Iran issues threat after Trump plans to guide ships through Strait of Hormuz

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Monday that F-16 aircraft are helping defend its forces and protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

“Air Force F-16 fighter aircraft are among more than 100 land- and sea-based aircraft supporting Project Freedom,” the command said in a post shared on X.

“During the defensive operation, these advanced warfighting platforms are helping to protect U.S. forces and defend commercial shipping,” CENTCOM said.

A Republican congressional candidate in Florida with ties to Iranian exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi is staking out a hardline foreign policy stance in his run while drawing a clear line against deploying U.S. troops to Iran.

Joe Kaufman, a GOP challenger running in Florida’s newly formed 25th District, also bills himself as a "terrorist hunter" and brings foreign policy credentials to the table.

"I do counter-terrorism research, writing and lectures,” he said before describing how he had been involved in "the shutdown of terrorist charities and the imprisonment of terror-related individuals."

He also said in regard to foreign policy that he has been “very involved these past few years in what's been taking place. 17 years ago, I was honored to co-found a group called Cyrus Force with His Majesty Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who we believe is going to be soon to be a future leader of Iran."

Despite being a foreign policy hawk, Kaufman is opposed to putting troops on the ground in Iran.

"No, I don't support ground troops, at least not from the United States. I don't want to see what took place in wars past happen here with seeing Americans come back in body bags. I feel the same way about our friends in Israel,” Kaufman added.

"But there are third parties that want to get involved, and I say, give them the green light to do so. So, if there's any ground troops…they shouldn't be from America or Israel. It should be from these third parties,” he said.

This is an excerpt from a report by David Unsworth.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed anger at actions by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), describing missile and drone strikes on the United Arab Emirates as “completely irresponsible,” according to reports.

Citing new information suggesting an unprecedented surge in tensions between the government and the IRGC, Iran International also said the strikes had been carried out without the government’s knowledge or coordination.

Pezeshkian is said to have called the approach of escalating tensions with Iran’s neighboring countries “madness,” while warning of potentially irreversible consequences, the outlet reported.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the Iranian drone and missile strikes on Monday that targeted the United Arab Emirates.

Starmer urged Iran to engage in diplomacy to prevent further escalation in the Middle East, the prime minister’s office said.

"We stand in solidarity with the UAE and will continue to support the defence of our partners in the Gulf. This escalation must cease. Iran needs to engage meaningfully in negotiations to ensure the ceasefire in the Middle East endures, and a long-term diplomatic solution is achieved," Starmer said.

Iran also struck several vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday and set a UAE oil port on fire.

This came as President Donald Trump launched Project Freedom to free up shipping in the key waterway.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman condemned Iran’s attacks on the United Arab Emirates in a phone call with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Monday, according to Saudi state media.

Bin Salman said the renewed strikes on the region were “unjustified Iranian attacks targeting the sisterly United Arab Emirates” and reaffirmed Riyadh’s support for Abu Dhabi.

He also expressed Saudi Arabia’s backing for the UAE in its “defense of its security and stability,” underscoring regional alignment against Tehran’s actions, Iran International reported.

Iran’s foreign minister warned the U.S. and the UAE against getting pulled into a prolonged conflict by others with bad intentions on Monday, despite saying talks were making progress.

Seyed Abbas Araghchi’s remarks came amid rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.

“Events in Hormuz make clear that there's no military solution to a political crisis,” Araghchi said in a post shared on X.

“As talks are making progress with Pakistan's gracious effort, the U.S. should be wary of being dragged back into a quagmire by ill-wishers. So should the UAE,” he added.

“Project Freedom is Project Deadlock,” Araghchi said.

A man accused of killing one person and injuring a dozen others in a firebomb attack on Colorado demonstrators supporting Israeli hostages in Gaza is expected to plead guilty this week, according to court documents cited by The Times of Israel.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman faces life without parole if a judge accepts his plea for the 2025, attack.

He had previously pleaded not guilty to throwing two Molotov cocktails. An 82-year-old woman later died from her injuries, and 12 others were hurt.

Soliman, an Egyptian national who is allegedly in the U.S. illegally, is accused of planning the attack for a year and acting on wanting “to kill all Zionist people.”

He faces dozens of state charges, including murder and attempted murder, with prosecutors considering the death penalty.

His attorneys say he previously offered to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence.

The U.S. is edging closer to restarting major combat operations against Iran, senior officials said Monday, with the final decision resting with President Donald Trump and Tehran’s new leadership.

The assessment came as the ceasefire was tested in the Strait of Hormuz at the start of Project Freedom.

“We are closer to the resumption of major combat operations than we were 24 hours ago after Iran fired on US vessels and targeted UAE today with missiles and drones and fast boats," senior officials told Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin.

Officials also said it would be up to President Donald Trump and Iran’s leaders to determine whether military operations wold resume. No orders to end the ceasefire have been given, they said.

The U.S. military “stands ready to respond.” It is “rearmed and retooled,” the officials added.

No orders have been received to restart the bombing campaign. There has been “no un-pause of the ceasefire.”

For now, the U.S. military is focused on defensive actions to protect ships in the Gulf.

The UAE said Monday that more than a dozen Iranian missiles and drones were launched, leaving three people injured, while an Iranian drone strike sparked a fire at an oil facility that wounded three Indian nationals.

The British military also reported two cargo vessels ablaze off the UAE, and the U.S. said it sank six Iranian boats targeting civilian ships.

“The commanders on scene have all the authorities they need to protect themselves and commercial shipping,” according to one well-placed U.S. defense official.

The commander can strike “if US forces see missile launchers moving or identity missiles being put on the rails or identify targets of opportunity that threaten commercial shipping.”

“We preserve the right to eliminate those threats. We don’t have to wait. We can anticipate and preempt. There is a level of maneuverability.”

“We can hit a known threat. We don’t have to wait until Iran fires first.”

The difference between a defensive umbrella and escorting ships through the strait is akin to zone versus man-to-man defense, one source said.

Trump launched Project Freedom Monday to help guide vessels that have been stuck for weeks in the key shipping route.

The source also said escorting each ship through the strait is “inefficient,” but that a defensive umbrella of air and sea power and surveillance “creates a layered defense that takes advantage of numbers and capability.”

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.

F/A-18 Super Hornets were deployed Monday from the USS Abraham Lincoln as the aircraft carrier took part in a blockade of Iranian ports and in support of Project Freedom, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

“U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets launch from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). Lincoln is one of two aircraft carriers enforcing the blockade on Iranian ports while also supporting Project Freedom,” the command said in a post shared on X.

The body of an Iranian-Swedish citizen has been secretly buried by Iran’s security agents outside Tehran after he was executed in March on charges of spying for Israel, Iran International reported Monday.

Citing sources, the outlet said Kourosh Keyvani was executed on March 18 without his family being informed. His body was buried on March 23 in Khavaran.

Keyvani’s family tried to mark the unmarked gravesite by placing stones nearby, but authorities removed them to prevent the burial location from being identified, the sources said.

Khavaran, in southeast Tehran, is known as a burial site associated with executed political prisoners, including victims of Iran’s 1988 mass executions.

The U.S. Embassy in the UAE warned of potential aerial threats Monday and urged U.S. citizens in the country to reconsider travel as it monitored the situation.

“Our travel advisory for the UAE remains at Level 3: Reconsider Travel,” the alert said.

The U.S. Embassy and Consulate General remain open, the alert said, but are “on ordered-departure status, meaning that non-emergency U.S. government personnel have been relocated outside the UAE,” the embassy said.

This came as the UAE remained on high alert after Iran launched renewed strikes on the region, injuring three Indian nationals on Monday

An Iranian military official and member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council said Monday that the United States is holding the world’s shipping and energy “captive,” as President Donald Trump’s “Project Freedom” got underway.

Dr. Ali Akbar Ahmadian, a representative of the Supreme Leader in Iran’s Defense Council, also labeled the U.S. as “American Pirates.”

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is a sanctuary, and its security is a non-negotiable principle,” Ahmadian said in a post shared on X.

“Let the American pirates, who have held the world's shipping and energy security captive, know that complex, combined asymmetric operations in the depths of the battlefield will alter the equations in such a way that the cost of their decision will,” he added.

“It will go beyond the threshold of tolerance. This is not a warning, but part of a reality that, by God's permission, will become manifest,” Ahmadian added.

The United States is advancing a new United Nations Security Council resolution targeting Iran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz as the administration seeks to reinforce its ongoing maritime operation with international backing.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Monday the effort is designed to hold Iran accountable for mining international waters, threatening global shipping and attempting to disrupt one of the world’s most critical trade routes.

"The president and Secretary Rubio have instructed us to come to the Security Council in full cooperation and craft a resolution with Bahrain and the GCC countries," Waltz said during a press briefing.

"We’re working on a parallel effort at the Security Council that is separate and distinct from Project Freedom, but obviously related."

"The resolution will involve holding Iran to account for its blatant violations of international law," he added, including requiring Tehran to stop laying sea mines, disclose their locations and work with the United Nations to establish humanitarian corridors used by dozens of U.N. agencies to deliver aid globally.

The diplomatic push comes as U.S. forces moved Monday to secure commercial shipping through the strait under President Donald Trump’s Project Freedom.

U.S. Central Command confirmed American forces sank six Iranian small boats threatening vessels, underscoring the fragility of the ceasefire and the ongoing risks to global energy flows.

This is a an excerpt from a report by Efrat Lachter.

The United Arab Emirates on Monday condemned what it called renewed Iranian attacks, saying the strikes marked a dangerous escalation.

This came as the Ministry of Defense confirmed that it is on “high alert.”

The renewed attacks, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said, had “resulted in the injury of three Indian nationals.”

In a statement, the MoFA also said that the attacks constituted “a dangerous escalation, an unacceptable act of aggression, and a direct threat to the UAE’s security, stability and territorial integrity, in violation of the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations.”

In a post shared on X, the Ministry of Defense also said the total number of civilian deaths from the strikes overall stands at 10.

It also confirmed that it is on “high alert” and was ready to deal with “any threats.”

Iran warned the United Arab Emirates on Monday that any military action against it would put UAE interests at risk.

The IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency cited an Iranian military source as saying that if the UAE takes “unwise” action against Iran, all its interests would become targets for Iran, Reuters reported.

“No official threat has so far been announced by the Emiratis,” the military source told Tasnim, according to Iran International. “But if the Emiratis become a plaything of Israel and make a wrong move, they will learn a lesson they will never forget.”

“The UAE knows it is sitting in a very fragile glass house, and insecurity is absolute poison for it,” the source said.

“If it wants to repeat the mistake of the 40-day war, we will completely abandon restraint and treat this Zionist nest as part of the Zionist regime,” the source added, according to Iran International.

The remarks came as the UAE’s Defense Ministry confirmed 15 missiles and four drones from Iran had been intercepted.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Monday that troops uncovered explosive devices and anti-tank missiles at a Hezbollah weapons facility, as operations continued against the group’s infrastructure.

“IDF troops inside a Hezbollah weapons storage facility prior to its dismantling, where dozens of explosive devices and anti-tank missiles were located,” the IDF said in a post shared on X.

“In addition, several weapons storage facilities were dismantled, and about 15 Hezbollah infrastructure sites were struck,” the force said.

In a separate statement Monday, the IDF said the 226th Brigade had dismantled an approximately 30-meter-long tunnel route used by Hezbollah to “advance attacks against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians.”

“Over the past 24 hours, IDF soldiers of the 146th Division struck approximately 15 infrastructure sites,” the statement said.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Monday confirmed that U.S. forces had redirected 50 commercial vessels during the blockade of Iranian ports.

“Guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney (DDG 91) observes a merchant vessel while on patrol enforcing the U.S. blockade against Iran,” the command said in a post shared on X.

“As of today, 50 commercial vessels have been redirected by U.S. forces to ensure compliance,” CENTCOM said.

The UAE Ministry of Defence said Monday its air defense systems were continuing to actively intercept a wave of ballistic and cruise missiles, along with drones launched from Iran.

“The UAE's air defenses are currently dealing with missile attacks and incoming drones from Iran, and the Ministry of Defence confirms that the sounds heard in various parts of the country are the result of the UAE's air defense systems intercepting ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones,” the ministry said in a post shared on X.

“UAE air defense systems are actively engaging with missile and UAV threats,” it said.

“The ministry asserts that the sounds heard across the country are the result of ongoing engagement operations involving missiles and UAVs,” the ministry added.

Reuters also reported authorities in Fujairah said a fire broke out at the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone following what they described as a drone attack originating from Iran.

Civil defence teams were deployed immediately to contain the blaze, the Fujairah Media Office said in a statement, the outlet said.

A senior Iranian military official disputed U.S. claims that American forces eliminated six Iranian small boats near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.

U.S. Central Command Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said earlier Monday that the U.S. eliminated six Iranian small boats during a "quick" operation.

Iranian media says an unnamed senior military official denied that version of events.

'"The U.S. claim of sinking a number of Iranian warships is false," the official reportedly said.