Putting the US-Iran ceasefire at risk, the US and Iran exchanged fire along the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. According to CENTCOM, it attacked Iranian targets in response to U.S. Navy destroyers being fired on by Iran. However, Iranian state media has claimed that the UAE was behind the hostile action at Bahman Port in Qeshm.
According to reports, explosions were reported across several parts of Iran, including at the ports of Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas and the southern coastal city of Minab. “Our investigations in Bandar Abbas show that during the exchange of fire between the Iranian armed forces and the enemy, parts of the commercial area of Bahman Qeshm pier were targeted,” the official Iranian FARS news outlet reported on Telegram.
Bandar Abbas is the epicentre of Iranian naval operations around the Strait of Hormuz. Qeshm Island is located 15 miles away from Bandar Abbas, is separated from the Iranian mainland by the Clarence Strait. Qeshm is the largest island in the Persian Gulf.
Iran’s state-run Tehran Times hints of UAE involvement in explosions heard in Qeshm's Bahman pier, while Israel denies any connection to the explosions, also reported in Bandar Abbas. https://t.co/n2Gf8mHbpH
— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) May 7, 2026
Soon, reports in the state-backed media began pinning the attacks on the UAE. The IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News reports signs indicating a “UAE hostile action at Bahman Port in Qeshm.” Iran’s state-run Tehran Times also suggested the UAE’s involvement in explosions heard in Qeshm's Bahman pier, while Israel denies any connection to the explosions, also reported in Bandar Abbas.
Tasnim reportedly also warned that “if this issue is confirmed, the UAE will pay the cost of its hostile action.”
Iran also reportedly attacked the UAE, as Fujairah authorities have confirmed missile attacks, stating the sounds heard in some areas of the emirate are the result of successful aerial interceptions.
Though there is no confirmation from the UAE, online flight trackers show at least five US KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling jets got airborne from the UAE at the same time.
The United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday that its ties and its international and defense partnerships were a "purely sovereign matter," rejecting an earlier statement by Iran saying that Abu Dhabi's cooperation with the U.S. threatened Iran's security and national interests. It added that it reserved its full sovereign, legal, diplomatic and military rights to address any "threat, allegation or hostile act".
