The fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran has survived its most severe test yet, with Washington insisting that a series of exchanges in the Strait of Hormuz and missile strikes on the United Arab Emirates do not amount to a breach. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters the truce was “not over”, even as the US Navy destroyed six Iranian small boats, cruise missiles, and drones during an operation to escort commercial tankers through the strategic waterway. The operation, dubbed “Project Freedom”, was launched by President Donald Trump to break what the Pentagon described as Tehran’s chokehold on the strait, through which a fifth of global oil supplies transit. Hegseth stressed the mission was temporary and that the United States was “not looking for a fight”, though he cautioned that the future of the ceasefire ultimately rests with the president.

Tehran’s reaction was unyielding. Iran’s parliament speaker warned that the Islamic Republic was “just getting started”, and within hours drones and missiles struck targets inside the UAE, a close American ally and the Gulf’s commercial hub. The attacks have rattled regional capitals, where many had hoped the four-week-old truce would bring stability after more than two months of conflict that began with US and Israeli operations against Iran. Viewed from Tehran, the US naval push constitutes a provocation that undermines the ceasefire’s terms, while Washington sees it as a legitimate defence of international shipping. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, described the recent exchanges as insufficient to trigger full military combat operations, yet noted that Iran has fired on commercial vessels nine times and seized two container ships since the ceasefire was announced. The cumulative effect, analysts in London observe, is a ceasefire that exists more in name than in practice.

The coming days will determine whether the truce can survive these clashes. The Trump administration views Project Freedom as a limited, temporary assertion of maritime rights, but Tehran’s rhetoric suggests it may test the limits of American resolve. Regional powers, from Riyadh to Abu Dhabi, are watching warily, aware that a conflict that began with Israel now draws in the UAE and threatens global energy supplies. Hegseth’s careful wording — that the ceasefire “certainly holds” but that Washington is watching “very, very closely” — underscores the precariousness of the moment. Without a broader diplomatic mechanism, the next skirmish could tip the balance from strained truce to open confrontation.