Ceasefire on brink: Trump says Iran will be “blown off face of earth” if it hits US ships | BBC News

The ceasefire between the US and Iran is on very shaky ground tonight after what the United Arab Emirates says was a major attack on its territory.Officials say four cruise missiles fired from Iran were intercepted over Emirati territorial waters and a drone attack ignited a fire at an oil terminal.Three people have been injured.The blaze at the port in Fujairah is the first strike on the UAE since a ceasefire was agreed between Iran and the U .S.at the beginning of April.

Today's sharp escalation of violence came after the U .S.said two American guided missile destroyers and two U .S.flag merchant ships had sailed through the Strait of Hormuz and six Iranian small boats were attacked and destroyed.In a moment, we'll get the view from Washington with Sarah Smith and our international editor, Jeremy Bowen, will give his assessment of the state of the ceasefire.

But first, Joe Inwood has our top story tonight.

Rising over the Gulf, smoke from Fujairah, the UAE's biggest oil port, said to be the result of an Iranian drone and a sign of things to come.The last time the Emirates came under attack was back in the middle of March, before a ceasefire, which has seemingly held until now.This is the result of a potentially significant day in this war, in which President Trump effectively announced the U .S.was going to break the Iranian blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, in what he called Project Freedom.

Air Force.They have no anti -aircraft equipment.

They have no radar.Writing on social media, the president said, Iran has taken some shots at unrelated nations with respect to the ship movement, Project Freedom, including a South Korean cargo ship.We've shot down seven small boats, or, as they like to call them, fast boats.It's all they have left.Other than the South Korean ship, there has beenat this moment, no damage going through the strait.

The U .S.has a huge number of Navy ships in the region.According to U .S.Central Command, guided missile destroyers, over 100 aircraft, drones and 15 ,000 personnel will be involved in the operation to get ships out of the Gulf.

Today, the U .S.said some of its destroyers passed through the Strait of Hormuz, part of a multi -layered defense against Iranian attacks.

If any of the drones or missiles are able to penetrate the air defence system, the layered defence, there would be terminal defence right inside the straits itself to defeat any penetration of a drone or a missile.Any attack from the land, shoulder fired missile or the like, would be defeated by the dome defence.

But Iran has promised retaliation.State TV says its navy fired warning shots at American warships.U .S.Central Command denied Iranian claims that one of its destroyers was hit.In the Gulf, hundreds of ships and thousands of sailors remain stranded.

Donald Trump says this plan will get them to safety, but with it comes the very real risk of further escalation and a return to war.

Joe Inwood, BBC News.Well, let's talk to Sarah Smith, who's live in Washington, for us.Is the ceasefire, as far as Donald Trump is concerned, Sarah, still in place?

Officially, yes.Neither Donald Trump nor Iran have said that it is over.And I have to say, when Donald Trump launches Project Freedom, I don't think he was trying to deliberately provoke the Iranians or trying to disrupt the ceasefire.What he wanted to do was tackle his biggest domestic problem, which is the way the blockade of the trade of hormones is putting prices up here in America.around the world and that is of course what is making his war on Iran so very unpopular with the American public.The thing is that it was inevitable.

If the US was going to try and get tanker ships moving through the strait, that this was going to risk the exchange of fire, which is, of course, exactly what happened today, that that threatens the fragile ceasefire.And on top of that, we've had Donald Trump saying that the US is ready to launch new attacks on Iran from the American bases in the region if that's what is required.But as I say, I don't think that that was his intention.purpose, the reason that he has been taking this action has got more to do with lowering prices than it has to do with restarting hostilities.It's just that if that was his aim, that hasn't been very successful either, because as a result of what's happened today, the oil price has gone up and the value of the US stock market has gone down a bit.

All right, Sarah, thank you.Sarah Smith, our North America editor live in Washington.Well, Jeremy Bowen is with me now.Just how dangerous a moment is this?

It's a dangerous moment, Clive.It's dangerous because both sides are trying to put pressure on each other, the Americans, for all the reasons you've just been hearing, and also because the Iranians see the straight.They know it's they've they've demonstrated that it's everything from an offensive weapon to a great insurance policy for them.So they wanted to show that they could continue to threaten it.So it was inevitable that something like this was going to happen.And this is this is the way that was escalate.

These are moments where miscalculations about each other's motives, which we've just been hearing about too, are likely and possible and dangerous.And that is the problem that they're facing at the moment.America's strategic binders, they need to get that straight open.The Iranians want to show that they're going to keep it closed or at least controlled.And the foreign minister today has been saying toMPs that not only are no nuclear talks going on with the Americans, but there will be no going back to the way things were before the war started on the 28th of February, that no hostile vessels from hostile nations would be allowed through, that there would be new mechanisms to control the strait.

Let us not forget the strait was open.before America and Israel attacked.And now actually opening it has become a major war aim of the war.that didn't seem to have clear strategic reasoning behind it when it stopped.As for the Gulf states, deeply alarming.Sources I've been speaking to absolutely reflect the public statements as well, that they're saying the UAE particularly said publicly they will not be intimidated.

They brought a whole lot of new weapons from the Americans.So, look, this is a time for steady and calm leadership in Tehran and in Washington.Are we going to get it?

Good question.Jeremy, thank you.Jeremy Bowen, our international editor there.