Women look at the Dubai skyline with the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, seen from Creek Harbor on April 3, 2026.
Fadel army AFP | getty images
The already shaky ceasefire between the United States and Iran appeared to be on the verge of collapse on Monday, as the United Arab Emirates came under attack by Iranian drones and missiles and the US said it sank Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump, A fox news Later in the interview on Monday, Iran was warned that it would be “blown to the ground” if it targeted US ships that were protecting commercial vessels passing through the strait.
Trump also said in the Truth Social post that a South Korean cargo ship in the waterway had come under Iranian fire. “Maybe now is the time for South Korea to come and join the mission!” trump wrote in the post.
Stock market indexes closed sharply lower and oil prices rose on Monday as investors grew concerned that the war’s impact on the global economy could worsen or last longer.
The increase came less than a day after Trump announced “Project Freedom”, a US effort to “free” ships stranded as a result of Iran’s de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Despite the hostility, Trump avoided saying whether the ceasefire with Iran – which he announced on April 7 and later unilaterally extended – had been violated, ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl said after speaking with the president on the phone.
Admiral Brad Cooper, who leads US Central Command, told reporters on Monday afternoon that US forces destroyed six small Iranian boats that were attempting to interfere with commercial shipping movements, Reuters reported.
Tehran’s state media has denied that its boats were sunk.
The UAE’s Defense Ministry said in a translated post on its official
“The sounds heard in different parts of the country are the result of UAE air defense systems intercepting ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones,” the ministry said.
It later said that its defense systems included 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four drones, with the attacks resulting in three “moderate injuries”.
The UAE Foreign Ministry said in a separate statement that the three injured people were Indian citizens.
Abu Dhabi “condemned in the strongest terms the renewed terroristic, unprovoked Iranian attacks targeting civilian sites and facilities in the country using missiles and drones,” the Foreign Ministry said.
MS Now reported that the UAE late said it would restrict its airspace for an entire week, affecting commercial air travel routes and airport access across the country.
The UAE is located on the southern shore of the Persian Gulf, a major chokepoint for oil shipments.
Later on Monday, a social media account linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps appeared to confirm that it had launched attacks against the UAE.
In translated messages on Telegram, the account posted visuals of drone and missile attacks carried out by what it said was the “IRGC Cyber Corps.” One post claimed to show the aftermath of a drone attack on the UAE’s Fujairah port, while another included a video that claimed to show a ship on fire after a missile attack.
“Due to the current situation, including potential missile threats, immediately seek shelter in the nearest secure building,” an alert sent to Dubai and Abu Dhabi on Monday evening local time warned people.
Emergency alert in UAE
Emma Graham | cnbc
