Trump threatens Iran with 'total destruction', launches Hormuz escort mission

US President Donald Trump has warned that Iran would be "blown off the face of the Earth" if it attacks American ships, as tensions around the Strait of Hormuz push the two-month truce between the two countries dangerously close to collapse.

The US military has begun implementing a Trump-led plan dubbed 'Project Freedom' to escort ships through the strategic waterway and break the Iranian blockade. Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, said vessels stranded in the area belong to 87 "innocent bystander" countries.

Trump claimed the US military shot down seven small Iranian boats near Hormuz. Iran's official IRNA news agency dismissed the claim as false. A senior Iranian official said the strait remains fully under Tehran's control. "Move forward and you will be targeted," the official warned.

Iran attacks UAE
Iran launched fresh attacks on the UAE on Monday. The UAE Defence Ministry said its forces intercepted 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles and four drones. A fire broke out in the Fujairah Petroleum Industry Zone, injuring three people.

South Korea confirmed that one of its vessels suffered an explosion and fire off the UAE coast. Trump used the attack to urge Seoul to join his campaign. "Perhaps it's time for South Korea to come and join the mission," he wrote on social media.

Despite efforts to reopen the strait, the US said its naval blockade of Iranian ports remains in place. Central Command said 50 commercial vessels have been redirected by US forces to enforce the siege.