U.S. forces on Monday undertook operations to shepherd commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, where hundreds of vessels have been stalled since the broader Iran conflict began. The U.S. military said two American-flagged merchant ships successfully transited the vital waterway. Separately, the U.S. denied Iran’s claim that it had struck an American Navy vessel southeast of the strait.
The United Arab Emirates reported that an Iranian drone ignited a fire at an oil facility in Fujairah, a strategic pipeline hub that helps bypass the strait. Shortly afterward the British military said a cargo ship off the UAE coast was ablaze. The UAE issued three missile alerts on Monday — its first since the fragile ceasefire with Iran took hold roughly three weeks ago.
Iran delivered a fresh proposal for talks with the United States to mediators in Pakistan, state media reported. President Donald Trump said he was “not satisfied” with the proposal but did not give details. Tehran’s public response was mixed: Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned the U.S. and UAE not to be “dragged back into a quagmire,” while state television quoted an anonymous military official saying Iran had no plan to target the UAE or its oil fields and accused “U.S. military adventurism” for creating what it called an “illegal passage,” apparently referring to U.S. efforts to reopen the strait.
The UAE said it engaged multiple missiles and drones it attributed to Iran. Its defense ministry posted that air defenses intercepted 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four drones; the attacks moderately injured three people. Authorities in Oman reported a separate incident on the Musandam peninsula, saying a residential building housing employees in the Tibat district of Bukha was hit: two foreigners were moderately injured, four vehicles damaged and windows shattered. Officials gave no immediate attribution and said an investigation is underway.
Diplomatically, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz said the United States will co-draft a Security Council resolution with Bahrain and Gulf partners to hold Iran accountable for actions constricting freedom of navigation. The draft reportedly would demand Iran stop laying sea mines, cease tolling efforts and disclose the number and locations of mines it has placed; any enforcement mechanism remained unclear. A similar resolution had been vetoed by China and Russia prior to an early-April ceasefire.
President Trump said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Dan Caine would hold a news conference Tuesday and urged South Korea to “come and join the mission,” suggesting Iran had fired at a South Korean cargo ship, though he did not provide details.
The United Nations reiterated the need to protect freedom of navigation while opposing renewed military activity. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the organization was “still trying to fully understand” U.S. statements that the strait is open and called reports of exchanges of fire and missile interceptions troubling. Israel’s military said it was closely monitoring Gulf developments and remained on high alert.
U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper declined to specify whether U.S. forces were defending particular Emirati sites, saying the UAE has “exceptional capability” and that the Fujairah response was under UAE jurisdiction. He described U.S. actions as defensive measures to enable commercial shipping to leave the Arabian Gulf, saying U.S. forces had cleared a mine-free pathway, established a defensive umbrella with helicopters and fighter jets, and that U.S. helicopters had sunk six small Iranian boats allegedly targeting civilian vessels. Cooper said missiles, drones and small-boat threats were defeated.
The UAE condemned what it called renewed Iranian aggression against civilian targets, calling the strikes a dangerous escalation and warning it reserves the right to respond to protect its sovereignty. Authorities in Fujairah said the drone-caused fire wounded three Indian nationals, who were hospitalized with moderate injuries. Multiple sirens and near-empty airspace were reported late Monday, though airports had largely returned to normal operations.
Monday’s events posed a renewed test of the fragile ceasefire, with regional and international actors closely watching both diplomatic efforts and military moves.
