ramallah, West Bank.
Associated Press journalists Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab
Emirates; Fatma Khaled in Cairo; Mike Catalini in Morrisville,
Pennsylvania; Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv; Tong-hyung Kim in Seoul;
Farnoush Amiri at the United Nations; Russ Bynum in Savannah,
Georgia; and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed to this
report.
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