U.S. And Iran Launch New Attacks As They Wrestle For Control Of Gulf Waters

DUBAI/WASHINGTON, May 4 (Reuters) – The United States and Iran launched new attacks in the Gulf on Monday as they battled naval blockades for control of the Strait of Hormuz, shaking a fragile ceasefire.

The new missile and drone attacks come after US President Donald Trump launched a new effort to move stranded tankers and other ships through the strait; it was a vital energy trading chokepoint that has been virtually shut down since the United States and Israel began attacking Iran in February, a war that has killed thousands of people across the region.

Before Monday ended, many merchant ships in the Gulf reported explosions or fires; The United States said six small Iranian military boats were destroyed and an oil port in the United Arab Emirates, home to a major US military base, was set on fire by Iranian missiles. Trump gave few details about his new effort, which he called “Project Freedom” to help stranded ships pass through the strait, as he announced it on social media two days after the legal deadline under US law for him to get permission for war from Congress expired. Trump told Congress that the war was “terminated” and that the deadline was moot; This claim was disputed by some MPs.

It was the first open attempt since last month’s ceasefire to use military force to unblock the world’s most important energy shipping route, which Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has said could only happen with its permission. The cost of shipping insurance has also increased rapidly.

The US Navy has been blocking Iranian maritime trade for weeks, which Iran says is itself an act of war. But Trump’s latest move appeared to backfire, at least initially; While it produced no increase in commercial ship traffic, it provoked a show of force by Iran, which threatened to respond to any increase with new attacks on neighbors hosting US troops.

Major shipping companies have said they will likely wait for hostilities to end before trying to cross the strait. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Monday’s events showed there was no military solution to the crisis. He said peace talks were progressing with the mediation of Pakistan and warned the US and the UAE not to be drawn into the “swamp by ill-intentioned individuals”.

“Project Freedom is Project Lockdown,” he wrote on social media. However, the US military said two US merchant ships passed through the strait with the support of the Navy’s guided missile destroyers, without specifying when. While Iran denied any transit took place in recent hours, Maersk said the US-flagged Alliance Fairfax ship left 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 destroyed six small Iranian boats, which Iran also denied. Admiral Brad Cooper said he “strongly advises” Iranian forces to stay away from US military assets conducting the mission. Iranian officials have released a map of the area they say is an expanded maritime area now under their control, extending well beyond the strait to include long stretches of the UAE’s coastline. South Korea reported that HMM Namu, one of the merchant ships in the strait, suffered an explosion and fire in the engine room, but no one on the ship was injured. A spokesman said it was unclear whether the fire was caused by an attack or inside.

British maritime safety agency UKMTO reported that two ships were hit off the coast of the UAE, and Emirati oil company ADNOC said one of its empty oil tankers was hit by Iranian drones.

After drone and missile attacks were reported within the UAE throughout the day, including one that caused a fire in Fujairah, a major oil port, the UAE said it marked a significant escalation of Iranian attacks and reserved the right to respond. Fujairah is located across the strait, making it one of the few export routes for Middle Eastern oil that does not require passing through. The government also said it is implementing distance learning for school students for safety reasons.

Iranian state television said military officials confirmed they attacked the UAE in response to “the adventurism of the US military”.

Previously, Iran announced that it opened fire on a US warship approaching the strait and forced the ship to turn back. The initial report from Iran said a US warship had been hit, but the US denied this and Iranian officials later described the fire as a warning shot.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the exact situation in the strait on Monday because the warring sides gave conflicting statements.

Oil prices rose more than 5% in volatile trading on news of increased Iranian attacks.

Iran’s unified command has told commercial ships and oil tankers that they must coordinate with their armed forces.

“We warn that any foreign armed forces, especially the aggressive US Army, will be attacked if they approach or consider entering the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement said. The US and Israel suspended bombing activities against Iran four weeks ago, and US and Iranian officials held a round of face-to-face peace talks. However, attempts to organize more meetings were unsuccessful.

Iranian state media reported on Sunday that the United States had conveyed its response to Iran’s 14-point proposal through Pakistan and that Iran was reviewing it. Neither side gave details.

Iran’s proposal would postpone discussions on Iran’s nuclear energy and research programs until after an agreement to end the war and resolve the shipping dispute. Trump said over the weekend that he was still working on it but would likely reject it.

Latest US intelligence shows limited damage to Iran’s nuclear program, officials told Reuters, adding that Iran has had a completely peaceful civilian nuclear program since the start of the war. Iran’s nuclear facilities were bombed by the USA and Israel last year. Trump wants to remove Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile to prevent Iran from processing it to the point where it could build a nuclear weapon.

(Reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Gareth Jones, Peter Graff, Patricia Zengerle and Jonathan Allen Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Kevin Liffey, Joe Bavier, Cynthia Osterman and Andrea Ricci)