UAE air defences 'actively engaging' Iran missiles, drones as US issues more threats

The live blog has now ended and will be back tomorrow at 9am BST. You can read more of The New Arab's coverage of the US-Israeli war on Iran here.

China's foreign minister Wang Yi met his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi for talks in Beijing on Wednesday, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported, without giving further details.

Araghchi was set to "discuss bilateral relations and regional and international developments" with Wang, Iran's Fars news agency reported earlier.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Beijing on Wednesday morning ahead of scheduled talks with China's top diplomat Wang Yi, according to Iran's Tasnim and Fars news agencies.

"Seyyed Abbas Araghchi arrived in Beijing... at the head of a diplomatic delegation. During this visit, our country's Foreign Minister will discuss bilateral relations and regional and international developments with his Chinese counterpart," Fars reported.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he was halting the US military operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz after just one day, in a bid to reach a deal with Iran to end the Middle East war.

"Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed," Trump said on his Truth Social network.

Qatar's Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani held a phone call with his counterpart Sergey Lavrov, according to a post by Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on X, saying that the two discussed "regional developments, particularly the ceasefire between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as efforts to de-escalate and bolster regional security and stability."

Al-Thani "stressed the need for all parties to respond to ongoing mediation efforts to address the root causes of the crisis through dialogue and peaceful means," the post added.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that he hopes China tells Iran what it is doing in the Strait of Hormuz is causing Tehran to be globally isolated.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that peace between Israel and Lebanon was achievable but that Lebanese militant group Hezbollah was a problem.

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday demanded that Israel release two activists taken from a Gaza-bound flotilla, one of whom is a Brazilian national.

"Our government, together with that of Spain - which also had a citizen detained - demands that they be fully guaranteed their safety and immediately released," Lula wrote on the X social network.

 A cargo vessel has been struck by an unknown projectile within the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said on Tuesday, adding that the environmental impact from the incident was unknown.

Ten civilian sailors have died due to the ongoing conflict in the Strait of Hormuz, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Tuesday.

Speaking at the White House, Rubio said the US would continue to deploy its assets to defend freedom of navigation in the key thoroughfare.

"They're isolated, they're starving, they're vulnerable and at least 10 sailors have died as a result, civilian sailors," Rubio said, without providing additional details.

Israel's military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said on Tuesday that the country was prepared to respond "with force" to any attack by Iran.

"The [military] remains on high alert across all fronts. We are closely monitoring developments in the Persian Gulf and are prepared to respond with force to any attempt to harm Israel," Zamir said at a ceremony marking the appointment of the new air force chief.

Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya ​joint military ‌command said on Tuesday it has not carried out attacks against the United Arab Emirates in recent days, yet warned of a "crushing response" if any action is carried out by the Gulf country against Iran.

The UAE was subject to a second day of what it said were missile and drone attacks from Iran after four weeks of relative calm since the United States announced a ceasefire.

Israel's new air force chief said on Tuesday that the country was prepared to deploy its entire fleet of fighter jets against Iran if necessary.

"We are closely monitoring the developments in Iran and are prepared to deploy the entire air force eastward if required," Major General Omer Tischler said at a ceremony where he assumed command from his predecessor Tomer Bar.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned on Tuesday that they would respond firmly to any ships that diverge from the Islamic republic's approved route through the Strait of Hormuz.

"We warn all vessels planning to transit the Strait of Hormuz that the only safe passage is the corridor previously announced by Iran. Any diversion of ships to other routes is dangerous and will result in a firm response from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards navy," it said in a statement carried by state television.

The warning came on the second day of a US effort to facilitate the transit of commercial ships through the waterway, which Iran closed in response to the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Tuesday aid deliveries to Gaza had to be improved and he repeated Berlin's position that any de facto annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank by Israel would not be acceptable to Germany.

"The plight of the more than two million people whose situation has not improved must not be overlooked amidst the conflict in Iran. Humanitarian aid must be improved as a matter of urgency," Wadephul said at a joint news conference in Berlin with his visiting Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar.

Eyal Zamir, the Israeli army's chief of staff, said Israel is "closely following" the latest developments in the Gulf amid the latest attacks blamed on Iran, and said the army "stands ready to any potential threat to Israel".

President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed Iran's military capability and said Tehran "should wave the white flag of surrender" but is too proud to do so.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Iran's military has been reduced to firing "peashooters" and that Tehran privately wants to make a deal despite its public sabre-rattling.

"They play games, but let me just tell you, they want to make a deal. And who wouldn't, when your military is totally gone?" he said.

Trump heaped praise on the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports in the region. "It's like a piece of steel. Nobody's going to challenge the blockade. And I think it's working out very well," he said.

When asked what Iran would need to do to violate the ceasefire, Trump said: "Well, you'll find out, because I'll let you know ... They know what not to do."

Trump said Iran "should save the white flag of surrender."

"If this were a fight, they'd stop it," said Trump.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday offered a drone deal to Bahrain as he met with the king of the Gulf island state that has been attacked by Iran.

Zelensky has toured the Gulf since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war against Iran, signing defence deals as Kyiv leverages its expertise in fighting Russia and downing its drones, which are based on Iranian technology.

"Ukraine is ready to share this security expertise with Bahrain and help strengthen the protection of life," Zelensky said in a statement published online after meeting King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

"I proposed signing a Drone Deal and scaling up cooperation with Bahrain, and we agreed that our teams will work out the details," he added.

Ukraine has signed a string of defence agreements in the region since the Middle East war broke out in late February, including with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Ukrainian military experts dispatched by Kyiv have also downed Iranian drones in several Middle Eastern countries.

The United Arab Emirates' defence ministry said on Tuesday that its air defences were dealing with missile and drone attacks coming from Iran, a second day of attacks after a four-week period of relative calm since the United States announced a ceasefire.

Four British pro-Palestinian activists were on Tuesday convicted of criminal damage relating to a 2024 raid on a factory operated by Israeli defence firm Elbit, while two of the defendants were acquitted.

Prosecutors at London's Woolwich Crown Court said the six defendants were members of the now-banned group Palestine Action, which organised the assault on the Elbit Systems UK facility in Bristol, southwest England, in August 2024.

The six – Charlotte Head, 30, Samuel Corner, 23, Leona Kamio, 30, Fatema Zainab Rajwani, 21, Zoe Rogers, 22, and Jordan Devlin, 31 – had all denied charges of criminal damage.

Head, Corner, Kamio and Rajwani were found guilty, while Rogers and Devlin were found not guilty.

A fire broke out in a shopping centre west of the Iranian capital Tehran, the state news agency IRNA reported on Tuesday, without providing further details.

Jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi is fighting for her life after being hospitalised under guard for the last five days with a heart condition, her supporters said on Tuesday.

"We are not just fighting for the freedom of Narges, we are fighting so that her heart continues to beat," said her Paris-based lawyer Chirinne Ardakani at a news conference of her supporters, adding that the 2023 aureate was now "between life and death".

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that the United States aims to protect shipping from Iranian aggression and its operation, Project Freedom, in the Strait of Hormuz is temporary,

Spain on Tuesday renewed a demand for the "immediate release" of a Spanish activist who participated in a Gaza-bound aid flotilla and is held in Israel after his detention was extended until Sunday.

Spain's consul in Tel Aviv will continue to visit Saif Abu Keshek, "providing full protection and in permanent contact with his family", foreign ministry sources said. "The government of Spain demands his immediate release and that all his rights be respected."

US forces are ready to resume major combat operations against Iran if they are ordered to do so, the top US military officer said on Tuesday.

US Central Command "and the rest of the joint force remain ready to resume major combat operations against Iran if ordered to do so. No adversary should mistake our current restraint with a lack of resolve," General Dan Caine told reporters.

French President Emmanuel Macron will speak with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian later on Tuesday, as he pushed for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

"I will be speaking with the Iranian president shortly," Macron told reporters at a press conference in Yerevan, adding that France had long advocated for "the restoration of freedom of navigation" in the vital waterway.

The United Arab Emirates restricted flights to a handful of approved routes until at least May 11 and activated emergency security protocols, according to Notices to Air Men (NOTAMs) published by its General Civil Aviation Authority.

The restrictions came two days after the UAE had lifted all precautionary airspace measures and said its airspace was clear.

UAE said on Monday that its air defences were thwarting Iranian missiles and drones, forcing multiple flights to divert to Oman's Muscat and circle over Saudi Arabia.

The NOTAMs stated "EMIRATES FIR PARTIALLY CLOSED", referring to the flight information region, and adding that flights into and out of the UAE were permitted only via specific entry and exit points.

Japan has taken delivery of its first shipment of oil from Russia since global supplies were choked off by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz at the start of the Iran war, reports said on Tuesday.

A tanker carrying crude that was produced as part of a Sakhalin-2 natural gas development project reached the coast of Imabari in western Japan and started offloading to a refinery on Tuesday, public broadcaster NHK and other media reported, citing unnamed sources from the economy ministry.

Japan, which depends on the Middle East for around 95 percent of its oil imports, has tried to diversify its sources of energy since the outbreak of war on 28 February saw Tehran effectively shut the strait.

The project in Russia's Sakhalin region is not subject to global economic sanctions against Moscow that were put in place after it invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Wholesaler Taiyo Oil received a request from the economy ministry to take in the shipment, the reports said.

At the refinery, the crude will be turned into gasoline, naphtha - used to make various products from plastics, chemical fibres to paints - and other petroleum products, they said.

Ministry officials and the company could not immediately be reached to confirm the reports.

Israeli forces have continued their attacks on Lebanon in breach of the ceasefire on Tuesday, targeting the town of Tebnine, Bint Jbeil district, according to the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA).

Several raids were reported on Tuesday, including in the town of Al-Hanniye and Al-Mansouri in the district of Tyre.

An Israeli court has extended the detention of two foreign activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla until Sunday, a rights group representing them said, as authorities continue to question the pair.

Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian Thiago Avila appeared before a court in the city of Ashkelon for their second hearing on Tuesday, after they were brought to Israel for questioning last week.

"The court approved their detention until Sunday morning," Miriam Azem, international advocacy coordinator at the Israeli rights group Adalah told AFP.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is travelling to Beijing on Tuesday for talks with his Chinese counterpart on bilateral ties and regional and international developments, his ministry said on its Telegram account

Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sherif has shown support to the UAE as he criticised Monday evening's attacks on the Gulf country's energy sector - which have been blamed on Iran.

In a post on X, Sharif said Islamabad "strongly condemns the missile and drone attacks on civilian infrastructure on the United Arab Emirates," and said he expressed "full solidarity" with Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE's president.

"Pakistan stands firmly with our Emirati brothers and sisters as well as the Government of the United Arab Emirates at this difficult time."

Pakistan strongly condemns the missile and drone attacks on civilian infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates last night. I express full solidarity with His Highness @MohamedBinZayed. Pakistan stands firmly with our Emirati brothers and sisters as well as with the Government of…

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) May 5, 2026

South Korea's Blue House said the presidential office is reviewing whether the country can participate in US President Donald Trump's new push, which he has named "Project Freedom," to help stranded ships travel through the Strait of Hormuz, Newsis reported. 

India condemned a drone strike on an energy facility in Fujairah in which three Indians were injured, urging uninterrupted access to the Strait of Hormuz, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

The United Arab Emirates blamed Iran for the drone attack on an energy installation on Monday.

Iranian state TV said the Islamic republic had "no pre-planned programme" to attack oil facilities in the UAE.

"We call for immediate cessation of these hostilities and the targeting of civilian infrastructure and innocent civilians," India's foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement Tuesday.

The South Asian nation is heavily dependent on imported energy, which has been disrupted since the Middle East war began in late February.

India, the world's third-largest oil buyer, normally sources about half of its crude through the Strait of Hormuz.

"We also call for free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through the Strait of Hormuz in keeping with international law," Jaiswal added.

"India stands ready to support all efforts for a peaceful resolution of issues."

European shares nudged lower on Tuesday, with investors on edge after the US and Iran launched fresh attacks in Gulf waters, while global oil prices remained elevated.

The pan-European STOXX 600 was down 0.1 percent at 604.68 points, as of 0704 GMT, after posting its biggest drop in a month on Monday. Major regional bourses were also trading lower, with London's FTSE 100 down 1 percent.

The escalation in the Middle East conflict followed US President Donald Trump's attempt to get stranded vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Gulf to wider markets and typically carries oil and gas supply equal to about 20 percent of global demand every day.

Soaring oil prices have weighed on energy-dependent Europe, stoking inflation fears that have led to expectations of two to three European Central Bank rate hikes this year and dragged shares below pre-war levels.

Shares of HSBC shed 5.1 percent after the lender reported an unexpected $400-million loss linked to a fraud case in Britain that resulted in first-quarter profit below estimates.

Anheuser-Busch InBev advanced 6.3 percent after the Belgian beer maker posted quarterly sales and profits well above forecast.

Iran's chief negotiator in talks with the United States warned on Tuesday that his country has "not even started" in its standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.

"We know full well that the continuation of the status quo is intolerable for America; whilst we have not even started yet," Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a post on X.

Ghalibaf, who is also the speaker in Iran's parliament, said the actions of the US and its allies had put shipping security at risk, but said their "malign presence will diminish".

A fire broke out on several commercial vessels at a dock in Iran’s southern port of Dayyer, semi-official Mehr news agency reported on Tuesday, adding that firefighters were working to contain the blaze and the cause of the incident was unknown.