The already fragile truce between the United States and Iran appeared on the brink of collapse Monday after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reported attacks by Iranian drones and missiles, and the U.S. reportedly sank Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump later warned Iran in a Monday interview with Fox News that the country “will be obliterated” if it targets American ships.
According to Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, American forces destroyed six small Iranian boats attempting to impede commercial shipping. Reuters reported this information. Meanwhile, Tehran’s state media denied that its boats had been sunk. Amid news of the UAE attacks, stock indexes fell and oil prices rose as investors feared the war’s impact on the global economy could intensify or prolong.
How the UAE Attacks Unfolded
The attacks prompted the UAE to activate its missile alert system, the first time it had done so since the truce began on April 8. The UAE Ministry of Defense announced on its official X account Monday morning that its air defenses were “currently dealing with missile and drone attacks originating from Iran.”
The ministry stated that “sounds heard in various parts of the country are the result of UAE air defense systems intercepting ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones.” In an earlier post, the ministry said that three “loitering munitions” (kamikaze drones) were “intercepted over the country’s territorial waters,” and a fourth missile “fell into the sea.”
The United Arab Emirates is located at the southern end of the Persian Gulf, a critical choke point for oil transportation. Later Monday, a social media account linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) appeared to confirm it had carried out the attacks on the UAE. The account posted visuals on Telegram that it claimed were drone and missile attacks conducted by the “IRGC Cyber Corps.” One post asserted it showed the aftermath of a drone attack on the UAE’s Port of Fujairah, while another featured a video purportedly showing a ship ablaze after a missile strike.
What Warnings Did the Public Receive?
On Monday evening local time, an alert was sent to phones in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, urging people: “Due to the current situation, potential missile threats, immediately seek safe shelter in the nearest secure building.” The White House did not respond to a request for comment on whether these reported attacks would violate the truce.
Source: US Top News and Analysis
