WASHINGTON — The United States and Iran exchanged fire in the Persian Gulf in a flareup of violence Monday that also drew in the United Arab Emirates, casting doubt on the fate of a four-week ceasefire.

The U.S. military fought off attacks from Iranian drones, missiles and armed small boats as it facilitated the passage of two U.S.-flagged vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper told reporters in a briefing Monday.

“We’ve shot down seven small Boats or, as they like to call them, ‘fast’ Boats,” President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post Monday. He said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would hold a press conference Tuesday, suggesting the U.S. was planning an additional response.

Adding to the tension, the UAE blamed an Iranian drone strike for a large fire at its Fujairah port that hospitalized three people, with the Gulf state issuing several missile alerts to its residents for the first time since the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran began nearly a month ago.

That alert came hours after an oil tanker owned by the UAE’s state oil company Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. was struck by Iranian drones in a separate incident outside the Strait of Hormuz — through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas transited before the war began in late February.

The violence and Trump’s latest post shook the ceasefire that had largely held since going into effect April 8 and raised the possibility that the U.S. and its ally Israel would renew six weeks of attacks on Iran that had struck thousands of targets, killed Iran’s supreme leader and other top officials and plunged the region into fresh turmoil.

In a social media post, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Iran’s attack on the UAE amounted to “a declaration of the renewal of Iran’s war against the allies of the United States and Israel across the region.” Centcom’s Cooper repeatedly declined to address questions about whether the ceasefire had been broken.

Oil prices surged on news that Iran had attacked Fujairah and tankers came under renewed threat in the strait. International benchmark Brent jumped more than 5% to trade near $114 a barrel while U.S. oil climbed 3% to trade near $105 a barrel by 12:24 p.m. ET.

The attack came after Trump announced Sunday that he planned to restore transit through the strategic waterway and help stranded vessels exit the Persian Gulf.

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said the Islamic Republic’s military fired warning shots at U.S. Navy ships after they made an attempt at approaching the Strait of Hormuz. Fars said cruise missiles, rockets and combat drones were used by the Iranian forces.

Tasnim, another Iranian news agency, announced earlier Monday that the government had “redefined the control zone” in the strait and effectively set out maritime borders within which Tehran would regulate shipping traffic.

‘Project Freedom’

When announcing the plans to guide stranded ships out of the Persian Gulf — dubbed Project Freedom — Trump said some of the vessels were running out of food. He said that several countries have asked the United States for help in freeing up their ships.

The violence also cast fresh focus on the failure of the U.S. and Iran so far to come to agreement on a longer-term deal. In the same Truth Social post, Trump talked of ongoing discussions with Iranian authorities that “could lead to something very positive for all.” But he gave no details and there was no indication of fresh meetings between the adversaries.

At the center of the dispute is Hormuz, where Iran has blocked almost all vessel traffic. It says it will only reopen the strait after the U.S. lifts a naval blockade on Iranian ports.

The war, which began Feb. 28 when the U.S. and Israel started bombing the Islamic Republic, has left more than 5,500 people dead, most of them in Iran and Lebanon.

Here’s more on the war:

—There were more reports of attacks on ships. A tanker reported being hit by projectiles north of the UAE port Fujairah, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations. South Korea confirmed an explosion and subsequent fire were reported by a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, Yonhap reported citing the foreign ministry.

—Israel’s Channel 12 said Israel was placed on the highest alert level and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is consulting with security officials.

—China has ordered its companies to ignore U.S. sanctions on private refiners linked to the Iranian oil trade, an unprecedented act of defiance that threatens to trap a vast banking sector in the crossfire as tension rises between the world’s largest economies.

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(With assistance from Veena Ali-Khan, Omar Tamo and Arsalan Shahla.)

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