LIVE: UAE under attack from Iran for second day in a row

The UAE has declared it is responding to a missile threat from Iran as the country’s air defence systems are activated.

In a social media post, authorities said: ‘The UAE’s air defenses are currently dealing with missile and drone attacks originating from Iran.

‘The Ministry of Defense confirms that the sounds heard in scattered areas of the country are the result of the UAE’s air defense systems intercepting ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones.

‘UAE Air Defences system are actively engaging with missiles and UAV threats.’

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump was asked what Iran would have to do to violate the ceasefire, following yesterday’s hostilities.

He said: ‘You’ll find out because I’ll let you know. They know what to do, and they know what not to do more importantly, actually.’

Donald Trump appeared to describe the US-Iran exchange of fire in the Strait of Hormuz as a ‘little skirmish’ as he reiterated Tehran has been ‘beaten badly’ in the war.

Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said:

We hit an all time high in the stock market today, despite that little skirmish. I call it a skirmish because Iran has no chance. They never did. They know it. They express it to me when I talk to them. Then they get on television, they say how well they’re doing.

And on Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the President reiterated Iran will never be capable of developing a weapon.

He added:

These are sick people, and we’re not going to let lunatics have a nuclear weapon. The power of a nuclear weapon is something I don’t even want to talk about. But it’s not going to happen. And we have beaten them badly.

Donald Trump has said Iran ‘doesn’t like playing games’ with the US in remarks made at the White House.

The President thanked Pete Hegseth for a ‘great news conference’ earlier today as he signed a proclamation to revive the Presidential fitness tests in American schools.

In his opening remarks inside the Oval Office, he said:

They [Iran] don’t like playing games with us. They don’t like it at all. You’ll see that as time goes by, you’re going to see it. I think you’ve already seen it. We’ve basically wiped out their military in about two weeks.

FIFA has invited the Iranian football federation (FFIRI) to its headquarters for talks over the country’s participation at this year’s World Cup, a source has told AFP.

Iran’s presence at the tournament, held in the US, Canada and Mexico between June 11 and July 19, has been shrouded in uncertainty since the eruption of war in the Middle East in February following strikes by the US and Israel.

The source said FIFA had asked the FFIRI to visit its Zurich base ‘by May 20 to prepare for the World Cup’.

Last week, FIFA president Gianni Infantino reiterated Iran will play their World Cup games in the United States as scheduled.

‘Let me start by the outset, confirming straightaway that of course Iran will be participating at the FIFA World Cup 2026,’ Infantino said as he addressed delegates at the FIFA Congress in Vancouver.

‘And of course, Iran will play (in) the United States of America’.

Authorities in the UAE say the country’s air defence systems are ‘actively engaged’ against aerial threats coming from Tehran in the second day of attacks after weeks of relative calm.

On Monday, an Iranian drone attack caused a fire, injuring three people at an energy installation in Fujairah, close to the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway that is the focus of tensions between the US and Iran.

Fujairah is the UAE’s main oil export terminal bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.

The oil-rich UAE, a staunch US ally on Iran’s doorstep, has borne the brunt of Tehran’s retaliation, having been targeted by more than 2,800 missiles and drones during the war.

Here are the key takeaways from the US-Iran war this afternoon:

• US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has vowed ‘overwhelming and devastating American firepower’ in response to any Iranian attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz
• General Dan Caine said the US was ‘ready to resume major combat operations’ against Iran amid fears the ceasefire is unravelling
• Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Beijing for talks following stalled negotiations with the US
• The UAE has said it is ‘actively engaging’ with the threat of drones and missiles from Iran
• FIFA has invited the Iranian football federation (FFIRI) to its headquarters for talks over the country’s participation at this year’s World Cup, a source told AFP
• Iran’s chief negotiator in talks with the US, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, warned that his country had ‘not even started’ and that US actions in the Strait of Hormuz had put shipping at risk
• Denmark’s freight giant Maersk said one of its ships had sailed through the Strait of Hormuz under US escort, adding the transit was completed ‘without incident’
• India condemned a drone strike on an energy facility in the United Arab Emirates in which three Indians were injured, urging uninterrupted access to the Strait of Hormuz
• South Korea said it would ‘review its position’ on joining US operations in the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump urged Seoul to take part following an apparent Iranian attack on one of its ships

US Central Command, otherwise known as CENTCOM, has said 51 vessels have been turned around or ordered to return to port since the naval blockade was enforced on April 13.

The US military says it sank six Iranian small boats and intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and drones on the first day of ‘Project Freedom’ as Donald Trump sent the navy to escort stranded tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.

General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Iran attacked Oman once on Monday and waged three attacks on the United Arab Emirates, before adding that, at least so far, ‘today is quieter’.

by Mark Duell and David Wilcock

Britain was hit by a new Trumpflation blast today as the fallout from the US war with Iran hammered government spending plans and put thousands of summer holidays at risk.

Yields on 30-year government bonds hit their highest rate since 1998 and ten-year bonds their highest since the financial crash as the ongoing uncertainty over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz was reignited by fresh clashes overnight.

The markets are also uneasy at the prospect of Sir Keir Starmer being ousted by a more Left-wing Labour figure if the party does badly in Thursday’s local elections, further driving up government borrowing costs.

At the same time, airlines have cut two million seats from May schedules within the past two weeks as concerns build that the war could cut jet fuel supplies to ‘critically low levels’.

Britain could be among the countries worst hit, raising fears that many summer getaways could be cancelled.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pitched a drone deal to Bahrain during a visit to the country today.

Since the US and Israeli war on Iran erupted on February 28, Ukraine has been offering its drones and know-how to several Middle Eastern countries suffering from Iran’s Shahed drone attacks.

Kyiv has gained unique experience in shooting down Iranian drones and similar Russian-made models as Russia has launched hundreds of thousands of them since its full-blown invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Zelenskiy said he had discussed with King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa Iran’s strikes against Bahrain and the Strait of Hormuz.

‘Our country is facing similar terrorist strikes almost every day, and our people have relevant experience in full-scale defence,’ Zelenskiy said on X. ‘Ukraine is ready to share this security expertise with Bahrain and help strengthen the protection of life.’

In his press briefing, Pete Hegseth said the US has left a ‘red, white and blue’ dome over the Strait of Hormuz.

In what he described as a ‘direct gift’ to the world, Hegseth said Project Freedom was a humanitarian mission to protect commercial shipping and the lives of seafarers.

He said: ‘American destroyers are on station supported by hundreds of fighter jets, helicopters, drones, and surveillance aircraft, providing 24/7 over-watch for peaceful commercial vessels – except Iran’s of course’.

Pete Hegseth dismissed a suggestion Donald Trump has ‘capitulated’ on his demand for Iran’s unconditional surrender.

A reporter questioned the Defense Secretary after reading one of the President’s social media posts earlier in the conflict in which Trump asked Iranians to rise up and topple the regime and said there would be no deal without Iran’s surrender.

Hegseth replied: ‘The president hasn’t capitulated on anything. He holds the cards, we maintain the upper hand, and Project Freedom only strengthens that hand.’

Asked by another journalist whether the US and Israel would be ‘roped back in’ to further conflict with Iran, Hegseth insisted Trump was still ‘directing’ the conflict.