The United States said Tuesday a tenuous cease-fire with Iran remained in place despite an exchange of fire the previous day as U.S. forces attempted to force open the Strait of Hormuz, even as the United Arab Emirates reported new missile and drone attacks blamed on Tehran.
The U.S. military said it had destroyed six Iranian small boats, as well as cruise missiles and drones, after President Donald Trump sent the navy to escort stranded tankers through the strait in a campaign he called "Project Freedom".
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the operation to protect commercial ships was temporary and the four-week-old truce was not over.
"We're not looking for a fight," he told a press conference. "Right now the ceasefire certainly holds, but we're going to be watching very, very closely."
Iran fired missiles at U.S. ships on Monday and attacked the UAE, a key regional ally of Washington, with missiles and drones. Shortly after Hegseth spoke on Tuesday, the UAE's defence ministry said its air defenses were again dealing with missile and drone attacks coming from Iran.
