LIVE – War in the Middle East: United Arab Emirates report drone and missile attacks, Macron denounces “unacceptable” Iranian strikes

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The head of Iranian diplomacy, Abbas Araghchi, spoke on Wednesday in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, indicated Xinhua News in the context of the crisis in the Middle East. The state agency provided no details on the discussions, held against a backdrop of persistent tensions between Iran and the United States and a few days before a visit planned for mid-May by American President Donald Trump to China.

China is the main importer of Iranian oil. More than 80% of Iran’s oil exports went to China before the war, according to the analysis firm Kpler.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday called on China to put pressure on Iran to allow passage through the Strait of Hormuz. “I hope the Chinese will tell (Araghchi) what he needs to hear, which is that what you are doing in the strait isolates you internationally.”Mr. Rubio told reporters.

China is directly affected by the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz. More than half of crude imports transported by sea to China come from the Middle East and mainly transit through the strait, according to Kpler. Beijing has thus discreetly but actively engaged in efforts to resolve the crisis. His diplomacy is credited with having played an important role in the fragile ceasefire agreed between Washington and Tehran. China has publicly shown restraint in its criticism of the United States and in its support of Iran, so as not to alienate the Gulf countries, with which it has developed its cooperation in recent years.

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The head of Iranian diplomacy, Abbas Araghchi, arrived in Beijing where he is due to meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Wednesday in the context of the crisis in the Gulf, announced the Iranian agencies Fars and Tasnim.

This trip comes in the run-up to a visit to China by American President Donald Trump on May 14 and 15 and while Beijing, considered an ally of Tehran, is one of the main importers of Iranian oil.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov called each other on Tuesday and discussed in particular the war in Iran and Ukraine, according to the State Department.

“They talked about the relationship between Russia and the United States, the war between Russia and Ukraine and Iran.”declared State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott in a press release.

The chemical tanker CS Anthem was the second US-flagged commercial vessel to leave the Strait of Hormuz, accompanied by US military vessels, three sources told Reuters on Tuesday.

The CS Anthem is operated by Crowley-Stena Marine Solutions. The first ship identified as having left the strait is the Alliance Fairfax, a US-flagged vehicle carrier operated by Maersk subsidiary Farrell Lines, Maersk said on Monday.

A cargo ship was reportedly hit by an unidentified projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, the UKMTO (United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations) said on Tuesday, adding that the environmental impact of the incident was currently unknown.

The head of American diplomacy Marco Rubio assured Tuesday that the offensive phase of the conflict with Iran was “finished”during a press conference at the White House.

“The operation is over – “Epic fury†– as the president informed Congress. We have passed this stage”at-il déclaré.

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The Iranian military command has «catégoriquement» denied having attacked the United Arab Emirates, which said on Tuesday that it had activated its air defense for the second day in a row in the face of missiles and drones fired from Iran.

“The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have not carried out any missile or drone operations against the United Arab Emirates in recent days.”said the spokesperson for the headquarters of the armed forces command Khatam Al-Anbiya, quoted by state television. “If such action had been taken, we would have announced it firmly and clearly. Therefore, the report of the Ministry of Defense of this country is categorically denied and completely unfounded.insisted the spokesperson.

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Israel is ready to deploy “the entire air force” against Iran “if necessary”declared the new head of this force on Tuesday during his taking office ceremony. “We are closely monitoring developments in Iran, and are prepared to deploy the entire Air Force to the east if necessary.”he declared general Omer Tischler, who prends the succession of general Tomer Bar é ce poste-clé.

“The Air Force will continue to act with determination, with power and with responsibility everywhere, against any threat and any enemy”assured the new commander. “Right now, we are in the air in Lebanon, hitting Hezbollah.” pro-Iranian, he added. Despite the ceasefire that came into force on April 17, fighting takes place daily in the south of the country.

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The head of German diplomacy expressed qualified support on Tuesday for the Israeli military invasion in Lebanon, while criticizing the humanitarian situation in Gaza and «the annexion de facto» in the West Bank, during a visit by his Israeli counterpart to Berlin. Tuesday, after an interview «axé on safety issuesé»Johann Wadephul boasted during a joint press conference with Gideon Saar a “constant contact and each other”more “without avoiding difficult subjects”.

Starting with the situation in Lebanon, where the Israeli army continues its strikes, mainly in the south of the country, despite a truce and has established a 10 km zone prohibiting access to the press and the population. “Israel has no territorial ambition in Lebanon” and wants “protecting citizens” as long as “Hezbollah and other terrorist factions” are not dismantled, justified the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs.

A position approved by Johann Wadephul, who judges “necessary” the stationing of Israeli troops in the area and “condemns with the greatest firmness the attacks of Hezbollah”. “At the same time, Lebanon must not become a theater of war where civilians pay the price”he added.

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Israel is ready to deploy “the entire air force” against Iran “if necessary”declared its new leader on Tuesday during his taking office ceremony.

“We are closely monitoring developments in Iran, and are prepared to deploy the entire Air Force to the east if necessary.”declared General Omer Tischler, who takes over from General Tomer Bar in this key position.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy warns all ships to use Iran-defined corridors of the Strait of Hormuz, saying they will face a «ferme response» if they deviate from it, reports the Fars agency.

“We warn all ships considering crossing the Strait of Hormuz that the only safe passage is the corridor previously announced by Iran.”affirmed the ideological army of the Islamic Republic in a press release. “Any diversion of ships to other routes is dangerous and will result in a firm response from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy.”according to this press release published by state television.

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Donald Trump a appelé mardi l’Iran à “do the smart thing”adding that he did not want to intervene and “killing people”.

“They should do the smart thing, because we don’t want to go out there and kill people. I don’t want to do that”declared the American president during an exchange with journalists in the Oval Office.

TotalEnergies will not be able “not maintain” its cap on the price of fuel in the event of a tax on exceptional oil profits linked to the war in the Middle East, warned its CEO Patrick Pouyanné on Tuesday in an interview with the regional press.

On the other hand, he indicated that he was «fort probable» that its group is eligible in 2026 for the surtax on large companies introduced in 2025, due to the exceptional margins of its refining activity. Asked about the summer supply situation, Patrick Pouyanné assures that he «n’y aura pas de pénurie en France».

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US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday (May 5) that the ceasefire with Iran was not broken, even as the United States and Iran exchanged fire in the Gulf in their fight for control of the Strait of Hormuz. Pete Hegseth said the United States had managed to secure a passage through this crucial waterway and that hundreds of commercial ships were lining up to pass through. While Washington seeks to break the hold that Iran has exercised over the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the conflict on February 28.

“We know that the Iranians are embarrassed by this fact. They declared control of the strait. This is not the case.”declared Pete Hegseth during a press conference at the Pentagon. The US military claims to have sunk six small Iranian boats and intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and drones. All this came after President Donald Trump sent the Navy to escort stranded oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz as part of a campaign he called«Project Freedom». Several merchant ships in the Gulf reported explosions or fires on Monday, and an oil port in the United Arab Emirates, home to a major US military base, was set ablaze by Iranian missiles.

WHAT TO REMEMBER

The head of Iranian diplomacy Abbas Araghchi will travel to China on Tuesday for discussions which will focus on the situation in the Middle East, announced the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“During this visit, he will meet with his Chinese counterpart (Wang Yi) and will discuss bilateral relations as well as regional and international news.”indicates a brief press release from the ministry.

On the social network X, Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic advisor to the President of the United Arab Emirates, said he was grateful “messages of solidarity” from all over the world, who “condemn and denounce the treacherous Iranian attack”. According to him, “These positions confirm that it is clear that Iran is the aggressor, responsible for the escalation of the crisis in the Arab Gulf, and source of danger and threat to its security and stability”.

After Iranian strikes against the United Arab Emirates, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urges Iran to “stop taking the region and the world hostage” and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called at the end of the«escalade».

These attacks constitute “a clear violation of sovereignty and international law”denounced the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. All are asking Iran to return to the negotiating table and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

New Delhi on Tuesday condemned a drone attack on the Fujairah oil site in the United Arab Emirates, during which three Indian nationals were injured on Monday, and called for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran declared Monday evening via state television that it did not have the “project” to strike the important Emirati oil site of Fujairah – one of the few accessible without passing through the Strait of Hormuz – and attributed the attack to «American adventures».

“We call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure”declared Tuesday the spokesperson for Indian diplomacy, Randhir Jaiswal, in a press release.

India, the world’s third largest oil buyer, imports around half of its crude needs via the Strait of Hormuz blocked due to conflict in the Middle East.

Trump is trying to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to navigation, without lifting his own blockade of Iranian ports. A new operation called “Project Freedom”, aimed at allowing the passage of commercial ships in defiance of the blockade imposed by Iran has raised tensions in the Gulf.
On Monday, the US Navy announced that it had helped two US-flagged ships cross the strait despite Iran’s attempts to prevent them. Admiral Brad Cooper, CentCom commander in charge of operations, said the United States had successfully repelled attacks from Iran carried out by both drones and missiles. He added that six Iranian speedboats attempting to attack commercial ships were sunk by American helicopters.

REIGNAGE OF TENSIONS IN THE GULF

The American Minister of Defense Pete Hegseth is due to give a new press conference on Tuesday morning in Washington on operations in the Middle East, alongside the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Dan Caine.

A fire broke out on board several commercial ships in the Iranian port of Dayyer, in the south of the country, the Iranian Mehr news agency reported on Tuesday. Firefighters were trying to bring the fire under control, the causes of which were still unknown.

A shipment of Russian crude oil arrived in Japan on Monday, the first delivery from Moscow to the country since the Strait of Hormuz was blocked due to the war in the Middle East, according to local media.

A ship carrying crude oil from the Sakhalin-2 natural gas project reached the coast of Imabari (southwest) on Monday, reported several Japanese media including TV Tokyo and the Asahi Shimbun, citing anonymous officials from the wholesaler Taiyo Oil.

Japan invested in the project, which is not subject to global economic sanctions against Russia. The Ministry of Economy asked Taiyo Oil to receive this oil, according to media reports.

It must be transported to a refinery, where it will produce gasoline, naphtha – used to make plastic, fibers or paint among others – and other oil derivatives. When contacted by AFP, company officials did not respond at this stage.

Japan depends on the Middle East for about 95% of its oil imports and is working to diversify its sources of energy resources.

Seeking a way out of the blockade, Donald Trump launched a military operation on Monday to restore traffic there, called Project Freedom. He predicted: if they targeted American ships in this area, “Iranians would be pulverized from the face of the Earth”according to comments reported by Fox News.

Two merchant ships flying the American flag have already crossed “successfully” the Strait of Hormuz, indicated the American command for the region (Centcom) – Tehran denying, for its part, that merchant ships had crossed the narrows.

American forces also said they destroyed six Iranian boats “which represented a threat to commercial navigation”.

The rise in oil prices intensifies after new attacks in the United Arab Emirates and the Strait of Hormuz.

A barrel of Brent for delivery in July, an international benchmark, jumped 5.80% to $114.44 at market close on Monday. Its American equivalent, a barrel of West Texas Intermediate for delivery in June, gained 4.36%, to 106.42 dollars.

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The hope of a de-escalation in the conflict in the Middle East was suddenly extinguished on Monday. For the first time in more than a month, Tehran carried out drone and cruise missile strikes against the United Arab Emirates, notably hitting the strategic oil site of Fujairah.

If Iran denied having had the “project” to hit the Emirati infrastructure, this new escalation has provoked a wave of international condemnations, from Paris to London.