For the first time in nearly a month of truce, the United Arab Emirates said it was the target of several Iranian attacks on Monday. A senior Iranian officer quoted by state television for his part denounced the consequences of "American military adventurism", referring to the operation announced by Donald Trump to escort ships blocked in the Strait of Hormuz.

Published on: 05/05/2026 - 00:35

The United Arab Emirates announced that they had been targeted by several Iranian attacks on Monday May 4, on the first day of an American operation intended to restore the circulation of ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

These attacks, the first targeting civilian installations in a Gulf country in more than a month, undermine the fragile ceasefire in force since April 8, and have revived fears in the markets, where oil prices have jumped.

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Since the start of the war launched on February 28 by the United States and Israel against Iran, Tehran has controlled this strategic route through which a fifth of world oil consumption usually passes. Some 20,000 sailors are stranded there, according to a senior official from the British maritime safety agency UKMTO.

The Fujairah oil site, one of the few accessible in the region without passing through the strait, was targeted by a drone which caused a fire. Three Indian nationals were “moderately injured”, according to local authorities.

The Emirates also announced that they had been targeted by four cruise missiles "launched from Iran", three of which were intercepted and one damaged at sea, according to the Ministry of Defense. An oil tanker from the national oil company Adnoc was also targeted by two Iranian drones.

The Emirati Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced a “dangerous escalation”, stressing that the country reserved the right to retaliate.

War of stories

Iran “had no plans to target the Emirates,” Iranian state television said, citing an unidentified senior officer. This officer denounced the consequences of "American military adventurism", in reference to the operation announced by Donald Trump aimed at unblocking ships trapped in the Gulf by closing the Strait of Hormuz.

See also Can Donald Trump unblock Hormuz?

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned “a clear violation of sovereignty and international law” by Iran, expressing “total solidarity” with the Emirati people.

In Oman, two people were also injured in the attack on a residential building in the coastal town of Bukha, on the Strait of Hormuz, state media said.

Tehran, which has established de facto rights of passage to cross the strait, had warned the United States against any intervention in this strategic route: "If they intend to approach or penetrate it, they will be targeted and attacked", had warned General Ali Abdollahi, head of the command of the armed forces.

But the American president was pleased to have taken this initiative. "It works very well," assured Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House, reaffirming that there was no question of letting Iran acquire nuclear weapons, an ambition denied by Tehran.

Two American-flagged merchant ships “successfully” crossed the narrows, according to the American command for the region (CentCom).

According to CentCom chief Brad Cooper, US forces destroyed six Iranian boats and intercepted Iranian missiles and drones launched against US military and commercial vessels. Tehran has denied that merchant ships crossed the strait and that the United States destroyed Iranian boats.

South Korean authorities reported an “explosion” followed by a fire on a South Korean ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

Diplomacy at a standstill

In this context, the barrel of Brent, an international benchmark, jumped again, to 113.93 dollars. “The ongoing attacks confirm the persistence of threats to maritime transport,” said analysts from Eurasia Group, for whom the American operation will not allow “a substantial increase in traffic in the strait in the short term”.

Between the Strait of Hormuz and the nuclear aspect, differences remain significant between the two camps, and attempts to relaunch negotiations have failed, despite a first direct meeting in Pakistan on April 11.

The spokesperson for Iranian diplomacy, Esmaïl Baghaï, called on Monday the United States to “adopt a reasonable approach” and to abandon “excessive” demands, after Tehran received a response from Washington, which has not been made public, to a new Iranian settlement proposal.

According to the Iranian agency Tasnim, Tehran is demanding a list of measures: the withdrawal of American forces from areas close to Iran, the lifting of the blockade of Iranian ports and the freezing of the country's assets, the financing of reparations, the lifting of sanctions, a "mechanism" concerning the Strait of Hormuz and "the end of the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon", where Israel is fighting pro-Iranian Shiite Hezbollah.

The nuclear issue, which the United States and Israel make a central issue, apparently does not figure in this proposal.

With AFP

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