The fragility of the four-week truce in the Middle East was exposed this Monday 4, when the United Arab Emirates accused Iran of having launched attacks against its territory. At the same time, the US military claimed to have destroyed six Iranian military vessels, as well as missiles and drones aimed at ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates blamed Iran for a drone attack that caused a fire in the Fujairah Oil Industrial Zone, the largest oil storage area in the country, in the first offensive of its kind since the ceasefire was signed on the 7th. In Oman, two people were injured in an attack in Bukha, according to a state news agency, which did not identify the perpetrator.
Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, said his warships shot down cruise missiles and drones fired by Iran at commercial vessels being escorted by the US Navy in Hormuz.
US Central Command said army helicopters destroyed six Iranian military speedboats that threatened ships in the strait. Donald Trump said Iran had “fired on uninvolved nations,” including a South Korean cargo ship, in connection with an initiative the president announced on Sunday to help steer stranded ships out of Hormuz. According to the US, two merchant ships had breached the Iranian blockade, which Tehran denied.
Map
Iran has neither officially confirmed nor denied the resumption of attacks, and a senior military official denied, in statements to state media, that its boats had been sunk. The country’s armed forces said they maintained “complete control” of the strait. The military also claimed to have hit an American navy frigate, which the US denied.
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The state news agency Irib News released a map, attributed to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, that shows the “new area” of Hormuz under Iranian control. In the image, two red lines delimit a section of the strait.
Iranian forces have maintained control over Hormuz since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28. In retaliation, Tehran has attacked targets in Israel and Gulf countries. (WITH INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES)
