UAE Thwarts First Iranian Attack in Three Months
In a sudden escalation, Iran resumed its aggression against the United Arab Emirates for the first time since May last year, continuing its attacks on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
With the 60-day deadline for the 13-point memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States expiring without agreement on its renewal, the UAE Ministry of Defense announced that its air defenses detected two ballistic missiles coming from Iran toward the country. It clarified that the first missile fell outside territorial waters, while the second fell within them.
The Ministry affirmed that it is on high alert and ready to deal with any threats, resolutely countering any actions aimed at destabilizing the country’s security, thereby ensuring the preservation of its sovereignty, security, and stability, and protecting its national interests and assets.
Meanwhile, amid uncertainty regarding the trajectory of the conflict and declining prospects for a quick resolution to the war that began on February 28, US President Donald Trump stated that his administration does not seek to extend the memorandum of understanding between Islamabad and Iran, before posting a map of the Strait of Hormuz labeled “New American Land” yesterday.
The map was published on his official platform, Truth Social, following his statement two days prior that his forces have tightened control over the strategic Gulf strait and that he could annex it to US territory.
On the night of Monday-Tuesday, Trump said, “Iran did not make the deal I saw as necessary; it is in big trouble, in a state of chaos, and its army has been completely defeated. We are not seeking to extend the memorandum of understanding with them.”
The Republican president reiterated his assertion that Iran cannot and will never possess nuclear weapons, noting that “developing a nuclear weapon for the Islamic Republic would take a long time after the strikes we carried out on its nuclear facilities.”
Having returned to placing the Iranian nuclear file at the forefront of his current objectives, he pointed out that Iran wants to reach an agreement, affirming that his country’s forces are there to prevent them from acquiring nuclear weapons, and stressed that oil prices will continue to fall in the coming period.
While Republican circles fear the impact of the war’s ongoing repercussions on their chances in the midterm elections scheduled for November next year, House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed his belief that the Trump administration is moving toward ending the war and de-escalating tensions with Iran. He added that the conflict has naturally led to rising gasoline and food prices, and that the situation has lasted too long.
Johnson further stated that he believes a coalition of countries will eventually form, including NATO allies and Arab states in the region, emphasizing that all countries benefit from keeping the Strait of Hormuz open for trade.
In response, Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, yesterday outlined a list of demands he said the United States must meet before reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) quoted Qalibaf as stating his country’s conditions, which align with previous demands from Tehran: first, the lifting of the US naval blockade; second, the release of frozen Iranian assets; third, the removal of sanctions imposed on Iranian oil; and fourth, the end of all military threats and operations on all fronts.
Qalibaf, who is the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until Washington adheres to the terms of the interim agreement between Islamabad and Tehran, reached in mid-June last year through Pakistani-Qatari mediation, before collapsing rapidly on July 7 amid tensions over the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to Trump’s demand that Tehran surrender, dismissing the notion as an illusion that would never materialize. In remarks made yesterday, he stated, “We rejected a ceasefire and continued the war until the other side agreed to negotiate on our terms.”
Araghchi accused Israel of doing everything in its power to prevent the memorandum of understanding from being reached and implemented, noting that its efforts remain ongoing. He emphasized that diplomatic efforts and military operations are advancing along a unified path.
Following an Iranian hint at shifting from a defensive to an offensive strategy in the event that diplomatic efforts to end the crisis fail, the Deputy Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that the Strait of Hormuz is under the control of his forces, adding that “the enemy does not know what to do and is living in a state of helplessness.”
In the meantime, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan entered the fray of regional mediation between Tehran and Washington, urging his American counterpart to continue the diplomatic track with Iran to contain the escalating tensions in the region. This came during a phone call between the two leaders on the night of Monday. Erdogan affirmed Ankara’s desire to maintain political communications and offered full support for mediation efforts aimed at achieving peace. The two sides also discussed the navigation crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, amid stalled efforts to ensure freedom of navigation and resume oil tanker traffic—a issue previously raised by the Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers.
In this context, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari revealed that mediators are awaiting a bilateral agreement between Oman and Iran on the management of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz before returning to broader talks between the United States and Iran. He explained that reaching an agreement regarding the strait would greatly facilitate the resumption of US-Iranian talks. For his part, Al-Ansari noted that the invitation for Iran to send a delegation to Doha regarding the pilots’ case remains open, while describing Tehran’s request for the Red Cross to intervene in the matter as a “media ploy.”
On the ground, preliminary shipping data showed that vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was in the single digits the day before yesterday, though it rose slightly compared to levels at the beginning of the week. Meanwhile, a ship was hit by an “unknown projectile” while transiting the strait, resulting in one injury on board.
While US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that the destroyer USS Mason is participating in the “steel siege” against Iran, Axios reported that relocating the US aircraft carrier USS George Washington from Japan to the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln would leave a security gap, as the United States would be absent from the western Pacific.
In a related development, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced the release of two Egyptian sailors who had been detained in Iran since January last year, aboard the vessel *Rim Al-Bahr* at the port of Bandar Abbas.
