The ceasefire between Iran and the US has been shaken by a day of airstrikes which have pushed the enemies back to the brink of war in the Middle East.
The United Arab Emirates accused Iran of attacking the country with a barrage of missiles and drones, setting an oil refinery ablaze in Fujairah.
Monday’s attacks mark the first on the UAE since Iran and the United States agreed to a ceasefire on April 8.
Meanwhile the American military said it had destroyed six Iranian small boats and intercepted cruise missiles and drones fired by Tehran.
The drone and missile strikes by Iran against the UAE have been condemned by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Sir Keir demanded an end to the escalation and urged Iran to engage “meaningfully” in talks to ensure the current Middle East ceasefire was maintained.
Meanwhile, a US military commander said American forces were helping restore the flow of international shipping while Iran was doing all it could to “terrorise and threaten” vessels.
Admiral Brad Cooper, who heads up central command, said his military had “the clear advantage” with an “enormous amount of capability and firepower” in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
His comments came as the US said two US-flagged cargo ships passed through the critical waterway as part of a push by President Donald Trump to reopen the maritime pinchpoint, over which Iran has imposed a stranglehold.
The Prime Minister says stability in the Gulf directly affects the UK (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
The effective closure of the vital supply line for oil and gas has inflicted a global economic shock and sent energy prices soaring.
However, the move to restore the sea route and free some 2,000 vessels stranded in the stand-off has shaken the fragile ceasefire in the region.
Sir Keir said: “The UK condemns the drone and missile strikes targeting the United Arab Emirates.
“As I set out during my visit to the region last month, stability in the Gulf directly affects the UK.
“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.”
President Donald Trump insists the situation is ‘working out very nicely’ (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
Admiral Cooper said: “We have defeated each and every one of those threats through the clinical application of defensive munitions.”
He said rather than providing traditional escorts to vessels the US had put in place “a much broader defensive package”.
He also pointed out a blockade of Iranian ports remained in place to prevent oil shipments.
(PA Graphics)
Meanwhile, Tehran has disputed US claims it had sunk six of its vessels and again warned all shipping must have its permission to transit the strait.
Major general Ali Abdollahi told state TV: “We warn that any foreign military force – especially the aggressive US military – that intends to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted.”
Despite the continuing impasse in the Gulf and the threat of fresh hostilities, Trump insisted it was “working out very nicely”.
Speaking to small business leaders at the White house, the US president again insisted that Iran could not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.
He said: “They have no navy, they have no air force, they have no anti-aircraft equipment. They have no radar, they have no nothing.”
Trump described it as a mini-war “because that’s all they are”.
Referring to the spike in oil prices, he added: “I see it going down very substantially when this is over.”
Trump said at the weekend he was considering a new Iranian proposal to end the war but expressed doubt it would lead to a deal.
