The monthlong ceasefire between the United States and Iran is showing signs of strain as the two sides fail to narrow differences despite behind-the-scenes talks. With reports that a South Korean ship in the Strait of Hormuz was hit in an Iranian attack, President Donald Trump publicly urged South Korea to join a U.S.-led maritime operation in the waterway.
On May 4 (local time), The Guardian and other outlets reported that Trump, in an interview with Fox News, warned Iran over “Project Freedom,” an operation to help merchant ships trapped in the Strait of Hormuz escape. “If they’re going to target U.S. ships, Iran’s military will disappear from the face of the Earth,” he said.
Trump called the U.S. maritime blockade of Iran “one of the greatest military operations ever carried out,” and said Iran had recently become far more flexible in negotiations. He said the outlook was either reaching an agreement through “good-faith negotiations” or resuming military operations, stressing that both diplomatic and military options remain on the table.
The U.S. military said that day it intercepted Iranian cruise missiles, drones and attacks by armed small boats while supporting the passage of two U.S.-flagged vessels through the strait. Trump also wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, that U.S. forces sank seven Iranian small boats.
Trump directly mentioned South Korea, saying Iran had fired several times at “unrelated countries,” including a South Korean cargo ship, in connection with ship movements tied to Project Freedom. He said no other ships transiting the strait had suffered damage at this point, aside from the South Korean vessel. “It seems like it’s time for South Korea to join this operation,” he said. The remarks appeared to refer to the HMM Namu, a ship that was in the Strait of Hormuz when a fire broke out.
Trump reiterated a similar stance in an interview with ABC News. According to a call transcript posted on X by reporter Jonathan Karl, Trump said there had been multiple shots fired at a South Korean ship and that South Korea “needs to take action in some way.” He added that the South Korean ship had been sailing alone and was not under escort.
South Korea’s government, however, has continued to take a cautious approach to dispatching forces to the Strait of Hormuz or joining a U.S.-led coalition. Iran’s Mehr News Agency said on April 29 that South Korea had been seeking a careful balance among U.S. pressure, energy security, humanitarian considerations and the need to keep communication channels with Tehran open.
Iran resumes attacks on UAE after 1 month
Iran also carried out its first attack against the United Arab Emirates since the May 8 ceasefire with the United States, heightening regional трев. The UAE Defense Ministry said it detected four cruise missiles launched from Iran, intercepted three over its territorial waters and said the fourth fell into the sea.
Fujairah’s media office said in a statement that civil defense teams were immediately deployed to extinguish a fire in the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, and that three Indian nationals suffered serious injuries and were taken to a hospital. The developments fueled speculation that Iran resumed attacks on the UAE in response to the U.S. launch of Project Freedom to help ships leave the Gulf. The UAE has recently moved closer to the United States after declaring it would withdraw from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC.
Bloomberg Economics researcher Beca Wasser said the episode showed the U.S.-Iran ceasefire is “very fragile,” and that the most likely scenario is a prolonged period of sustained tension with intermittent clashes.
Inside Iran, reports said hard-liners and moderates differ over how to respond to the United States. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is leading Iran’s negotiating team with Washington, urged both sides to halt armed conflict. In a post on X, he said events in Hormuz “clearly show there is no military solution to a political crisis,” and warned the United States not to be pulled back into a quagmire by “malicious forces,” adding that the UAE should also be cautious. He also criticized the U.S. operation, saying “Project Freedom is nothing but Project Deadlock.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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