US Iran War News Live Updates: The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday accused Iran of launching two ballistic missiles towards the Gulf, saying they targeted maritime navigation and fell into the sea. Iran denied launching any missile towards the UAE and rejected the allegation as “baseless”.
Soon after, the UAE announced it was suspending all trade, commercial exchanges and financial transactions with Iran, citing escalating regional tensions.
The developments came as Washington and Tehran remained locked in a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global oil shipping route. Iran has effectively shut the waterway in response to the war launched by the US and Israel in late February.
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that there were no ongoing or scheduled talks with Iran to end the conflict. He said the US naval blockade of the Strait remained in force, while claiming that Hormuz was “open and operating” and that mines had been removed.
The latest escalation has raised fresh concerns over regional security and global energy supplies, with the UAE’s suspension of economic ties adding to pressure on Iran amid the continuing confrontation.
Iran’s newly appointed Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei has mocked US President Donald Trump’s claim over the Strait of Hormuz, saying Washington’s inability to reopen the strategic waterway contrasts sharply with its assertion of control over it.
“The gap between America’s inability to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and its claim to own it is greater than the 7,000-mile distance between Washington and the Strait itself. Welcome to the post-American order in the Persian Gulf,” Rezaei wrote on X.
US authorities expanded its prosecution of a sprawling Iranian hacking network Tuesday, bringing to 17 the number of indicted suspects for an alleged campaign against universities, companies, and government agencies. The Department of Justice unveiled a new indictment targeting eight additional individuals, with nine of the 17 defendants having already been indicted in 2018.
Prosecutors are offering a $10 million reward for information leading to the prosecution of five of them, identified as Behzad Mesri, Mojtaba Galekuhi, Arman Kahzadian, Keyvan Fayaz, and Saber Shahbazi Ballojeh.
All are linked to the Mabna Institute, an organization based in Iran that is said to have carried out hacking operations on behalf of the Iranian government and the Revolutionary Guards, prosecutors said.
US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that no talks with Iran are underway and none are scheduled, as he posted a map showing the Strait of Hormuz as a new American territory in a fresh jibe at Tehran.
“There are no talks or conversations going on, or scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Naval Blockade remains in full force and effect,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network.
“The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated.”
Iran on Wednesday rejected the United Arab Emirates’ allegation that it had launched two ballistic missiles towards the Gulf state’s territorial waters, calling the claim “baseless” and urging regional countries to avoid unsubstantiated accusations.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei “completely rejected” the UAE’s allegation and said such claims were contrary to the “principle of good neighbourliness” and could undermine efforts to build trust and prevent further insecurity in the region.