US says Iran ceasefire holds despite exchange of fire

The United Arab Emirates said it was under attack from Iranian missiles and drones on Tuesday, even as Washington said a shaky ​ceasefire was intact despite an exchange of fire the previous day as U.S. forces attempted to force open the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. military said it had destroyed six Iranian small boats, ‌as well as cruise missiles and drones, after President Donald Trump sent the navy to escort stranded tankers through the strait in a campaign he called "Project Freedom".

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the operation to protect commercial ships was temporary and the four-week-old truce was not over. "We're not looking for a fight," he told a press conference. "Right now the ceasefire certainly holds, but we're going to be watching very, very closely."

Iran fired missiles at U.S. ships on Monday and attacked the UAE, a key regional ally of Washington, with missiles ​and drones. 

After issuing a new map of the Strait of Hormuz with an expanded Iranian area of control, Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned vessels on Tuesday to stick to the corridors it had set or ​face a "decisive response".

Trump said Iran's military had been reduced to firing "peashooters" and Tehran wanted peace, despite public sabre-rattling. "They play games, but let me just tell you, they want to ⁠make a deal," he told reporters in the Oval Office.

Shortly after Hegseth spoke on Tuesday, the UAE's defence ministry said its air defences were again dealing with missile and drone attacks coming from Iran.—Reuters