UAE says Iran launched missile attack despite ceasefire

The United Arab Emirates said Monday that Iran launched missile and drone attacks against the country, putting at risk the already shaky ceasefire between the United States and Tehran.

The White House did not immediately respond when asked whether the reported attacks, which led the UAE to activate its missile alert system for the first time since the ceasefire began on April 8, would violate that truce.

Stock market indices fell, and oil prices rose on news of the attack, raising investors’ fears that the war’s impact on the global economy could be exacerbated or prolonged.

“The UAE’s air defenses are currently dealing with missile attacks and incoming drones from Iran,” Abu Dhabi’s Defence Ministry said in a translated post on its official X account.

The ministry said that “the sounds heard in various parts of the country are the result of the UAE air defense systems intercepting ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones.”

In an earlier post, the ministry said that three “loitering munitions” were “intercepted over the country’s territorial waters,” while a fourth missile “fell into the sea.”

The UAE is located on the southern rim of the Persian Gulf, a major chokepoint for the shipment of oil.

Iran’s state media did not immediately confirm the attacks.

An alert issued to phones in Dubai and Abu Dhabi on Monday evening local time warned people, “Due to the current situation, potential missile threats, immediately seek a safe place in the closest secure building.”