Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates on Monday said an Iranian drone sparked a fire at an oil facility in Fujairah, a key pipeline hub used to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Shortly after the report, the British military said a cargo ship off the coast of the Emirates was ablaze. The UAE issued its first three missile alerts on Monday since the shaky ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. took hold almost four weeks ago.<\/p>\n
Iran handed over its latest proposal for negotiations<\/a> with the U.S. to mediators in Pakistan, Iran\u2019s state-run IRNA news agency reported Friday. Trump subsequently said he\u2019s \u201cnot satisfied\u201d with it, but did not elaborate on the proposal\u2019s apparent shortcomings. The shaky ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has lasted for three weeks.<\/p>\n UN reiterates need for freedom of navigation in Strait of Hormuz but opposes military activity<\/p>\n U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the United Nations is \u201cstill trying to fully understand\u201d exactly what U.S. statements saying the vital Strait of Hormuz is open.<\/p>\n Reports of an exchange of fire in the strait, which had carried about 20% of the world\u2019s crude oil and the United Arab Emirates intercepting Iranian missiles are \u201cconcerning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s not much clarity at this point, but what we do not want to see is a return to outright kinetic activity in this area,\u201d Dujarric said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to see a return of what has been centuries of practice of common law, which is freedom of navigation in these waters,\u201d he told U.N. reporters on Monday.<\/p>\n Israel closely watching developments in Gulf<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s military is closely monitoring the developments in the Gulf and remains on high alert, according to a military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with military guidelines.<\/p>\n The official added that there are currently no changes expected in guidelines for Israel\u2019s civilians, including limitations on the size of gatherings, that are implemented during times of war.<\/p>\n Cooper does not offer details about whether US was protecting sites that came under Iranian attack<\/p>\n Asked whether the U.S. was protecting sites in the United Arab Emirates that came under Iranian attack, Cooper said he didn\u2019t want to go into details.<\/p>\n The head of U.S. Central Command told reporters Monday that the \u201cUAE has exceptional capability. They\u2019re well-positioned to defend themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Authorities in the eastern emirate of Fujairah said an Iranian drone sparked a fire at a key oil facility, wounding three Indian nationals. The British military also reported two cargo vessels ablaze off the UAE.<\/p>\n Cooper says the Fujairah attack was \u201cunder their national jurisdiction\u201d and not part of the new American effort to get commercial ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n UAE airspace nearly empty as warning sirens blare<\/p>\n The airspace over the UAE was nearly empty Monday night as the country faced multiple sirens warning of incoming drones, according to the flight tracking website FlightRadar24.<\/p>\n Just days ago, the airport, which is among the world\u2019s busiest, had announced it had mostly returned to full operations.<\/p>\n UAE condemns Iranian attacks<\/p>\n The United Arab Emirates condemned what it called \u201crenewed treacherous Iranian aggression\u201d targeting civilian sites that left three people injured, and called for an immediate halt to the attacks.<\/p>\n \u201cThese attacks represent a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable violation,\u201d the UAE\u2019s foreign ministry said in a statement on X, adding that the UAE reserves the right to respond in a way that protects its sovereignty and security.<\/p>\n Cooper says Iran \u2018initiated aggressive behavior\u2019 in Strait of Hormuz<\/p>\n In his call with reporters, Cooper declined to say whether the ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. was over or not, but noted that it was Iran that \u201cinitiated aggressive behavior\u201d in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.<\/p>\n Cooper said the U.S. military is serving as a defensive force \u201cto give a very clear defense to commercial shipping, to allow them to proceed out of the Arabian Gulf.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019re focused on,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cWhat we saw this morning was Iran initiating aggressive behaviors. We are simply going to respond to that.\u201d<\/p>\n US military clears pathway in Strait of Hormuz that is free of Iranian mines<\/p>\n Cooper said the U.S. military has been able to clear a pathway in the Strait of Hormuz that is free of any Iranian mines in an effort to allow commercial vessels to transit the narrow waterway.<\/p>\n Cooper said U.S. military also has set up a \u201cdefensive umbrella\u201d that includes American helicopters and fighter planes to protect the freighters leaving the strait.<\/p>\n US military says it sunk 6 Iranian small boats that were targeting civilian vessels<\/p>\n Adm. Brad Cooper, who heads U.S. Central Command, said U.S. military helicopters have sunk six Iranian small boats that were targeting civilian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n It is the latest test of the ceasefire between Iran and the U.S.<\/p>\n US military says Iran has launched missiles, drones and small boats at ships the US is protecting in Strait of Hormuz<\/p>\n Iran has launched multiple cruise missiles, drones and small boats at ships the U.S. military is protecting, a top commander said Monday.<\/p>\n Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, said during a news conference that \u201ceach and every one\u201d of the threats had been defeated.<\/p>\n Three Indian nationals injured in Fujairah attack, says authorities<\/p>\n Authorities in Fujairah said an Iranian drone that sparked a fire at an oil facility left three Indian nationals injured.<\/p>\n The authorities said in a statement they suffered medium wounds and were transferred to the hospital.<\/p>\n Cargo ship on fire off the coast of the UAE as the nation warned of incoming attacks from Iran<\/p>\n The British military\u2019s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center announced the fire on the ship, saying it was in the vessel\u2019s engine room. It said the ship\u2019s crew was accounted for.<\/p>\n UAE\u2019s eastern emirate of Fujairah says an Iranian drone sparked a fire at an oil facility<\/p>\n Fujairah is the terminus of a pipeline the United Arab Emirates has used to avoid shipping some of its oil through the Strait of Hormuz in the Iran war.<\/p>\n The UAE on Monday issued its first three missile alerts since a ceasefire took hold.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s military command says ships passing through the strait must coordinate with them<\/p>\n \u201cWe warn that any foreign military force \u2014 especially the aggressive U.S. military \u2014 that intends to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted,\u201d Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi told state broadcaster IRIB on Monday.<\/p>\n UAE issues another missile alert as tensions rise over the Strait of Hormuz<\/p>\n The United Arab Emirates issued the alert without saying what prompted it.<\/p>\n It was the second such alert Monday, after there had been none in recent weeks following the Iran ceasefire.<\/p>\n Authorities haven\u2019t provided further details on either alert. An all-clear signal was issued minutes after the first alert. There were no immediate reports of casualties.<\/p>\n Judge in dispute over Washington golf course tells Trump officials not to cut trees without notice<\/p>\n The federal judge told the U.S. government Monday not to cut down more than 10 trees without first providing notice amid a legal dispute at a historic Washington golf course<\/a> President Trump plans to renovate.<\/p>\n U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes said during a remote hearing that she wasn\u2019t going to issue a temporary restraining order just yet in the case brought by the DC Preservation League. She also told the National Park Service that it should first discuss any plans with government lawyers if it was going to cut down more than 10 trees.<\/p>\n Monday\u2019s hearing came after the plaintiff\u2019s emergency petition seeking to stop work at the course, citing news reports that major renovations were to begin Monday.<\/p>\n Kevin Griess, the superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks for the Park Service, said during the hearing there was no plan to begin such work Monday but added that a safety assessment was underway.<\/p>\n Supreme Court restores access to the abortion pill mifepristone<\/p>\n The Supreme Court\u2019s order Monday blocks a ruling that had threatened to upend one of the main ways abortion is provided across the nation.<\/p>\n The order signed by Justice Samuel Alito temporarily allows women seeking abortions to obtain the pill at pharmacies or through the mail, without an in-person visit to a doctor.<\/p>\n The majority of abortions in the U.S. are obtained through medications, usually a combination of mifepristone and a second drug, misoprostol. Their availability has blunted the impact of abortion bans that most Republican-led states have started enforcing since a 2022 Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed for state bans.<\/p>\n Louisiana sued to restrict access to mifepristone, asserting that its availability undermined the ban there.<\/p>\n Sen. Steve Daines travels to China, ahead of planned state visit by Trump<\/p>\n He announced Monday that he\u2019ll lead a bipartisan congressional delegation on a visit to China this week, when the group of five senators will be visiting tech businesses in Shanghai and Beijing and meeting Chinese officials.<\/p>\n The trip will come just about a week before President Trump is scheduled to visit China for the first time since he took office. It also will be the first state visit by a U.S. president since 2017.<\/p>\n Traveling with Daines are fellow Republican Sens. Deb Fischer, Mike Lee and Jerry Moran as well as Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s vision: DIY defense in Europe<\/p>\n As part of its National Defense Strategy announced in January \u2014 a sweeping document laying out a vision on everything from deterring China to defending against cyberattacks to disrupting Iran\u2019s nuclear ambitions \u2014 the Trump administration said Europe must do more for its own defense.<\/p>\n While \u201cwe are and will remain engaged in Europe, we must \u2014 and will \u2014 prioritize defending the U.S. Homeland and deterring China,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n Among other things, the document noted that Europe\u2019s economic power, while shrinking in relative terms globally, remains significant, and said Germany\u2019s economy alone \u201cdwarfs that of Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFortunately, our NATO allies are substantially more powerful than Russia \u2014 it is not even close,\u201d it said, noting a recent commitment among NATO allies to raise national defense spending to 5% of GDP in total, a push led by Trump.<\/p>\n What to know about the US defense posture in Europe<\/p>\n The U.S. European Command, created in 1947 and known as EUCOM, is one of 11 combat commands within the Defense Department, and covers some 50 countries and territories.<\/p>\n In addition to more than 36,000 troops in Germany, Italy hosts more than 12,000 and there\u2019s another 10,000 in the United Kingdom, according to Pentagon numbers from December.<\/p>\n The Pentagon has offered few details about which troops or operations would be affected in the drawdown announced Friday.<\/p>\n White House to hold a summit for small businesses<\/p>\n The event in the East Room will bring together more than 130 small business owners as the president highlights his administration\u2019s policies benefiting them.<\/p>\n \u201cOur nation\u2019s 36 million small businesses now have the confidence to hire, reinvest and expand, unleashing an historic era of sustained growth,\u201d Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler said ahead of the event. \u201cAmerica is open for business again.\u201d<\/p>\n The gathering is meant to mark this year\u2019s National Small Business Week and the owners represent manufacturing, food production, defense, energy and retail businesses, among other areas, according to the White House.<\/p>\n European leaders see Trump\u2019s troop drawdown from Germany as new proof they must go it alone<\/p>\n European leaders on Monday said President Trump\u2019s snap decision to pull thousands of U.S. troops<\/a> out of Germany came as a surprise but is a fresh sign that Europe must take care of its own security.<\/p>\n The Pentagon announced last week that it would pull some 5,000 troops out of Germany, but Trump told reporters Saturday that \u201cwe\u2019re going to cut way down. And we\u2019re cutting a lot further than 5,000.\u201d<\/p>\n Wall Street hesitates and oil prices climb with uncertainty about the Strait of Hormuz<\/p>\n The S&P 500 slipped 0.1%, coming off its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 216 points, or 0.4%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.1%.<\/p>\n The action was stronger in the oil market, where the price for a barrel of Brent crude climbed 2% to $110.37 and briefly topped $114 during the morning. Iran\u2019s closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to its war with the United States<\/a> has kept oil tankers pent up in the Persian Gulf and away from customers worldwide. That in turn has sent the price of Brent soaring from roughly $70 per barrel before the war.<\/p>\n US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to visit the Vatican this week as Trump-Pope tensions rise<\/p>\n Rubio will travel to Rome and Vatican City this week in a bid to ease rising tensions between the Trump administration and Pope Leo over U.S. policies, particularly with Iran.<\/p>\n The State Department said Monday that Rubio, a devout Catholic who\u2019s visited Rome and the Vatican at least three times since becoming Trump\u2019s top diplomat, would be in Italy on Thursday and Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cSecretary Rubio will meet with Holy See leadership to discuss the situation in the Middle East and mutual interests in the Western Hemisphere\u201d the department said. \u201cMeetings with Italian counterparts will be focused on shared security interests and strategic alignment.\u201d<\/p>\n The trip comes as Trump has criticized Pope Leo, the first American pontiff, for his stances on the Middle East and elsewhere and posting social media images likening Trump to Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n Iran stands firm on its grip of the strait<\/p>\n The disruption of the waterway has squeezed countries in Europe and Asia that depend on Persian Gulf oil and gas, raising prices far beyond the region<\/a>.<\/p>\n Trump has promised to bring down gas prices as he faces midterm elections this year.<\/p>\n The U.S. has warned shipping companies they could face sanctions for paying Iran for transit of the strait. It has enacted a naval blockade on Iranian ports since April 13, telling 49 commercial ships to turn back, U.S. Central Command said Sunday. The blockade has deprived Tehran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy<\/a>.<\/p>\n U.S. officials have expressed hope the blockade forces Iran back to the negotiation table.<\/p>\n US claims progress in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, saying two merchant ships have transited<\/p>\n The U.S. military said Monday that two American-flagged merchant ships had successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz<\/a> and Navy guided-missile destroyers in the Persian Gulf were helping to restore shipping traffic. It separately denied Iran\u2019s claims to have struck an American Navy vessel.<\/p>\n