WASHINGTON — The U.S. and Iran exchanged fire in the Persian Gulf in a flareup of violence on Monday that also drew in the United Arab Emirates, prompting calls for renewed strikes on Iranian targets and casting doubt on the fate of a four-week ceasefire.

The U.S. military fought off attacks from Iranian drones, missiles and armed small boats as it facilitated the passage of two U.S.-flagged vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper told reporters in a briefing on Monday.

“We’ve shot down seven small Boats or, as they like to call them, ‘fast’ Boats,” President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post, adding that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would hold a press conference on Tuesday.

Adding to the tension, the UAE said it intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and blamed an Iranian drone strike for a large fire at its Fujairah port that hospitalized three people. The Gulf state issued several missile alerts to its residents for the first time since the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran began nearly a month ago.

The alerts came after an oil tanker owned by the UAE’s state oil company Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. was struck by Iranian drones in a separate incident outside the Strait of Hormuz.

Oil prices surged on news that Iran had attacked Fujairah and tankers were under renewed threat in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas transited before the war began in late February. International benchmark Brent jumped about 6% to trade above $114 a barrel while U.S. crude futures rose more than 4% to trade near $106 a barrel by 2:26 PM ET.

The violence shook a ceasefire that has largely held since going into effect on April 8.

It’s also prompted calls for the U.S. and ally Israel to renew attacks on Iran after a campaign that had previously struck thousands of targets, killed Iran’s supreme leader and other top officials, and shuttered the vital Strait of Hormuz — causing global energy prices to soar.

On Monday, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on X that Iran’s choice to attack the UAE and cargo ships “more than justifies a big, strong and short response to inflict further damage on Iran’s war machine.”

In a social media post, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Iran’s UAE strike amounted to “a declaration of the renewal of Iran’s war against the allies of the United States and Israel across the region.”

Centcom’s Cooper repeatedly declined to address questions about whether the ceasefire had been broken. In a separate briefing on Monday, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said he would “defer to to the White House on declaring violations” of the ceasefire.

“It’s a fluid situation,” he said.

‘Project Freedom’

When announcing the plans to guide stranded ships out of the Persian Gulf — dubbed Project Freedom — Trump said some of the vessels were running out of food. He said that several countries have asked the U.S. for help in freeing up their ships.

The violence cast fresh focus on the failure of the U.S. and Iran to come to an agreement on a longer-term deal, with no indication of fresh meetings between the adversaries.

At the center of the dispute is Hormuz, where Iran has blocked almost all shipping traffic. Tehran said it will only reopen the strait after the U.S. lifts a naval blockade on Iranian ports.

Asked about Iranian sea mines in Hormuz, Centcom’s Cooper said “it’s not so extensive” that the U.S. couldn’t use its “exquisite technology to clear a pathway.” He added that the U.S. had used “low-observable capability” to do so, implying the use of underwater drones.

The war, which began on Feb. 28 when the U.S. and Israel started bombing the Islamic Republic, has left more than 5,500 people dead, most of them in Iran and Lebanon.

Here’s more on the war:

— There were more reports of attacks on ships. A tanker reported being hit by projectiles north of the UAE port Fujairah, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations. South Korea confirmed an explosion and subsequent fire were reported by a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, Yonhap reported citing the foreign ministry.

— Israel’s Channel 12 said Israel was placed on the highest alert level and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is consulting with security officials.

— China has ordered its companies to ignore U.S. sanctions on private refiners linked to the Iranian oil trade, an unprecedented act of defiance that threatens to trap a vast banking sector in the crossfire as tension rises between the world’s largest economies.

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(With assistance from Magdalena Del Valle, Veena Ali-Khan, Omar Tamo, Arsalan Shahla, Devika Krishna Kumar and Carla Canivete.)

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