Dubai: US military leaders said Tuesday that a ceasefire with Iran remains in effect a day after Tehran was blamed for new attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and against the United Arab Emirates. The fragile truce, reached nearly a month ago, appeared to be holding as US forces pressed ahead with efforts to reopen the vital waterway for global energy. On Monday, the US said it sank six small Iranian boats that had threatened commercial ships.
So far, only two merchant ships are known to have passed through a new US-guarded route, with hundreds more bottled up in the Persian Gulf. It’s unclear whether continued US military action will reassure shippers without reigniting the conflict that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.
The UAE, a key American ally, said it came under attack by Iranian missiles and drones for a second straight day on Tuesday. At least three people were wounded in attacks the day before, and a drone sparked a fire at a key oil facility in the eastern emirate of Fujairah.
Iran’s effective closure of the strait, through which major oil and gas supplies passed before the war, along with fertilizer and other petroleum-derived products, has sent fuel prices skyrocketing and rattled the global economy.
Breaking Iran’s grip would deny its main source of leverage as US President Donald Trump demands a major rollback of its disputed nuclear program.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen Dan Caine, the US military’s top officer, told a news conference Tuesday that Iran’s renewed aggression hadn’t reached the threshold of what Caine called “major combat operations.” He said Tuesday marked a “quieter” day in the strait.
“No, the ceasefire is not over,” Hegseth said, affirming Caine’s assessment. They spoke before the latest attacks on the UAE.
Iran has said the new effort does violate the ceasefire. Iran’s Parliament speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, accused the US of undermining regional security. In a post on X, he signalled that Iran has yet to fully respond to the US attempt to reopen the waterway.
“We know full well that the continuation of the status quo is intolerable for America; while we have not even begun yet,” he said. His statement did not mention negotiations with the US that are now in the form of passing messages via Pakistan.
Disputing Washington’s claim of sinking six boats, an Iranian military commander said two small civilian cargo boats were hit on Monday, killing five civilians, Iran’s state TV reported.
Caine, the top US general who serves as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said more than 100 US military aircraft are patrolling skies around the strait.
“Since the ceasefire was announced, Iran has fired at commercial vessels nine times and seized two container ships, and they’ve attacked US forces more than 10 times all below the threshold of restarting major combat operations at this point,” Caine said.
The administration has cited the April 8 ceasefire in asserting that the president does not have to give a formal update to Congress on the war under the War Powers Resolution.
That law typically requires presidents to seek formal approval from Congress for war activities 60 days after beginning military action.
So far, just two civilian vessels, both US-flagged merchant ships, are known to have passed through the strait as part of the lane the US says it has created.
“At this point in time our risk assessment remains unchanged,” Hamburg, Germany-based shipping company Hapag-Lloyd AG said in a statement. “Transits through the Strait of Hormuz are for the moment not possible for our ships.”
Ship tracking data showed a Panamanian-flagged crude oil tanker heading toward the centre of the strait Tuesday after leaving an anchorage in the Persian Gulf, though it was unclear if it would try to pass through.
The tanker had a stated destination of Singapore, according to the MarineTraffic ship tracking site.
Iran has attacked ships that try to transit without going through its own route in the northern part of the narrow strait near the Iranian coastline. That involves going through vetting by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and payment in some cases.
The US-approved “Project Freedom” route goes through territorial waters of Oman to the south.
“For shipping companies and for insurance companies, they still have to wait and see how this plays out,” said Torbjorn Soltvedt, principal Middle East analyst at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft.
“This initiative alone isn’t something that looks like it’s going to open the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.
