If Donald Trump really wants “action,” the IRGC seems ready to provide the pretext for it. Iran’s regime initially claimed that it had attacked US Navy vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, then withdrew the claim when CENTCOM debunked it. Guided-missile destroyers now bookend the Strait, and CENTCOM announced that two US-flagged vessels had already transited it safely.
Iran responded by announcing a total closure of the Strait. Any ship attempting to sail through would get dire consequences from the “IRGC navy,” a radio message warned commercial operators:
Listen to the IRGC’s VHF message to the U.S. Navy and all vessels.
“No vessel is permitted to transit the Strait of Hormuz. Any vessel attempt to pass the Strait of Hormuz will be destroyed.” pic.twitter.com/0TmmBi5ncw
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) May 4, 2026
The Iranians attempted to make good on that threat, firing at ships and hitting at least one. US warships fired back, and it appears that the ceasefire may be over:
Military tensions flared in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, as several vessels were struck amid Iranian threats, while the U.S. sent in destroyers and fought off further attacks.
The skirmishing came hours after President Trump announced a new initiative to get ships that have been bottled up in the Persian Gulf out through the crucial waterway. Iran’s chokehold on the strait and an American blockade of Iranian ports have deprived global markets of millions of barrels of oil and are putting increasing pressure on Iran’s economy.
U.S. military forces including warships and aircraft actively protected several commercial vessels from Iranian attacks Monday, a senior U.S. official said. Sailors reported witnessing a successful drone strike on the JV Innovation tanker and military jets buzzing overhead.
It’s not clear yet about the timing of these exchanges, at least not from the WSJ report. They may have taken place before the earlier declarations, which would mean that the fighting was brief and perhaps contained. If the exchanges took place after those declarations, it may indicate that Ahmad Vahidi really does want an escalation back to full-scale war.
Why would Vahidi want that? Two reasons. First, the IRGC leadership must be convinced that Trump’s domestic political situation won’t allow him to return to full-scale war, which is the same mistake they made after Operation Midnight Hammer. Trump has prepared the political ground to retain his full set of options, and if Iran takes a shot at American ships (commercial or military), the scope of Vahidi’s miscalculation will become apparently nearly immediately. Plus, Trump could just ask the IDF to conduct the strikes with American support, an option that has not received the attention it deserves.
Second: The blockade is creating a crisis point for the regime. Vahidi may sense that he’s getting close to a popular revolt and perhaps even a military counter-coup that would remove the hardliner regime for good. The only way to maintain unity in that situation will be to return to active military operations, even disastrous operations, as internal survival in the IRGC and Artesh will be seen in the short run as the higher priority.
Vahidi stepped up the escalation by publishing a new map of the Strait of Hormuz that claims full sovereignty of the waters. That preceded the action today, but not by much:
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy issued a new map of the area of the Strait of Hormuz under its control on Monday, state media reported.
The area begins in the west, along a line between the westernmost tip of Iran’s Qeshm Island and the United Arab Emirates’ emirate of Umm al-Qaiwain. In the east, the area stops at a line between Iran’s Mount Mobarak and the UAE’s Emirate of Fujairah.
It was not immediately clear if and to what extent their claimed area of control has changed.
IRGC-controlled state media is sending out video of new missile launches they claim were aimed at shipping in the Strait. Those are undated videos, so take that with a grain of salt. However, the UAE reaffirmed a few minutes ago that they had to defend themselves against a “missile threat,” which apparently originated from Iran:
The United Arab Emirates official emergency agency said the country’s air defenses were working to intercept a “missile threat” on Monday, urging people in the UAE to “remain in a safe place and follow the warnings and updates on official websites.” …
If it is confirmed that Iran launched missiles at the UAE on Monday, it would be the first such attack since the ceasefire, which Mr. Trump said he was extending indefinitely on April 21 to make room for diplomacy, came into effect.
The UAE defense ministry later claimed that its defenses knocked down three cruise missiles, while a fourth failed and fell into the sea. If Iran has started firing missiles at the UAE again, the ceasefire is over, and Iran has started the war again … although Trump may wait for a missile to target a US vessel first before acting on it.
As of 11:30 am ET, Trump has not posted any new statements to Truth Social. He did, however, post this a little earlier in the morning:
Looks like kinetic action is inevitable. As we all knew it would be.
Update: Looks like it’s game on again, at least as far as Vahidi is concerned. At least one drone strike hit the UAE port of Fujairah, and an oil facility is on fire:
Fujairah port, UAE after IRGC attacks pic.twitter.com/cdXXnOniHu
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) May 4, 2026
The United Arab Emirates has said its air defences are engaging with missile attacks and incoming drones from Iran.
The UAE Ministry of Defense said late on Monday afternoon that it was intercepting ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones across the country.
The emirate of Fujairah said that an Iranian drone sparked a fire at an oil facility. Civil defence teams were deployed immediately to contain the blaze, the Fujairah Media office said in a statement.
At least one UAE-flagged ship is afire as well, although the cause is not immediately known:
The U.K. military’s Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) said Monday that it had received a report that a commercial ship was “on fire and requesting vessels in the vicinity to keep a safe distance” off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
It said the report was related to an unnamed vessel about 14NM west of Mina Saqr, UAE, in the Strait of Hormuz.
“The cause of the fire has not been verified at this time,” said the agency, which gets alerts directly from merchant vessel crews and their operators.
So far, there’s no word from the administration as to the US response. The UAE has a significant military and might respond on its own, too. Stay tuned.
Update: Speaking of which …
Emirati media reporting the UAE is preparing a severe retaliatory response against Iran following recent attacks, warning of “harsh revenge.”
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) May 4, 2026
Editor’s Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
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