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“The Islamic Republic had no pre‑planned programme to attack the mentioned oil facilities, and what happened was the result of US military adventurism aimed at creating a passage for the illegal transit of ships through the restricted waterways of the Strait of Hormuz,” the official told Iran’s IRIB news agency.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahbaz Shqarif have condemned Monday’s attacks on the UAE during a call with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman reaffirmed his country’s support for the security and stability of UAE, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The call came after a the UAE’s Ministry of Defense intercepted 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles, and four drones launched from Iran on Monday, resulting in three minoir injuries.
The UAE says the arsenal of munitions had been fired by Iran – a claim since denied by the Islamic Republic.
The attacks were marked by the sound of warning messages flashing up on mobile phones across the emirates – the first time since the start of the ceasefire that the alerts had been seen or heard.
The alerts urged residents to “immediately seek a safe place in the closest secure building.”
The UAE’s eastern emirate of Fujairah also said an Iranian drone sparked a fire at an oil facility. Fujairah is the terminus of a pipeline the UAE has used to avoid shipping oil through the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran war.
Authorities in the emirate said three Indian residents were injured in the strike.
The UAE foreign ministry said in a statement the Iranian attacks marked a “serious escalation” and posed a “direct threat to the country’s security.” It added that it reserved the “full and legitimate right to respond” to the attacks.
A cargo ship also caught fire off the UAE coast on Monday, with the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center announcing the ship had caught fire, adding it was in the vessel’s engine room.
It confirmed the ship’s crew were all accounted for.
As the missiles were intercepted a defense ministry statement on X added: “The sounds heard in scattered areas of the country are the result of the successful interception of the aerial threats.”
Iran has launched more than 2,800 drone and missile attacks against the UAE since February 28, the first day of the US-Iran war, making it the most heavily targeted country in Tehran’s campaign against Gulf nations.
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jassem Al-Budaiwi condemned Iran’s attacks on the UAE, describing them as “a serious act of aggression and a blatant escalation.”
“The US military must be held accountable for this. US officials must put an end to the improper practice of using force in the diplomatic process and stop military adventurism in this sensitive oil region, which affects the economies of countries around the world.”
Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said in a social media post on Tuesday that the security of shipping and energy transit had been threatened by breaches of the four-week-old ceasefire by the US and its allies.
"The new equation of the Strait of Hormuz is in the process of being solidified. The security of shipping and energy transit has been jeopardised by the United States and its allies through the violation of the ceasefire and the imposition of a blockade," the X post read.
"We know well that the continuation of the current situation is unbearable for the United States, while we have not even begun yet," he said.
The strait is a vital thoroughfare for global supplies of oil, fertiliser and other commodities that have been virtually closed since the U.S. and Israel began attacks on Iran on February 28, causing price rises around the world.
Several merchant ships in the Gulf reported explosions or fires on Monday, and an oil port in the United Arab Emirates, which hosts a large U.S. military base, was set ablaze by Iranian missiles.
The US-led Joint Maritime Information Center is advising stranded ships to cross the Hormuz Strait in Oman’s waters saying it set up an “enhanced security area”, accordinh to Al Jazeera.
However, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Tuesday two commercial vessels attempting to traverse the sea route are now stuck.
“The waters near the coast of Oman are rocky and the vessels are unable to leave or return from this part,” Fars quoted an unnamed Iranian “informed source” as saying, as per Al Jazeera.
“The southern coast of the Strait of Hormuz – near the two islands of Musandam and al-Khail – does not have the geographical ability to become a maritime corridor, and the passage of vessels through the rocky and shallow southern areas is very risky,” the news report said.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has effectively closed the narrow waterway under threat of mines, drones, missiles and gunboats. The US has responded with a blockade of Iranian ports.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday's events showed there was no military solution to the crisis. He said peace talks were progressing with Pakistan's mediation, and warned the US and the UAE against being drawn into a "quagmire."
The US military said two US merchant ships made it through the strait, without saying when, with the support of Navy guided-missile destroyers.
While Iran denied any crossings had taken place, Maersk said the Alliance Fairfax, a US-flagged ship, exited the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz, accompanied by the US military, on Monday.
The commander of US forces in the region said his fleet had destroyed six small Iranian boats, which Iran also denied. Iranian media quoted a military commander as saying US forces targeted civilian boats, killing five civilians.
Iran also said on Monday it had fired on a US warship approaching the strait, forcing it to turn around. Iranian officials later described the fire as warning shots.
Reuters could not independently verify the full situation in the strait on Monday as the warring sides issued contradictory statements.
South Korea reported that one of its merchant ships, HMM Namu, in the strait suffered an explosion and fire in its engine room, though no one aboard was hurt. A South Korean government spokesperson said it was unclear if an attack caused the fire.
Also on Monday, the British maritime security agency UKMTO reported two ships had been hit off the coast of the UAE, and the Emirati oil company ADNOC said one of its empty oil tankers was hit by Iranian drones.
The Israeli army acknowledged Tuesday it has struck about 500 areas in Lebanon since a ceasefire took effect on April 17, and that five Israeli soldiers were killed and 33 others injured by Hezbollah fire.
“Five soldiers from the army and security forces were killed and 33 others injured since the ceasefire,” Army Radio said, amid what it described as strict censorship over the full extent of losses.
The broadcaster explained that three soldiers were killed by explosive-laden drones, two by improvised explosive devices, 31 were injured by explosive devices and two in clashes with Hezbollah fighters.
In recent weeks, Hezbollah’s drones have become a growing concern in Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describing them as a “major threat.”
According to the radio, Israeli aircraft carried out strikes on about 500 areas since the ceasefire, all in southern Lebanon except for one target in the Bekaa region.
"These figures demonstrate that there is no ceasefire in southern Lebanon,” Army Radio said.
Despite the ceasefire that was announced on April 17 and extended until May 17, the Israeli army continues daily strikes in Lebanon and widespread demolition of homes in dozens of villages.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Monday that 17 people were killed in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll from Israeli attacks since March 2 to 2,696, with 8,264 injured.
Israel occupies areas in southern Lebanon, some for decades and others since the previous war between 2023 and 2024, and has advanced about 10 kilometres into Lebanese territory during the current offensive.
Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli soldiers and vehicles in the strategic coastal area of Biyyada, while also striking a tank with a drone in the town of al-Qaouzah, according to Al Jazeera.
In a further update, the group said it struck Israeli bulldozers in the towns of Deir Siryan and Rashaf.
Israeli air attacks have been reported in the southern Lebanese towns of al-Mansouri and Qaaqaait al-Jisr, according to Al Jazeera.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah said it had struck a tank with a guided missile in the town of al-Bayadah.