The missile launches came as efforts continued to reach a deal between Iran and Oman to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday it had detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran towards the Gulf country, as tensions continued to rise across the region. The ministry said both missiles fell into the water, one of them outside the UAE’s territorial waters and the other inside them. He said the country remained prepared to respond to any threat. “The Ministry of Defense confirms that it is on high alert and fully prepared to confront any threat and to firmly confront anything that aims to undermine the security of the State, thus ensuring the preservation of its sovereignty, security and stability, and protecting its national interests and capabilities,” he added. The ministry said it is “ready to confront any threat.” crucial waterway for global shipping. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the US had no planned talks with Iran, while insisting that the strait remained “open and operational” despite the sharp reduction in traffic. Trump also said the US blockade of Iranian ports remained “in full force and effect” and claimed that all water mines had been removed. He published a map depicting the Strait of Hormuz as a US territory. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi responded in to 95, with only three boats passing through on Sunday. No ships used the Omani routes. Meanwhile, an unidentified projectile damaged the engine room of a ship near Oman, causing “one crew casualty,” according to the British military’s Maritime Trade Operations center in the United Kingdom. The Oman Coast Guard was assisting the crew, while authorities investigated. Separately, Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed they had launched drones at an oil refinery operated by Saudi Aramco in Saudi Arabia. There were no immediate reports of damage.
