- Iran targets UAE tanker -

The United Arab Emirates said Iran fired two drones at a tanker affiliated with its state oil company ADNOC in the Strait of Hormuz, condemning the attack.

"Targeting commercial shipping and using the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of economic coercion or blackmail represents acts of piracy by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps," the foreign ministry said, adding there were no injuries.

- Iran media says missiles fired at US frigate -

Iranian media said that a US navy frigate was targeted by two missiles in the Strait of Hormuz, after President Donald Trump said US forces would begin guiding ships through the waterway. The US military denied that any of its ships had been hit.

"The frigate, which was sailing on Monday in the Strait of Hormuz, in violation of navigation and maritime safety rules near (the port of) Jask, was targeted by a missile attack after ignoring a warning from the Iranian navy," the Fars news agency said, without citing a source. Iran's military had said earlier that US forces would be attacked if they entered the Strait.

Trump said the United States would on Monday begin guiding ships through the strategic strait, which was a major transport route for oil, gas and fertiliser before the Middle East war broke out and Iran blockaded the waterway.

- Iran says US must 'abandon its excessive demands -

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said that the United States must reduce its demands on ending the ending the two-month-long Middle East war.

"At this stage, our priority is to end the war," Baqaei said in a briefing broadcast by state television. "The other side must commit to a reasonable approach and abandon its excessive demands regarding Iran."

Negotiations between the two countries have been stalled since a ceasefire took effect on April 8, with only one round of direct peace talks held.

- Dubai airport traffic slumps -

Dubai airport's passenger traffic plunged to 2.5 million passengers in March, two-thirds down on the same month last year, following Iran's attacks on the United Arab Emirates during the Middle East war, the emirate's media office said in a statement.

- Tanker struck near the UAE -

Unidentified projectiles struck a tanker off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Monday, adding that all crew members were safe.

The incident occurred 78 nautical miles north of the UAE city of Fujairah, the agency said.

- Pakistan says Iranian crew from seized ship returned -

Pakistan said Monday it had facilitated the transfer of 22 Iranian crew members from a US-seized vessel, describing the move as a "confidence-building measure" amid fragile diplomatic contacts between Washington and Tehran.

- Trump says 'positive' talks with Iran -

Trump said Sunday that "very positive discussions" were under way with Iran on resolving the war and that US forces will soon start escorting ships out of the blocked Strait of Hormuz in a mission dubbed "Project Freedom".

In a post on Truth Social, Trump called it a "humanitarian gesture," saying many of the marooned ships "were running low on food", but offered few details on how the mission would work.

US Central Command said on X that its forces would begin supporting Project Freedom with guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms and 15,000 service members.

- Germany's Merz not 'giving up' on working with US -

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday he would not give up on working with Trump, despite a spat between the leaders over the Iran war and Trump's announcement that the number of US troops stationed in the European country would be cut by "a lot further than 5,000".

"I am not giving up on working on the transatlantic relationship," Merz told public broadcaster ARD. "Nor am I giving up on working with Donald Trump."

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