Live – US rallies allies to secure Strait of Hormuz as Tehran’s attacks persist

A Palestinian civilian was killed in a missile attack early on Monday in the United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi, authorities said.

The Abu Dhabi Media Office said a missile fell on a civilian vehicle in the al-Bahyah area. The death raises the toll to seven people in the UAE since the US and Israel fired the war’s opening salvo on 28 February.

A fire broke out on Monday following a drone attack on an industrial oil facility in Fujairah, one of the United Arab Emirates’ seven emirates, according to authorities.

The Media Office in Fujairah said a drone targeted the city’s Oil Industry Zone, causing an “advanced” fire, but reported no casualties.

The European Union is weighing two types of naval missions to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, after US President Donald Trump demanded international collaboration in the effort to resume oil exports and end surges in crude prices.

“It is in our interest to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, and that’s why we are also discussing what we can do in this regard from the European side,” said Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief.

She made the announcement ahead of a gathering of the bloc’s foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday.

Rising prices for energy and fertilisers has brought the war in Iran to the top of their agenda, she said.

Kallas said the EU could expand its Aspides naval mission to protect shipping in the Red Sea up into the Persian Gulf or form a “coalition of the willing” with member nations contributing military capacity on an ad hoc basis.

Saudi Arabia says it intercepted three drones on Monday morning over its capital, Riyadh, and the nation’s oil-rich western region.

The Saudi Defence Ministry says no casualties or damage were reported.

The ministry added that more than 60 drones targeted the country within a few hours.

United Arab Emirates officials say Dubai International Airport has gradually resumed some flights at hours after a drone strike.

Dubai Media Office, which speaks on behalf of authorities in the city-state, quoting Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, announced that flights are operating to select destinations.

“Dubai Civil Aviation Authority announces the gradual resumption of some flights to and from Dubai International Airport to selected destinations, following the temporary suspension implemented as a precautionary measure,” said the media office in a post on X.

“Passengers are advised to check with their airlines for the latest updates regarding their flights.”

It comes after Emirates airline announced that it had suspended all flights to and from Dubai following an attack on a fuel tank at the city’s main airport.

=Brent crude oil is trading near the $105 per barrel level on Monday.

A barrel of Brent, the international standard, was up 1.6% at $104.73, dipping slightly after opening above $106 per barrel. It’s up more than 40% since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran on 28 February.

Share prices in Asia were mixed and US futures advanced.

Hours after a drone strike sparked a fire at Dubai’s main airport, Emirates – one of the UAE’s leading carriers – said in its latest update that all of its flights “to and from Dubai have been temporarily suspended.”

In a statement shared on X on Monday, the airline says it is working with authorities to restart operations when possible, urging passengers not to travel to the airport.

“The safety of our passengers and crew is our highest priority and will not be compromised.”

Dubai International Airport is the world’s busiest airport for international travel and a key hub for many routes linking the East and West.

The United Arab Emirates’ Defence Ministry said its forces were intercepting Iranian missiles and drones fired early on Monday morning.

It comes just hours after authorities in Dubai confirmed that a drone hit a fuel tank at the Dubai International Airport, prompting roads leading to the international hub to be temporarily closed. 

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a phone call to discuss regional developments with the UAE’s President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to a statement released by Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry early on Monday.

The two leaders said the continued “Iranian attacks against Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries represent a dangerous escalation that threatens regional security and stability,” adding that GCC states will continue efforts to defend their countries

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have closed the main road and tunnel leading to Dubai International Airport after it was earlier reported that an Iranian drone hit a fuel tank at the airport, causing fire with no casualties.         

Dubai Police urged drivers to use alternative roads.

Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry said early on Monday that it downed an additional large barrage of 35 drones in the country’s eastern region, one of the kingdom’s least dense, close to Iran and home to major oil installations.

This brings the total number of drones intercepted to at least 60 in the last few hours.

The ministry did not immediately report casualties or damage.

US President Donald Trump says he has demanded seven countries to join an international coalition aimed at policing the chokepoint Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, sending warships and military assets to help escort oil vessels through as global crude prices continue to reel from the war in Iran.

The US president declined to name the countries heavily reliant on Middle East crude that his administration is negotiating with to join the initiative amid Iranian attacks, which have effectively closed the crucial waterway.

“I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, because it is their own territory,” Trump told reporters on Sunday.

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The Australian government says warships won’t be sent to the Middle East to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to international shipping following US President Donald Trump’s demands.

US President Donald Trump said that he has demanded “about seven countries” send warships to keep the strategic waterway, through which a fifth of the world’s oil exports pass, open, as Iranian strikes continued to rain down on Gulf Arab countries.

Australia’s Transport Minister Catherine King told local media outlets on Monday that she was not aware of Canberra receiving such a request.

“We won’t be sending a ship to the Strait of Hormuz. We know how incredibly important that is, but that’s not something that we’ve been asked or that we’re contributing to,” she said.

Australia said last week it was providing the UAE with an air force surveillance jet and air-to-air missiles to help defend against Iranian attacks, but a government statement said Australia was “not taking offensive action against Iran.”