May 5, 2026

Middle East

The Guardian - Donald Trump has again raised the stakes in the Gulf region with the Monday launch of “Project Freedom” to open a route through the strait of Hormuz. More than 800 ships and roughly 20,000 crew members remain stranded in the region.

Just hours after the operation began, the US military said it destroyed six small Iranian boats and intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and drones – a claim that was denied by Iran – and Iran attacked the United Arab Emirates with drones and missiles, setting the oil port of Fujairah on fire. Trump then threatened that Iran would be “blown off the face of the earth” if it attacked any US vessels in Hormuz.

NPR - The U.S. military said it shot down incoming drones and missiles and sank six Iranian small boats yesterday as it launched an operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The incident threatened the fragile, month-old ceasefire between the two countries. Iran also fired on the United Arab Emirates, an American ally, and set off a major fire at the country's largest oil storage facility. The attack marks the first time Iran has attacked the Emirates since the ceasefire began.

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