Middle East truce in peril as US and Iran struggle for control of vital waterway

DUBAI/WASHINGTON, May 5 (Reuters) - A fragile truce in the Gulf was in danger on Tuesday after the U.S. and Iran exchanged fire as they wrestled for control of the Strait of Hormuz, and Tehran warned it had "not even begun yet" in its bid to strengthen its hold on the strategic waterway.

The U.S. military said on Monday it destroyed six Iranian small boats, as well as cruise missiles and drones, after President Donald Trump sent the navy to escort stranded tankers through the strait in a campaign he called "Project Freedom".

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the operation to protect commercial ships was temporary and the four-week-old ceasefire was not over. "We're not looking for a fight," he told reporters on Tuesday. "Right now the ceasefire certainly holds, but we're going to be watching very, very closely."

Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said breaches of the ceasefire by the U.S. and its allies had endangered shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries a large share of the world's oil and fertiliser supplies.

"We know well that the continuation of the current situation is unbearable for the United States, while we have not even begun yet," he said in a social media post.

ATTACKS IN THE GULF

The narrow waterway has been virtually shut since the United States and Israel began attacks on Iran on February 28, triggering disruptions that have pushed up commodity prices around the world.

Several merchant ships in the Gulf reported explosions or fires on Monday, and an oil port in the United Arab Emirates, which hosts a large U.S. military base, was set ablaze by Iranian missiles. The UAE reimposed flight restrictions on its airspace on Tuesday.

Iran has effectively sealed off the strait by threatening to deploy mines, drones, missiles and fast attack craft. The United States has countered by blockading Iranian ports and mounting escorted transits for commercial vessels.

The U.S. military said two U.S. merchant ships made it through the strait, without saying when, with the support of Navy guided-missile destroyers.

Iran denied any crossings had taken place, though shipping company Maersk said the Alliance Fairfax, a U.S.-flagged ship, exited the Gulf under U.S. military escort on Monday.

The commander of U.S. forces in the region said his fleet had destroyed six small Iranian boats, which Iran also denied. Iranian media quoted a military commander as saying U.S. forces targeted civilian and cargo vessels, killing five civilians.

Iran also said it fired warning shots at a U.S. warship approaching the strait, forcing it to turn back.

Reuters could not independently verify events in the strait as the two sides issued contradictory statements.

South Korea said one of its merchant vessels, the HMM Namu, suffered an explosion and fire in its engine room while transiting the strait. No one was injured, and officials said it was unclear whether the incident was caused by an attack.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Monday's events showed there was no military solution to the crisis. He said peace talks were progressing with Pakistan's mediation, and warned the U.S. and the UAE against being drawn into a "quagmire."

Araqchi was travelling to Beijing on Tuesday for talks with his Chinese counterpart, his ministry said.

UAE OIL PORT ABLAZE

Iranian authorities released a map of what they said was an expanded maritime area now under Iranian control, stretching beyond the strait to include lengthy sections of the UAE coastline.

After a day of reported drone and missile attacks inside the UAE, including one that caused a fire at Fujairah, an important oil port, the UAE said Iranian attacks marked a serious escalation and it reserved the right to respond.

The Iranian map included Fujairah and another Emirati port, Khorfakkan, both of which lie on the Gulf of Oman and which the UAE has relied on since the start of the conflict to bypass the blocked strait.

If Iran were able to enforce control over access to those ports, it would amount to a near-total maritime siege of the Gulf Arab state.

Iran's state television said military officials had confirmed they attacked the UAE in response to the "U.S. military's adventurism".

UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said on Tuesday Abu Dhabi had received messages of solidarity from regional and other allies, which he said "affirm that Iran is the aggressor, responsible for the escalation of the crisis" in the Gulf.

PEACE EFFORTS STALLED

The war in the Middle East has already killed thousands and roiled the global economy. U.S. and Iranian officials have held one round of face-to-face peace talks, but attempts to set up further meetings have failed.

Trump has said the U.S.-Israeli attacks aimed to eliminate what he called imminent threats from Iran, citing its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, its support for Hamas and Hezbollah and its "menacing activities".

Iranian state media said on Sunday that the U.S. had conveyed its response to a 14-point Iranian proposal via Pakistan, and Iran was reviewing it. Neither side gave details.

A senior Pakistani official involved in the talks said "backdoor diplomacy" was continuing. "We have put in a lot of efforts, actually both the sides have narrowed gaps on majority issues," the source said.

Tehran's proposal would defer talks on its nuclear energy and research programmes until after agreements to end the war and on shipping security. Trump said over the weekend he was still studying it, but would likely reject it.

Trump has insisted Iran must surrender its enriched uranium stockpiles to prevent it producing a nuclear weapon - an ambition Tehran denies.

(Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Writing by Jonathan Allen and Stephen Coates; Editing by Andrea Ricci, Alex Richardson and Ros Russell)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 8:54 AM.