The ceasefire with Iran is hanging by a thread. Tehran fired four missiles and a drone at the UAE, triggering a fire at the oil facility in Fujairah.
According to the Fujairah Press Office, a large fire broke out at an industrial oil unit following a drone attack attributed to Iran. The blaze spread quickly while civil defense forces were immediately mobilized. No casualties or damage to neighboring facilities have been reported.
The UAE Ministry of Defense confirmed that four cruise missiles were launched from Tehran minutes before the fire broke out, intensifying concerns over escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf.
U.S. Navy Authorized to Fire on Iranian Threats in the Strait of Hormuz
Earlier today, according to Axios journalist Barak Ravid, U.S. armed forces were given the green light to neutralize direct threats against ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz, including IRGC speedboats and coastal missile systems locking onto the area.
Ravid connects this shift to a prior Axios report stating that the American president had grown tired of the “no deal, no war” stalemate with Iran, and that his impatience for concrete results prompted a strategic reassessment.
Operation “Freedom,” ordered by Donald Trump to shift the regional dynamic, may ultimately lead back to full armed conflict, Axios warns.
“The president wants action. He doesn’t want to sit still. He wants pressure. He wants a deal,” a senior U.S. official said, describing the atmosphere at the White House.
For their part, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards denied that any commercial vessels had passed through the Strait of Hormuz, contradicting an earlier statement by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which said two U.S.-flagged commercial ships had successfully transited the Strait earlier in the day.
An IRGC spokesperson also warned that ships violating the regulations Tehran has announced regarding the Strait of Hormuz “will be stopped by force,” according to Iranian state media.
