U.S. and Iran trade fire and threats as Trump’s bid to open Hormuz rattles ceasefire

The escalating tensions raised questions about whether the ceasefire that began on April 8 was at risk or effectively over.

“Well, I can’t tell you that,” Trump responded when asked that question late Monday in an interview on the “The Hugh Hewitt Show.”

He warned that Iranian forces would be “blown off the face of the Earth” if they attack American ships, in a separate interview with Fox News.

The hostilities in the strait also involved a South Korean-operated ship, which suffered damage after an explosion and fire on Monday.

Trump called on South Korea “to join the mission” in a TruthSocial post, as he blamed Iran for taking “some shots” at the ship.

Meanwhile the United Arab Emirates, a key U.S. ally in the Gulf, said it engaged 12 ballistic missiles, 3 cruise missiles and 4 drones fired from Iran. The attack sparked a fire at an oil facility and injured three Indian nationals, officials said, drawing widespread condemnation.

Iran did not explicitly confirm or deny the attack, but said Tehran had no plan to target its neighbor. Araghchi, the foreign minister, warned both the U.S. and U.A.E. against “being dragged back into quagmire.”

Pakistan, a key mediator in stalled peace talks, urged the two sides to keep their cool.

It’s “absolutely essential that the ceasefire be upheld and respected, to allow necessary diplomatic space for dialogue leading to enduring peace and stability in the region,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a post on X.

The markets responded to the latest dramatic events with oil prices retreating but remaining well above $100 a barrel, while average gas prices in the U.S. climbed slightly to $4.48 a gallon.