Here's the latest
• Ceasefire tested: Iran’s parliament speaker says the US and its allies have jeopardized secure shipping after a day of attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, adding “we have not even begun yet.” President Donald Trump declined to say, when asked, whether the ceasefire remains in place, and Israel is coordinating with the US for a potential new round of strikes, a source said.
• UAE under fire: The United Arab Emirates, a US ally, defended itself against Iranian strikes for the first time since the ceasefire began in early April, with one drone attack causing a fire at a major oil port.
• Economic impact: Oil prices are falling today, but remain above $100 a barrel, amid tensions as result of actions on the waterway, but stock markets look set for a better day after losing ground yesterday.
Two reasons why Iran may have attacked the UAE on Monday
The UAE bore the brunt of Iran’s attacks during the war. On Monday, it was hit again, almost a month after a ceasefire between Iran and the United States. No other state was targeted, and the truce is largely holding.
Here’s why Iran may have attacked the country:
Controlling energy supply: While war-related disruptions, the UAE has kept more crude flowing to global markets than neighbors reliant on the now-shut Strait of Hormuz. Its pipeline at Fujairah, on the Gulf of Oman, was built specifically to bypass Hormuz – and that is what came under attack on Monday, along with UAE-linked tanker near the strait. Oil prices spiked.
Shortly before the attacks, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy published a map showing a “new control area of the Strait of Hormuz” that included Fujairah, which lies outside the waterway. The move coincided with the start of the US’ “Project Freedom” to restore navigation through the strait. The timing suggests Iran was signaling both the will and capability to disrupt energy flows across the wider region.
Relations with Israel: The war has drawn Israel and the UAE closer. Officials expect ties to deepen, and sources say Israel took the unprecedented step of supplying the UAE with its missile defense systems and deploying troops to an Arab country for the first time. This comes as the UAE signals an apparent strategic realignment, moving away from traditional Arab and Muslim allies over what it describes as their meek response to Iranian attacks.
Shortly after the UAE was hit, an Iranian military source was cited by Tasnim news warning that the Abu Dhabi “will learn a lesson they will never forget” if it becomes “a pawn for Israel.”
Pakistan condemns strikes on United Arab Emirates
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has strongly condemned “missile and drone attacks on civilian infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates last night,” without mentioning who launched these attacks.
“It is absolutely essential that the ceasefire be upheld and respected, to allow necessary diplomatic space for dialogue leading to enduring peace and stability in the region,” Shehbaz said, in a post on X today.
The UAE’s Defense Ministry said yesterday that it had intercepted several missiles from Iran, marking the first interceptions since the country declared its airspace free of threats on April 9, coinciding with the start of the US-Iran ceasefire.
Three Indian nationals were moderately injured in a “major fire” caused by an Iranian drone strike on the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, Emirati authorities said yesterday.
The UAE’s Foreign Ministry condemned what it called “treacherous” Iranian attacks targeting civilian sites, saying that the strikes represented a “dangerous escalation,” an “unacceptable transgression” and a direct threat to the emirates’ security, stability and territorial safety.
Pakistan has become a crucial mediator in peace talks between Iran and the United States during the war, with diplomats from both countries meeting in the country’s capital Islamabad for face-to-face talks last month, though they were unable to reach an agreement.
CNN’s Nadeen Ebrahim, Max Saltman, Eyad Kourdi and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this reporting.
Israel coordinating with US as escalating Strait of Hormuz tension risks Iran ceasefire
Israel is coordinating with the US as escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz have put the Iran ceasefire at risk, according to an Israeli source.
The coordination includes preparation for a potential new round of strikes on Iran, the source said, which would focus on energy infrastructure and the targeted killing of senior Iranian officials. Most of these plans were largely prepared and ready for execution on the eve of the ceasefire in early-April.
“The intention would be to carry out a short campaign aimed at pressuring Iran into further concessions in negotiations,” the source told CNN. But any decision to resume hostilities ultimately rests with US President Donald Trump, the source emphasized. Trump has grown frustrated at the deadlock in negotiations and the inability to open the Strait of Hormuz, but he has also signaled that he does not want to resume a full-scale conflict with Iran.
Israel has been skeptical from the outset about the prospects of negotiations between Iran and the United States, an Israeli official told CNN, but Monday’s renewed Iranian missile fire toward the Gulf accelerated preparations potential escalation in hostilities.
Over the past week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been holding consultations in limited, tightly-controlled security forums, according to an Israeli source familiar with the matter. Netanyahu also instructed government ministers not to comment publicly on Iran.
South Korea reviewing US proposal to join operation in Strait of Hormuz
South Korea is evaluating whether to join US efforts to guide merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement Tuesday.
“The government holds the principle that safety and free navigation in international maritime passage should meet all nations’ common interest and be protected according to international law,” reads the statement.
“We are reviewing the US proposal about the Strait of Hormuz based on the principle, the military readiness posture on the Korean Peninsula and domestic laws. About Project Freedom, South Korea and the US have been closely communicating for safe use of key waterways including the Hormuz Strait,” it added.
US forces launched Project Freedom, which aims to help merchant ships safely transit the Strait of Hormuz, on Monday.
South Korea and many other Asian economies have been badly affected by restrictions on shipping through the strait as they are highly reliant on fuel imports from the Gulf.
The fallout of the US and Israel’s war with Iran is poised to cost the Asia-Pacific economy hundreds of billions of dollars and plunge millions into poverty, according to a report from the United Nations published April 14.
In addition, Asia accounts for more than half of the world’s manufacturing, which means economic hits to the region can have significant global impact.
Here's what has happened in the Strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the US would begin guiding ships through the Strait of Hormuz in an effort he dubbed “Project Freedom.”
The mission, which began yesterday, has so far seen at least two US-flagged vessels guided out of the waterway, and an escalation in tensions between Iran and the US and its allies.
- After the mission was announced, a top Iranian military official warned that “any foreign military force, especially the invading American army … will be attacked” if they try to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz.
- Iran’s navy said yesterday that it prevented US ships from entering the strait, according to Iranian state media. Meanwhile, US Central Command (CENTCOM) denied that a US vessel was struck by Iranian missiles near the strait, after Iranian state media claimed that this took place.
- The United Arab Emirates condemned what it said was an “Iranian terrorist attack” that targeted a tanker belonging to the state oil firm ADNOC that tried to pass through the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, as an explosion also took place on a South Korea-linked vessel in the strait.
- CENTCOM announced yesterday that two US-flagged merchant vessels successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz, though Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) denied that this happened.
- The Danish shipping and logistics company Maersk confirmed one of its ships traversed the Strait of Hormuz with US military protection yesterday, saying that all of its crew members are “safe and unharmed.”
CNN’s Laura Sharman, Tim Lister, Michael Williams, Sarah Tamimi, Nadeen Ebrahim, Gawon Bae, Mustafa Qadri, Mohammed Tawfeeq and Max Saltman contributed to this reporting.
IRGC map shows wide Iranian control over Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Monday unveiled a new map declaring Iranian military control over a wide area either side of the chokepoint, according to state-affiliated media.
The map, published on Iran’s semi-official news agency Fars Monday, showed “the new control area.”
From the west, the area starts with a line between the westernmost tip of Iran’s Qeshm island to the United Arab Emirates’ Umm al Quwain emirate. The area ends from the east at a line between Iran’s Mount Mobarak and the Fujairah emirate in the UAE.
The IRGC’s publishing of the map coincided with what Emirati authorities said was a drone attack on Monday in Fujairah on an oil port that caused a fire and injured three Indian nationals.
The Strait of Hormuz remained almost empty Monday, despite US President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States military would begin protect shipping trying to leave the Gulf. Iran has rejected Trump’s plan to guide ships through, warning that “any foreign military force, especially the invading American army” will be attacked if they try to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz.
UAE caught in a “vicious cycle” amid fresh Iran attacks, former US advisor warns
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is caught in a “vicious cycle,” as Iranian strikes risk pushing Abu Dhabi closer to the US and Israel, a former advisor to the US Defense Department says.
Iran struck the major Emirati oil port of Fujariah yesterday, injuring three Indian nationals, according to authorities.
“It really is a kind of this vicious cycle here,” Jasmine El Gamal told CNN’s Becky Anderson on Connect the World earlier today. “The more the UAE bore the brunt… in those early weeks, the more the UAE doubled down publicly on its strategic alliance with the US and Israel, which in turn made it more of a target for Iran.”
Iran had threatened to strike the UAE if it deepened its ties with Israel. “If the Emiratis become pawns of Israel and make a mistake, they will learn a lesson they will never forget,” an Iranian military spokesperson warned, according to semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim.
“If the UAE takes an unwise action, all its interests will become targets for Iran, and no part of the Emirati facilities will be safe,” the spokesperson added.
Since the war with Iran began, the UAE has left the Arab-led oil coalition OPEC and accepted military aid from Israel.
Iran’s foreign minister traveling to China today
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is set to travel to China today as part of ongoing diplomatic consultations between Tehran and Beijing, Iran’s semi-official news agency Mehr reported Tuesday.
During the visit to Beijing, Aragchi will meet his Chinese counterpart to discuss bilateral relations as well as regional and international developments, Mehr said.
Aragchi’s visit to China will come ahead of Donald Trump’s. The US president is scheduled to meet with China’s leader Xi Jinping for a two-day summit starting May 14. Trump had initially planned to visit Beijing in late March, but postponed the trip due to the US-Israeli war with Iran.
Oil prices pull back after hitting a 2026 high, US stock futures up
Oil prices are falling today, but remain above $100 a barrel, as traders digest a flurry of Middle East news and as tensions in the Strait of Hormuz escalate.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was down 1.4% to around $112.8 a barrel. WTI, the US benchmark, was 2.2% lower at $104 a barrel. Brent settled at $114.4 a barrel yesterday, its highest closing price this year.
Renewed attacks in the Gulf, including on a major oil port in the United Arab Emirates, have cast doubt on the state of the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, “as both the sides look to exert influence over the Strait of Hormuz,” Deutsche Bank analysts wrote in a note today.
“Oil markets also moved to price rising risks of persistent disruption,” the analysts added. They noted that Brent futures contracts for delivery of physical crude in 6 months’ time posted their largest daily increase since March 2022 yesterday to reach $91.99 a barrel.
Meanwhile, stock markets look set for a better day after losing ground yesterday. S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq futures point to a stronger open. The S&P 500 is now around 13.5% above its Iran war low on March 30 thanks to strong earnings from tech companies, according to Deutsche Bank.
Major indexes in Paris and Frankfurt are also higher. London’s FTSE 100 is down 1%, however, partly because heavyweight constituent HSBC has tumbled more than 6% after it reported a $400 million charge related to a collapsed UK mortgage lender.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng finished lower yesterday, while markets in Japan, China and South Korea were closed today.
Why the Strait of Hormuz is so crucial to the global economy
A narrow waterway that bypasses Iran and Oman, the Strait of Hormuz is the main route for shipping crude from oil-rich countries such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the rest of the world.
The strait has remained a major flashpoint since the start of the conflict after it was effectively closed by Iran following strikes by the US and Israel on the country on February 28.
Iran controls the strait’s northern side. About 20 million barrels of oil, or about one-fifth of daily global production, used to flow through the strait every day, according to the US Energy Information Administration, which calls the channel a “critical oil chokepoint.”
While some producers, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have found alternative routes for their exports, around 10-12 million barrels of crude remain choked off from global markets.
The strait also carries about one-fifth of global trade in liquefied natural gas, largely from Qatar.
Trump declines to say whether ceasefire is still in effect
President Donald Trump declined to say if the fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran remains in place, after both sides fired shots in the Strait of Hormuz.
Pressed last night by conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt if the ceasefire with Iran is “over,” and if strikes could resume as that evening, Trump told Hewitt, “Well, I can’t tell you that.”
“You wouldn’t — if I answered that question, you’d say this man is not smart enough to be president,” Trump said.
Earlier, in an interview with Fox News, Trump warned Iranian forces they would be “blown off the face of the Earth” if they attempted to target US ships in the strait or the Persian Gulf.
Later in the interview, he insisted war with Iran, “militarily … is essentially over.”
US can block Iran in Hormuz with zone defense instead of man-to-man, analyst says
As the US military launched Project Freedom to help “guide” merchant ships to safely transit the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, US Central Command chief Adm. Bradley Cooper stressed it was a “defensive operation.”
Cooper said a variety of US ships, planes, helicopters and drones was being used to put a “defensive umbrella” over the strait.
Two US-flagged merchant ships passed through the strait as US forces took out Iranian threats, Cooper said, adding that more ships were waiting to get through.
But some analysts wonder if the US has enough assets to protect more merchant ships and attain pre-war numbers of around 120 ships crossing the critical waterway daily.
The more ships the US tries to help, the more risk it takes, Jones told CNN’s Erin Burnett.
But retired Navy Capt. Carl Schuster, a former director of operations at the US Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center, sees it differently.
Schuster made an analogy to football. The US military is playing zone defense, not man-to-man, he told CNN, using the football analogy.
If the zone is set up correctly, more defenders aren’t needed even if Iran adds offensive players, he said.
A more likely move for Iran is to look outside the lines (to carry on the analogy), he said.
Iran will “look for more attacks on loading terminals and oil facilities,” not the ships moving through the strait under US protection, Schuster said.
What's happening in the UAE?
Iran targeted the United Arab Emirates on Monday for the first time since the ceasefire began, with the US ally saying its air defenses “engaged” 19 missiles and drones.
Three Indian nationals were injured in a “major fire” caused by a drone strike on the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, Emirati authorities said. And at least one vessel was also attacked off the UAE coast.
An Israeli air defense system deployed to the United Arab Emirates was involved in intercepting the missiles, a source told CNN. Israel had secretly deployed an Iron Dome aerial defense system to the UAE at the beginning of the war with Iran, sources previously told CNN — a sign of their growing cooperation.
The strikes plunged the nation’s residents into fresh uncertainty, with schools shifting to remote learning this week.
After the strikes, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned the US and UAE against getting drawn into a “quagmire,” saying that recent “events in (the Strait of) Hormuz make clear that there’s no military solution to a political crisis.”
The UAE condemned Iran’s renewed attacks targeting civilian sites and facilities in the country, saying it reserves the right to respond to defend its national security. The country has sustained more incoming fire from Iran than any other country over the past two months.
The Qatari government, meanwhile, pledged “full solidarity” with its neighbor. Qatar was similarly targeted by Iran’s strikes before the ceasefire and even engaged in its first air-to-air combat against Iranian bombers in March.
CNN’s Max Saltman, Eyad Kourdi, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Tal Shalev and Nadeen Ebrahim contributed reporting to this post.
Iran's key negotiator accuses US and allies of jeopardizing shipping security
Iran’s powerful parliament speaker says the United States and its allies have jeopardized secure shipping and energy transportation “through the violation of the ceasefire and the imposition of a blockade” at the Strait of Hormuz, where tensions are mounting.
“Of course, their evil will diminish,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf – who has been leading negotiations for Tehran and has emerged as a key voice of the Iranian regime – posted on X on Tuesday.
“We know full well that the continuation of the status quo is intolerable for America; while we have not even begun yet,” he added.
His comments come as the uneasy ceasefire is strained further by both sides firing shots in the Hormuz strait. President Donald Trump won’t say whether the US-Iran truce remains in place but warned Iranian forces they would be “blown off the face of the Earth” if they targeted US ships in the strait or the Persian Gulf.
Can the US scale up its plan to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz?
Day one of Project Freedom, the US military’s plan to get shipping moving again through the Strait of Hormuz, was a success, the top US commander in the Middle East says.
But independent analysts are more circumspect, pointing out that only two US-flagged vessels made it through the strait under US protection and scaling up the operation to restore pre-war traffic of 120 or vessels a day seems like a long shot, especially if Iran is not cooperating.
Adm. Bradley Cooper, the head of US Central Command, told reporters in a conference call Monday that the US used a combined force of destroyers, helicopters, fighter jets, drones and other assets to protect the movement of the two US ships through the strait.
Iranian cruise missiles that targeted US Navy destroyers and the merchant ships were shot down, and US helicopters sank six small Iranian boats that attempted to attack the commercial vessels, the US admiral said.
For those two merchant ships, the operation seemed to go exactly as it was envisioned, with layered US defenses protecting ships following a route the US Navy determined was safe from mines.
Cooper said there was “a lot of enthusiasm” for Project Freedom and other ships were moving to take advantage of it.
Analyst Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain, told CNN he thinks those merchant ship numbers could soon grow to 20 to 30 a day if US protection isn’t breached.
But he and others cautioned, “Iran gets a vote in this.”
Retired US Army Lt. Gen. Karen Gibson, speaking on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” called the first day of Project Freedom a “tactical success,” but said it must be measured against that pre-war flow of 120 vessels a day.
Iran just needs to continue to present a perception of risk to keep merchant traffic to small numbers, she said, essentially keeping Hormuz all but closed.
Why Trump's trip to China could complicate decisions on Iran ceasefire
US President Donald Trump’s highly anticipated visit to Beijing next week could complicate any decision to resume the war with Iran.
He initially delayed the trip from April while the conflict raged. China has called for reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, where much of the energy products it relies upon pass through.
Arriving in Beijing with the conflict at best unresolved — or at worst raging yet again — could place Trump in a weakened position in his talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Speaking to Fox News on Monday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent — who has been leading preliminary discussions with the Chinese ahead of Trump’s visit — said the country could do more to convince Iran to allow ships to pass through the strait.
Read more here about Trump’s gambit to move ships through the strait.
Are you looking to change jobs because of soaring gas prices? Tell us all about it
High gas prices are prompting some people to look for new jobs with shorter commutes or work-from-home options.
Are you considering switching jobs to reduce how much you are spending on gas? Or are you asking your boss if you can work remotely more often?
Or are you an employer who is letting your staffers work more from home amid high gas prices?
Share your story with us.
You could be contacted by a CNN reporter for a future story. We will not publish your responses without connecting with you first.
"Project Freedom" has shipping insiders wary about crossing “hazardous” Strait of Hormuz
After triggering fresh violence in the Gulf, “Project Freedom” appears to have backfired and shipping executives remain extremely wary about crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump launched “Project Freedom” on Monday to “guide” commercial ships through the strait and after it went into effect, the US and Iran traded shots in the shipping channel.
And the UAE said Iran fired missiles and drones at a major oil port in Fujairah, which lies just beyond the strait. Its location is significant as it’s one of the few export routes for Middle East oil that does not need to transit through the critical waterway.
This is the biggest escalation in violence since the ceasefire was announced four weeks ago.
After “Project Freedom” was announced, Iran said commercial ships and tankers should instead coordinate with its armed forces, and that US forces would be attacked if they entered the Strait of Hormuz.
The conflicting information from both sides has left ship captains unsure of how to proceed.
“Operating in prolonged uncertainty places a different kind of pressure on crews. While we remain focused, disciplined, and committed to our routines, the waiting itself is demanding,” said Captain ArunKumar Rajendran of Fleet Management Limited, who is among the estimated 20,000 seafarers waiting to pass through the strait.
Iranian drone strike causes fire at UAE oil facility
Iran launched strikes at the United Arab Emirates on Monday for the first time since the ceasefire began. CNN’s Paul Hancocks reports.
Three Indian nationals were moderately injured following an Iranian drone strike that sparked a “major fire” at the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, Emirati authorities said. CNN's Paula Hancocks reports.
Will the US-Iran ceasefire hold? Here's what we know
Tensions are escalating in the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran and the US trading shots — and putting a fragile ceasefire on even shakier footing.
In interviews on Monday, US President Donald Trump declined to say if the ceasefire is still in effect, and warned Iranian forces would be “blown off the face of the Earth” if they targeted US ships in the critical waterway or Persian Gulf.
Here’s where things stand:
- The US military took down at least six small Iranian boats in the strait on Monday, US Central Command chief Adm. Bradley Cooper said. A report in Iranian state media disputed the US claim of having sunk the boats.
- Iran launched “multiple cruise missiles, drones and small boats” at US Navy ships and at commercial ships being “protected” by the US military, Cooper said. Trump said “no damage” had been incurred as a result of the Iranian strikes, other than to a South Korean vessel.
- The South Korean-operated vessel in the Strait of Hormuz that caught fire after an explosion will be towed to a nearby port for repairs, Seoul’s foreign ministry said Tuesday. Twenty-six South Korea-related vessels have been stranded at the strait since the war began.
- Iran also targeted the United Arab Emirates, a US ally, for the first time since the ceasefire began. The UAE said its air defenses “engaged” 19 Iranian missiles and drones. An Israeli air defense system deployed to the UAE was involved in intercepting the strikes, a source told CNN. And a drone strike on the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone caused a fire that injured three Indian nationals. India condemned the attack.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned the US and UAE against getting drawn into a “quagmire,” saying that recent “events in (the Strait of) Hormuz make clear that there’s no military solution to a political crisis.” He said talks were “making progress with Pakistan’s gracious effort.”
- There are no “escorts” of commercial ships by the US Navy, according to Cooper. Instead, the US has used “a much broader defensive package” to clear a “one way” path through the Strait meant to allow commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf to exit, he said.
- Danish shipping and logistics company Maersk confirmed that one of its ships traversed the strait with US military protection. US Central Command had previously announced two ships had transited the waterway.
- In other headlines, preparatory talks are expected ahead of more negotiations between Israel and Lebanon in Washington, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s office said. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said “there is no ceasefire in Lebanon, but rather ongoing Israeli American aggression,” as the Iran-backed group trades fire with Israeli forces despite the shaky ceasefire.
CNN’s Gawon Bae, Max Saltman, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Eyad Kourdi, Natasha Bertrand, Zachary Cohen, Tal Shalev, Kit Maher, Donald Judd and Adam Cancryn contributed reporting to this post.
