US, Iran and UAE Trade Accusations of Strikes in the Strait of Hormuz

Tensions in the Gulf escalated this week after the US and Iran each claimed to have fired on and damaged each other's vessels, despite a ceasefire in the US-Israeli war against Iran.

After US President Donald Trump announced a plan to “guide” vessels stranded in the Gulf out of the Strait of Hormuz in an operation called Project Freedom, Iran declared it would fire on any ship attempting to use the strait without permission from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), raising fears of a return to war.

Trump offered no details on how US forces would ensure safe passage for commercial vessels. About 2,000 ships are currently stranded on both sides of the strait, which has been virtually closed since the war began on February 28.

Iran's Fars news agency reported on Monday that a US warship that refused to turn back from the Strait of Hormuz was struck by two Iranian drones. The US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) denied that any warship was hit and instead claimed to have sunk IRGC vessels. Iran, which denied any IRGC vessels were struck, published a map of the strait showing new boundaries of the area it controls that extended further east than before and included the territorial waters of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), raising fears of a new regional confrontation.

The UAE then accused Iran of attacking the eastern emirate of Fujairah with a volley of rockets and drones, causing a fire at an oil refinery and wounding three Indian nationals.

Recent claims and counterclaims by the US and Iran follow rhetoric used since the start of the war, where both sides have claimed to have hit the other while denying any damage to their own assets.

What is Project Freedom?

On Monday, Trump said US forces would begin escorting stranded vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, a direct challenge to Iran's closure of the strategic waterway, which in peacetime carries 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supply. Iranian threats to strike ships have effectively blockaded the strait since the US-Israeli attacks began on February 28.

The closure of this vital maritime corridor has sent oil and fertilizer prices soaring worldwide and raised fears of a global economic recession and food crisis. In response, the US began a naval blockade of Iran's ports on April 13.

Trump said the Project Freedom operation was conducted at the request of countries whose ships remain stranded on both sides of the strait, describing them as “neutral and innocent bystanders.” “This ship movement is purely to free people, companies and countries who have done nothing wrong – they are victims of circumstance,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, calling it a “humanitarian gesture.”

Did Iran strike a US warship on Monday?

Fars reported that a US warship was struck by two Iranian drones after it refused an order to turn back from the strait. However, CENTCOM denied this. The claim has not been verified by any independent observers. “Iranian leaders feel they need to respond to President Trump's escalation with an escalation of their own,” Shahram Akbarzadeh, professor of Middle East and Central Asian politics at Deakin University in Australia, told Al Jazeera. “If Iranians cannot benefit from export revenue because of the US blockade, they want to inflict similar economic pain on the US and its regional allies.”

Did the US hit Iranian vessels?

In a statement on Monday, US Admiral Brad Cooper said CENTCOM forces sank six IRGC vessels that tried to interfere with Project Freedom. Trump later said seven vessels were hit. On Tuesday, Iran's state television IRIB, citing an unnamed Iranian military commander, reported that Tehran had opened an investigation after the US accused it of attacking vessels. IRIB reported that no IRGC vessels were hit, but the investigation determined that US forces “attacked two small boats carrying people on their way from Khasab (Oman coast) to the Iranian coast on Monday.” The attacks destroyed the boats and killed five civilian passengers, the commander said. The US “must be held accountable for their crimes,” the commander added. The US has not commented, and the claim has not been verified by any independent observers.

Was the UAE also attacked?

The UAE accused Iran of attacks on Fujairah that caused a fire at an oil refinery. Its Defense Ministry said its air defense systems “intercepted” 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four drones launched from Iran on Monday. Iran has not officially commented, and the claim has not been verified by independent observers. On Tuesday, IRIB quoted a military official as saying: “The Islamic Republic had no pre-set program to attack the aforementioned oil installations, and what happened was the result of US military adventurism to create a passage for illegal ship transport through the restricted waterways of the Strait of Hormuz. The US military is responsible for this.” The official called on the US to stop “using force in the diplomatic process” and to end “military adventurism in this sensitive oil region, which affects the economies of countries around the world.” Akbarzadeh said that the “attack on Fujairah” is an example of Iran “spreading the pain.” The attack – if indeed carried out by Iran – would mark the first targeting of the UAE since the ceasefire agreed by Tehran and Washington took effect on April 8. The UAE Foreign Ministry condemned “in the strongest terms Iran's unprovoked terrorist attacks on civilian sites and facilities in the country.” It said it will not tolerate any threat to UAE security and sovereignty and warned that it reserves “its full and legal right to respond” to the attacks.

What do these developments mean?

Akbarzadeh said the latest developments pose a serious threat to any diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. “We are seeing escalation after escalation amid shuttle diplomacy,” Akbarzadeh said. “Such attacks, even if they are intended to be controlled, risk spinning off into another major war.” Akbarzadeh said neither the Americans nor the Iranians want war. However, neither is willing to appear weak. “This dynamic has locked them into a perpetual conflict and a circuit breaker is badly needed. Pakistan is trying to provide that circuit breaker with limited success.”