Regional instability in the Middle East deepened on Tuesday after the United Arab Emirates military detected two ballistic missiles fired from Iran toward its territory. Both projectiles landed in surrounding waters—one breaching UAE territorial waters while the other crashed outside them—without causing confirmed damage or casualties on land.
In an official statement, the UAE Ministry of Defence confirmed that its armed forces remain on high alert. The ministry emphasized its operational readiness to defend national sovereignty, counter emerging security threats, and protect key strategic interests across the country.
The missile activity coincides with delicate diplomatic discussions involving Iran and Oman aimed at restoring stability to the Strait of Hormuz, a critical transit chokepoint for international energy supplies. Traffic through the vital maritime corridor has dropped significantly, with maritime analytics firm Kpler reporting a 19.5% decline in vessel transits last week to just 95 ships, including a single-day low of three crossings on Sunday, during which Omani navigation routes remained completely unused.
Despite the disruption, U.S. President Donald Trump maintained that the strait remains functional, asserting that sea mines had been cleared and that a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports continues in full force. The American leader also ruled out direct diplomatic talks with Tehran and drew swift condemnation after sharing a social media map labelling the waterway as American territory.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi rejected the assertion on social media, dismissing the claim as a geopolitical distortion and warning against attempts to challenge Iranian sovereignty in the Persian Gulf.
Maritime security concerns expanded further off the coast of Oman, where the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that an unidentified projectile struck a commercial vessel’s engine compartment, leaving at least one crew member injured. The Royal Oman Coast Guard was dispatched to assist the stricken ship as investigators work to determine the origin of the strike.
In a separate development highlighting the multi-front nature of the crisis, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi faction claimed responsibility for launching a targeted drone strike against a Saudi Aramco oil refinery in Saudi Arabia, though initial reports indicated no operational disruption or significant structural damage.
