US Reports Strikes on Iranian Vessels
US President Donald Trump stated that the US had struck seven Iranian “fast boats” in the Strait of Hormuz, as Washington aimed to guide stranded ships out of the Gulf through the largely closed waterway.
The UAE and South Korea both reported incidents involving strikes on ships in the vital channel on Monday. The UAE also reported a fire at the oil port of Fujairah, attributing it to an Iranian attack.
Shipping company Maersk informed the BBC that one of its US-flagged vessels had successfully exited the strait with US military protection, as part of what President Trump termed “Project Freedom”.
Iranian Response and Strait Blockade
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi commented that events in the strait “make clear that there’s no military solution to a political crisis.” He further stated: “Project Freedom is Project Deadlock.”
Maersk confirmed that the transit of one of its commercial vessels was “completed without incident, and all crew members are safe and unharmed.”
The Strait of Hormuz has remained largely blocked since US and Israeli air strikes on Iran in February. Tehran reportedly responded by blocking the crucial waterway, through which 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes.
In early April, the US and Iran announced a ceasefire. Under this agreement, Iran ceased its drone and missile strikes on Gulf countries, including the UAE, though few vessels have transited the strait since. Concurrently, the US imposed its own blockade on Iranian ports.
Conflicting Claims and Denials
President Trump stated: “We’ve shot down seven small boats or, as they like to call them, ‘fast’ boats. It’s all they have left.” The US military reported using helicopters to attack the boats, while Iran denied such attacks had taken place.
Earlier, the US reported that navy destroyers and US-flagged merchant ships sailed through the strait on Monday. Iran, however, called these claims “entirely false”, with its military stating it fired warning shots at a US warship. The US military denied this account.
Later on Monday, shipping firm Maersk announced that its US-flagged vessel, the Alliance Fairfax, which had been stranded in the Gulf since the US and Israeli actions against Iran at the end of February, had exited the Strait of Hormuz.
The firm stated it had been contacted by the US and “offered the opportunity for the vessel to exit the Gulf under US military protection.” In a statement, the firm added: “The vessel subsequently exited the Persian Gulf accompanied by US military assets.”
Incidents in the UAE and International Reactions
Meanwhile, the UAE’s foreign ministry reported that a tanker affiliated with Adnoc, its state-owned oil company, was struck in the Strait of Hormuz. South Korea also reported an explosion on one of its ships anchored just off the UAE.
UAE authorities also reported that air defenses had engaged 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles, and four drones. Local officials stated that one incident caused a large fire and three injuries at its key oil port of Fujairah.
Abu Dhabi characterized the incidents as a “dangerous escalation” and affirmed its right to respond. Iranian state TV quoted an unnamed military official as stating that Iran had “no plans to target the UAE.”
International leaders have condemned the reported attacks on UAE infrastructure. French President Emmanuel Macron described the incidents as “unjustified and unacceptable.” British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer stated that the UK would continue to “support the defence of our partners in the Gulf.”
Economic and Humanitarian Impact
The benchmark Brent crude oil price surpassed $115 a barrel shortly after reports emerged that Fujairah had come under attack, marking an increase of more than 5% on the day.
Fujairah is located on the UAE’s eastern coast on the Gulf of Oman, beyond the Strait of Hormuz. A pipeline from the oilfields of Abu Dhabi runs to Fujairah, enabling limited amounts of crude to be loaded onto tankers and shipped to world markets, despite the strait being effectively blockaded.
Neighbouring Qatar condemned the reported attack on the tanker affiliated with Adnoc and called for the strait’s “unconditional reopening.”
In Oman, state media reported on Monday that two people were injured when a residential building was targeted in Bukha, along the coastline of the Strait of Hormuz.
On Sunday, President Trump announced that the US would begin assisting stranded vessels out of the shipping lane as part of “Project Freedom.” An estimated 20,000 seafarers on 2,000 ships have been stuck since the US-Iran conflict began in February.
The President stated that the US had received requests from countries “from all over the World” to help free up their ships, which were “locked up in the Strait of Hormuz” and were “merely neutral and innocent bystanders!”
There has been growing concern over dwindling supplies and the effects on sailors’ physical and mental health. However, President Trump did not specify how the ships would be able to sail away, only threatening to use force “if, in any way, this Humanitarian process is interfered with.”
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