UAE intercepts missiles fired from Iran as emergency warnings issued; a cargo ship caught fire off the UAE coast on Monday, with the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center announcing the ship had caught fire

News Desk/DNA

DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates said on Monday its air defense systems had responded to four missiles fired from Iran, with its Ministry of Defense confirming three of them had been intercepted while a fourth fell into the sea. As many as three Indian nationals were injured in Iranian missile attacks.

The UAE’s eastern emirate of Fujairah also said an Iranian drone sparked a fire at an oil facility. Fujairah is the terminus of a pipeline the UAE has used to avoid shipping some of its oil through the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran war.

A cargo ship caught fire off the UAE coast on Monday, with the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center announcing the ship had caught fire, adding it was in the vessel’s engine room. It confirmed the ship’s crew was accounted for.

UAE authorities issued a series of fresh mobile phone alerts on Monday warning residents of missile threats.

The alerts urged residents to “immediately seek a safe place in the closest secure building.”

A defense ministry statement on X added: “The sounds heard in scattered areas of the country are the result of the successful interception of the aerial threats.

WASHINGTON, MAY 4: The US military said two US Navy guided-missile destroyers had entered the Gulf to break an Iranian blockade and that two US ships had transited the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran said it had prevented a US warship entering the Gulf.

US Central Command said its forces were supporting President Donald Trump’s “Project Freedom,” which aims to “guide out” commercial ships stranded in the Gulf by the US-Israeli war on Iran, and were enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports.

The intervention appeared to raise the risk of a direct confrontation between the US and Iran in a waterway that usually carries a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil and gas but has been blocked for two months as a result of the war.

CENTCOM said two US-flagged merchant vessels had crossed through the strait as the US destroyers operated in the Gulf, adding: “American forces are actively assisting efforts to restore transit for commercial shipping.”

Earlier on Monday, Iran said it had forced a US warship to turn back from the Strait of Hormuz, although CENTCOM quickly denied an Iranian news report that the ship had been hit by missiles.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters Iran had fired a warning shot and that it was unclear whether the warship had been damaged.

Oil pricesLCOc1 had jumped 5 percent on reports of the warship being turned back, but by 1220 GMT were up around 2.5 percent.

The shipping industry remains to be convinced that the vital oil route, whose closure has damaged global business and trade, is safe to use, with little sign of progress towards a negotiated resolution of Washington’s conflict with Iran.

Iran’s navy said it had prevented “American-Zionist” warships entering the Strait area by issuing a “swift and decisive warning.”

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said two missiles had hit the warship near the port of Jask at the southern entrance to the strait. CENTCOM denied that any warship had been struck.

Trump gave few details of his plan to aid ships and their crews who have been confined to the vital waterway and are running low on food and other supplies.

“We have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site on Sunday.

Iranian military’s warning
In response to Trump’s announcement, Iran’s unified command told commercial ships and oil tankers to refrain from any movement that was not coordinated with Iran’s military.

“We have repeatedly said the security of the Strait of Hormuz is in our hands and that the safe passage of vessels needs to be coordinated with the armed forces,” Ali Abdollahi, head of the forces’ unified command, said in the statement.

“We warn that any foreign armed forces, especially the aggressive US Army, will be attacked if they intend to approach and enter the Strait of Hormuz.”

Iran has blocked nearly all shipping into and out of the Gulf apart from its own since the start of the war, sending oil prices soaring by 50 percent or more.

CENTCOM said it would support Trump’s “Project Freedom” with 15,000 military personnel and more than 100 land- and sea-based aircraft, plus warships and drones.

“Our support for this defensive mission is essential to regional security and the global economy as we also maintain the naval blockade,” Admiral Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, said in a statement.

DUBAI, MAY 4: The United Arab Emirates intercepted three missiles on Monday, the country’s Defense Ministry announced, with a fourth missile falling into the sea.

The incident occured as a fire broke out in the engine room of a cargo ship 36 km north of Dubai, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) said.

The ship’s crew is unharmed, the UKMTO said, adding that the cause of the fire is still unknown.

SAMARKAND, MAY 4 /DNA/ – President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan announced a new $12 billion cooperation program with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday, while proposing a series of regional initiatives including a “Central Asia Green Belt” and a “Digital Customs and Logistics Alliance” to tackle climate change and supply chain disruptions.

Speaking at the 59th ADB Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors—the first time Uzbekistan has hosted the prestigious forum—President Mirziyoyev outlined his vision for a technologically driven “New Uzbekistan” and called for deeper multilateral cooperation to address global economic turbulence.

“Our land, located at the crossroads of the Great Silk Road, has long been a center connecting East and West,” Mirziyoyev told over 4,000 delegates from more than 100 countries. “I am confident that the Samarkand forum will serve to advance progressive ideas and new initiatives.”

The President highlighted Uzbekistan’s rapid economic transformation since 2016, noting that foreign investment has reached $150billionandthenationaleconomyhasgrownfrom$150billionandthenationaleconomyhasgrownfrom50 billion to $147 billion. Despite global instability, Uzbekistan recorded 8.7% GDP growth in the first quarter of this year.

He emphasized social progress, stating that the poverty rate has been slashed from nearly 35% to just 5.8%, lifting the incomes of 8.5 million people.

“Our reforms have focused primarily on improving the daily lives of every single family,” Mirziyoyev said. By 2030, the government aims to double the economy to over $240 billion and eradicate poverty completely.

Key Proposals to the ADB

The President put forward six major initiatives for joint action with the Bank:

1. AI Hub & Digital Highway: Uzbekistan is establishing an “Artificial Intelligence Hub” and proposes opening a regional coordination center for the ADB’s “Digital Highway for Asia” initiative in Tashkent.
2. Green Energy Corridor: With the share of renewable energy already at 30%, Uzbekistan backs the creation of a Central Asia–Europe “green” energy corridor to expand clean energy exports.
3. Digital Customs Alliance: To combat rising freight costs and delays, Mirziyoyev proposed a “Digital Customs and Logistics Alliance” under the ADB’s CAREC program to streamline cross-border cargo transportation.
4. Critical Minerals Program: Noting that demand for critical minerals will rise sixfold by 2040, Uzbekistan proposed joining the ADB’s “From Critical Minerals to Manufacturing” program to develop deep processing of copper, tungsten, and titanium reserves.
5. Central Asia Green Belt: To combat desertification and the ecological fallout from the Aral Sea disaster, the President proposed a regional “Central Asia Green Belt” project. He noted that Uzbekistan has already planted 200 million seedlings annually for five years.
6. Central Asia Tourism Ring: With foreign tourist numbers reaching 12 million (a sixfold increase in a decade), Mirziyoyev called for a joint portfolio to create a “Central Asia Tourism Ring” uniting regional destinations.

President Mirziyoyev personally thanked ADB President Masato Kanda for the Bank’s steadfast support, revealing that a new $12billioncooperationprogramwassignedthepreviousday\mathrm{.}OngoingADB-backedprojectsinUzbekistanarecurrentlyvaluedatnearly$12billioncooperationprogramwassignedthepreviousday.OngoingADB−backedprojectsinUzbekistanarecurrentlyvaluedatnearly16 billion.

“We stand ready to implement all these proposals not only through sovereign lending, but also through public-private partnerships, guarantee instruments, and blended finance,” Mirziyoyev said, proposing the establishment of an “Innovative Financing Platform” for regional projects.

The 59th Annual Meeting continues in Samarkand through the week, bringing together finance ministers, central bank governors, and private sector leaders from across Asia.

It was not immediately clear whether and to what extent the IRGC-claimed area of control has changed, with Trump saying the US would begin efforts to free up shipping.

TEHRAN, MAY 4: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy issued a new map of the area of the Strait of Hormuz under its control on Monday, state media reported.

The area begins in the west, along a line between the westernmost tip of Iran’s Qeshm Island and the United Arab Emirates’ emirate of Umm al-Qaiwain. In the east, the area stops at a line between Iran’s Mount Mobarak and the UAE’s Emirate of Fujairah.

It was not immediately clear if and to what extent their claimed area of control has changed.

There were no signs of increased vessel traffic through the Strait on Monday, a day after US President Donald Trump said the country would begin efforts to free up shipping.

Only one tanker, a sanctioned, handy-sized LPG carrier, along with a few cargo ships and a cable-laying vessel, passed into the Gulf of Oman on Monday, MarineTraffic data showed.

No tankers or other commercial vessels were seen lining up to transit, and German shipping group Hapag-Lloyd said transit for its vessels remained impossible due to a lack of clarity over secure passage procedures.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it would begin helping to restore freedom of navigation through the Strait on Monday, while continuing its blockade of Iranian ports.

BIMCO: Security situation unchanged
The shipping industry has received no guidance regarding the US operation and its intent, while the overall security situation remained unchanged, the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) said.

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“Without consent from Iran to let commercial ships transit safely through the Strait of Hormuz, it is currently not clear whether the Iranian threat to ships can be degraded or suppressed,” its chief safety and security officer, Jakob Larsen, said. BIMCO provides security alerts for the industry.

Hundreds of commercial vessels and up to 20,000 seafarers have been unable to transit the waterway as a result of the Iran war, the International Maritime Organization said.

The US-led Joint Maritime Information Center said the maritime security threat level in the Strait remained “critical,” advising mariners to consider routing via Omani territorial waters south of the traffic separation scheme.

CENTCOM described US missions as “defensive” and said they would combine diplomatic efforts with military coordination.

Iran, meanwhile, warned the US Navy to stay out of the Hormuz and said commercial vessels would need to coordinate any passage with its military. It also issued a new map outlining what it said was Iran’s area of control.

Pakistan said all 22 crew members of the Iranian-flagged container ship Touska, which was boarded and seized by US forces last month, were evacuated to Pakistan and would be returned home.

The vessel will also be returned to its owners after repairs, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said, calling the move a “confidence-building measure.”

The US naval blockade imposed on Iranian ports on April 13 has also shrunk Tehran’s oil exports.