Iran launches missiles at UAE, sending oil prices soaring

The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defense wrote in X that four missiles were flying from Iran towards the country. The UAE Armed Forces intercepted three of them, and the last one fell into the sea.

The authorities of the emirate of Fujairah have written about a fire at an oil industrial facility caused by an Iranian drone. The emirateʼs civil defense teams are trying to put out the flames.

In the afternoon, Iranʼs Fars news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that the Armed Forces had launched cruise missiles and drones to warn off US destroyers that were trying to approach the Strait of Hormuz with their radars turned off.

Earlier, another IRGC-affiliated media outlet, Tasnim, reported that the IRGC had fired missiles at a US destroyer and a tanker refueling it in the Arabian Sea, causing a major fire on both ships. The US military denied this claim.

The reports of the attacks have sent energy prices soaring, with Brent crude now selling for nearly $115 a barrel.

War in the Middle East and negotiations between Iran and the US

On the morning of February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. These attacks killed Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and almost the entire military leadership of the country — about 40 key high-ranking officials.

Iran, in response to the US and Israeli attacks, began shelling Arab countries and Israel. The war also halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea corridor between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean. It was through it that almost a fifth of the worldʼs oil exports passed — tens of millions of barrels a day.

On April 8, the parties agreed to a two-week ceasefire. On April 13, the United States began a naval blockade of Iranian ports, demanding the complete unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz for all ships.

On April 17, Lebanon and Israel agreed to a ceasefire, after which Iran unblocked the Strait of Hormuz. However, on April 18, Iran reported that it was again blocking the Strait of Hormuz due to the US naval blockade. On the same day, Iran fired on several ships attempting to pass through the strait.

On April 19, Donald Trump announced that his representatives would go to Pakistan for talks. But Iran refused to send its delegation. The Foreign Ministry noted that the US had violated the ceasefire, and Iran "cannot forget the US attacks on it during previous talks".

On April 21, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had extended the truce with Iran until the Iranians submitted their proposals and concluded discussions. And on May 1, Axios wrote, citing a letter from Trump to House Speaker Mike Johnson, that Trump considered the war over.

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