UAE Reports Iran Drone, Missile Attacks05/08 06:21

   The Iran war's shaky ceasefire was further strained on Friday as the United 
Arab Emirates said it intercepted a missile and drone strikes, hours after the 
U.S. said it thwarted attacks on three Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz and 
retaliated against Iranian military facilities.

   DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- The Iran war's shaky ceasefire was 
further strained on Friday as the United Arab Emirates said it intercepted a 
missile and drone strikes, hours after the U.S. said it thwarted attacks on 
three Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz and retaliated against Iranian 
military facilities.

   There were no immediate reports of damage in the UAE.

   Iran and the U.S. are trading blows as their negotiators seek a deal to end 
the fighting, but so far they've avoided a return to all-out fighting. It's not 
clear how close the two sides are to a deal on issues like Iran's nuclear 
program, which the U.S. and Israel vowed to halt when they launched the war on 
Feb. 28, or the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway that Iran has all but closed 
in a bid to pressure the global economy.

   On Thursday, Tehran said it was examining the latest U.S. proposals for 
ending the war delivered to it via Pakistan, which is serving as a mediator.

   Trump played down the exchange of fire between Iran and the U.S. Navy on 
Thursday. In a phone call with a reporter for ABC, Trump called the retaliatory 
strikes against Iran "just a love tap."

   He insisted the ceasefire is holding and a deal could come "any day," but 
reiterated threats of bombing if Tehran does not accept a deal that allows for 
resumption of oil and natural gas shipments disrupted by the conflict.

   "They have to understand: If it doesn't get signed, they're going to have a 
lot of pain," he told reporters in Washington.

   Iranian state media said the country's forces exchanged fire with "the 
enemy" on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. It also reported loud noises 
and continuous defensive fire in western Tehran late Thursday night.

   The ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has largely held since April 8. 
In-person talks between the two countries, hosted by Pakistan last month, 
failed to reach an agreement to end the war.

   US military says it's not seeking escalation

   The UAE's Defense Ministry advised residents not to approach, photograph or 
touch "any debris or fragments that have fallen as a result of successful air 
interceptions."

   Hours earlier, the U.S. military said it had intercepted Iranian attacks on 
three Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz Thursday night and "targeted Iranian 
military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces."

   Central Command said in a social media post that U.S. forces intercepted 
"unprovoked Iranian attacks" and responded with self-defense strikes. The U.S. 
military said no ships were hit. It said it doesn't seek escalation but 
"remains positioned and ready to protect American forces."

   Trump told reporters that the ceasefire was holding despite the violence.

   Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke by phone Thursday with his 
Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said.

   "We expect an agreement sooner rather than later," Foreign Ministry 
spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said. "We hope the parties will reach a peaceful and 
sustainable solution that will contribute not only to peace in our region but 
to international peace as well." He declined to give a timeline.

   Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, speaking in televised remarks, said 
Islamabad remained in "continuous contact with Iran and the United States, day 
and night, to stop the war and extend the ceasefire."

   Meanwhile, direct talks between Israel and Lebanon were scheduled to resume 
next week in Washington, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of 
anonymity to discuss plans for the closed-door meetings. The official said 
talks will be held May 14 and 15.

   Iran creates agency to control passage at Hormuz

   A Chinese-staffed oil tanker was attacked near the strait, apparently for 
the first time since the war began. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson 
expressed concern and said the tanker was registered in the Marshall Islands 
with Chinese crew on board. There were no casualties reported.

   Earlier on Thursday, a shipping data company reported that Iran has created 
a government agency to vet and tax vessels seeking passage through the strait.

   The Iranian effort to formalize control over the channel raised new concerns 
about international shipping, with hundreds of commercial vessels bottled up in 
the Persian Gulf and unable to reach the open sea. Still, hope that the 
two-month conflict could soon be over buoyed international markets.

   The report by shipping data firm Lloyd's List Intelligence that Iran has 
established a new government agency to approve transit and collect tolls from 
shipping in the strait raised concerns over the freedom of navigation on which 
global trade depends.

   The agency, called the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, is "positioning itself 
as the only valid authority to grant permission to ships transiting the 
strait," Lloyd's reported in an online briefing Thursday. Lloyd's said the 
authority had emailed it an application form for ships seeking passage.

   On Friday, an oil tanker that passed through the Strait of Hormuz in 
mid-April arrived off South Korea's coast for its 1 million barrels of crude to 
be unloaded at the HD Hyundai Oilbank refinery. South Korea, which last year 
imported more than 60% of its crude through the strait, has capped prices of 
gasoline and other petroleum products as the war raises fears of an energy 
crisis.

   Iran has effectively closed the strait, a vital waterway for the shipment of 
oil, gas, fertilizer and other petroleum products, while the U.S. is blockading 
Iranian ports. The disruptions have sent fuel prices skyrocketing and rattled 
the global economy.

   The new Iranian agency formalizes a system Iran has used to let ships 
through the strait and charge tolls during the war. Iran aims to control which 
ships pass and, for at least some vessels, impose a tax on their cargo.

   Maritime law experts say Iran's demands to vet or tax vessels violate 
international law. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea calls 
for countries to permit peaceful passage through their territorial waters. The 
U.S. has threatened to impose sanctions on companies that pay tolls to Iran.

   The U.S. and its Gulf allies are pushing for the U.N. Security Council to 
support a resolution that condemns Iran's chokehold on the strait and threatens 
sanctions. A prior resolution calling for reopening the strait was vetoed by 
Iran's allies Russia and China.