LiveUS destroys 7 small Iranian boats as it seeks to free Strait of Hormuz; Iran attacks UAE oil refinery
08:15
Britain condemns Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday condemned the Iranian drone and missile strikes targeting the United Arab Emirates.
He called on Iran to engage in diplomacy to prevent further escalation in the Middle East, the prime minister’s office said.
“We stand in solidarity with the UAE and will continue to support the defence of our partners in the Gulf. This escalation must cease. Iran needs to engage meaningfully in negotiations to ensure the ceasefire in the Middle East endures, and a long-term diplomatic solution is achieved,” he said.
PHOTO: AFP
07:45
IMF chief Georgieva warns of 'much worse outcome' if Middle East war drags into 2027
The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday warned that inflation was already picking up and the global economy could face a “much worse outcome” if the war in the Middle East drags into 2027 and oil prices hit around US$125 (S$159.60) per barrel.
IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva said the continuation of the war meant that the global lender’s scenario calling for a minor slowdown of global growth and a minor increase in prices was no longer possible.
07:15
US intelligence indicates limited new damage to Iran's nuclear programme, sources say
US intelligence assessments indicate that the time Iran would need to build a nuclear weapon has not changed since last summer, when analysts estimated that a US-Israeli attack had pushed back the timeline by up to a year, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
The assessments of Tehran’s nuclear programme remain broadly unchanged even after two months of a war that US President Donald Trump launched in part to stop the Islamic Republic from developing a nuclear bomb.
The unchanged timeline suggests that significantly impeding Tehran’s nuclear programme may require destroying or removing Iran’s remaining stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth has said publicly that the US aims to ensure Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon via ongoing negotiations with Tehran.
PHOTO: REUTERS
06:48
Maersk unit's US-flagged ship transits Hormuz accompanied by US military
Maersk said the Alliance Fairfax, a US-flagged vehicle carrier operated by its Farrell Lines subsidiary, exited the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz accompanied by US military assets on Monday.
American forces are actively assisting efforts to restore commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command (Centcom) said on the social media site X.
“As a first step, two US-flagged merchant vessels have successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz,” Centcom said, adding that US Navy guided-missile destroyers are operating in the Gulf under a directive called “Project Freedom”.
Maersk said the transit of the Alliance Fairfax was completed without incident and that all crew were safe and unharmed.
PHOTO: REUTERS
06:15
The situation so far
The US military on Monday said it had destroyed seven Iranian “small boats” and intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and drones fired by Tehran as the Islamic Republic sought to thwart a fresh US naval effort to open shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump launched the operation, called Project Freedom, on Monday as he sought to wrest control of the critical waterway from Iran after Tehran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz after the US and Israel started the conflict on Feb 28.
US Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of Central Command (CENTCOM), declined to comment on whether he thought a ceasefire begun on April 8 remained in effect as Iran lashed out in the region, including with drone and missile attacks on the UAE on Monday.
The Gulf Arab state’s foreign ministry said that the attacks marked a serious escalation and posed a direct threat to the country’s security, adding that the UAE reserved its “full and legitimate right” to respond.
Multiple flights bound for the UAE diverted to Muscat in Oman, while other inbound aircraft circled over Saudi Arabia, according to flight tracking service Flightradar24, as the attacks caused widespread disruption to air traffic.
Adm Cooper said he “strongly advised” Iranian forces to remain well clear of US military assets as Washington launches the operation, which he said involved 15,000 US troops, US Navy destroyers, over 100 land- and sea-based aircraft and undersea assets.
The US operation to unblock the strait involved multiple steps, including first clearing a pathway of Iranian mines. The US then proved the safety of the route earlier on Monday by sending two US-flagged commercial ships through the strait.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards disputed this, saying no commercial vessels had crossed the strait in the past few hours, and that US claims to the contrary were false. Iranian state media also denied reports that the US had sunk Iranian vessels.
Here are other key developments:
- A South Korean-operated ship had an explosion and fire on Monday in the Strait of Hormuz, in an incident which US President Donald Trump said was caused by an Iranian attack. There were no casualties reported on the vessel operated by South Korean shipper HMM and the authorities were investigating what caused the blaze. Early on Tuesday, the shipper said the fire on the vessel had been extinguished.
- US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday urged China to step up its diplomatic efforts to persuade Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping, adding that the subject will be discussed when President Donald Trump meets Chinese President Xi Jinping next week.
