The escalation triggered by Project Freedom was not a bilateral US-Iran confrontation in isolation. As US forces moved to open the Strait of Hormuz at grid reference 40RCT 53600 43800 (26.55°N, 56.30°E), Iran simultaneously opened a wider barrage against its Gulf Arab neighbours. The UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Israel were all drawn into the attack envelope on 4 and 5 May 2026, marking one of the broadest single-day escalation events since the opening week of the war on 28 February. The coordinated nature of the strikes underlined Iran’s consistent doctrine throughout this conflict: any unilateral US action to break the Hormuz closure would be met with pressure applied across the entire region simultaneously.

The UAE bore the heaviest weight of the renewed barrage. Gulf News reported that Emirati air defence systems intercepted 12 ballistic missiles, 3 cruise missiles, and 4 drones launched from Iran on 4 May alone. Since the war began on 28 February, the UAE’s systems have dealt with a cumulative total of 549 ballistic missiles, 29 cruise missiles, and 2,260 drone attacks according to the UAE Ministry of Defence. One drone penetrated the defences and struck the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone at 40RCT 54200 27800 (25.12°N, 56.34°E), igniting a fire and wounding three Indian nationals. All UAE schools and nurseries switched to remote learning from 5 May until 8 May. CNN separately reported that Israel had secretly deployed an Iron Dome air defence system to assist UAE defences, a significant escalatory signal of the deepening Israel-UAE security relationship established only six years ago.

Bahrain, host to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters in the Juffair district at grid reference 39RVR 59400 88400 (26.07°N, 50.55°E), condemned the renewed Iranian escalation as “a dangerous escalation that threatens the security and stability of the region.” Bahrain has been one of the most intensely targeted of the Gulf states throughout the war, having absorbed 132 ballistic missiles and 234 drones before mid-March alone according to open-source tracking. The 5th Fleet, which coordinates all US naval operations in the region including the Project Freedom convoy escorts, remains on elevated readiness.

Kuwait, at grid reference 38RNV 89500 25100 (29.37°N, 47.97°E), issued a sharp condemnation, calling Iran’s actions “reprehensible aggression” and separately condemning the drone attack on an Emirati oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. Kuwait’s oil infrastructure and airport have been targeted repeatedly since 28 February, with one child already killed by drone debris earlier in the conflict. Kuwait’s oil installations host critical Kuwaiti Petroleum Corporation facilities that Iran has repeatedly targeted as part of its strategy of applying economic pain to US-aligned Gulf states. Qatar at Al Udeid Air Base, MGRS 39RXP 63200 00600 (25.30°N, 51.18°E) condemned the UAE attacks strongly, closed its own schools, and expressed solidarity with Abu Dhabi. Qatar, despite hosting the US’s largest Middle East air base and being previously struck by Iranian missiles, has walked a particularly delicate line as a mediator-adjacent state throughout the war.

Saudi Arabia joined the condemnation chorus, expressing full support for the UAE’s right to “preserve its sovereignty, security and territorial integrity,” while also calling for de-escalation. Riyadh’s Foreign Ministry condemned Iran’s targeting of “civilian and economic facilities” in the UAE. Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi condemned what he described as a “brutal attack” in a direct call with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, according to Jordan’s official Petra news agency. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called Iran’s strikes on the UAE “a clear violation of sovereignty and international law,” adding that security in the Gulf “has direct consequences for Europe.” Canada, Germany, and the UK also issued condemnations and urged Tehran to return to the negotiating table.

At the Strait of Hormuz, grid reference 40RCT 53600 43800 (26.55°N, 56.30°E), CENTCOM commander Admiral Bradley Cooper confirmed that two American-flagged merchant vessels completed the first transit under Project Freedom on 4 May, protected by guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 aircraft, armed helicopters, drone assets, and 15,000 personnel. Six Iranian fast attack boats attempting to interdict the commercial ships were sunk by US helicopter gunfire. Iranian cruise missiles fired at the US destroyers and merchant vessels were shot down. A South Korean-operated vessel anchored in the strait reported an explosion and fire, with no injuries confirmed. Two additional cargo vessels were reported ablaze off UAE waters by the British Maritime Trade Operations Centre.

On 5 May, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine told a Pentagon news conference that the ceasefire remained in effect, with Caine describing Tuesday as a “quieter” day. Hegseth stated the Iranian attacks had not reached “major combat operations” threshold. The US-approved transit route runs through Omani territorial waters to the south rather than Iran’s northern corridor, where the IRGC vets ships and, according to US officials, extracts payments. Iran’s IRGC denied any commercial ships had successfully transited. Risk analyst Torbjorn Soltvedt of Verisk Maplecroft summarised the commercial reality with precision: the initiative alone was not going to open Hormuz, because the insurance market must also believe the strait is safe. Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf separately signalled Tehran had not yet “fully responded” to the US Hormuz operation, suggesting further escalation remained on the table.

Southern Lebanon remained a live combat zone. At Bint Jbeil, grid reference 36SYC 64200 57900 (33.12°N, 35.43°E), the IDF’s 98th Division reported near full control of the town following sustained urban combat against Hezbollah. Hezbollah continued to claim ongoing clashes and drone and rocket launches into northern Israel, with each side accusing the other of violating the 16 April Lebanon truce framework. Lebanon’s own government banned Hezbollah’s military activities and demanded the group place its weapons under state control, while simultaneously condemning Israel’s occupation and offensive operations south of the Litani River. Israel and the US maintain the ceasefire does not cover Lebanon; Pakistan and Iran insist it does. That contradiction has never been resolved and continues to fuel fighting that has now killed more than 2,500 people in Lebanon and 40 in Israel from Iranian and Hezbollah strikes since the war’s start.

Through Pakistan’s mediation, Iran submitted a 14-point peace proposal to Washington, calling for war termination on all fronts including Lebanon, US military withdrawal from the surrounding region, sanctions removal, release of frozen assets, and a new Hormuz transit mechanism. Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi confirmed the US had responded, while also declaring that “Project Freedom is Project Deadlock” and warning both the US and UAE against being “dragged back into a quagmire.” Trump publicly described Iran’s proposal as unlikely to be acceptable, before he had reviewed it. The ceasefire, extended indefinitely on 21 April, remains formally in place according to US officials, even as ships are fired upon and oil facilities burn. Iran’s parliament speaker Qalibaf warned that Iran had not yet fully responded to Project Freedom, a statement widely read as a threat of further escalation if Washington pushes the Hormuz operation beyond its current limited scope.

⚠ SINGLE SOURCE: Iran 14-point proposal details via Tasnim / Iranian state media only. Independent confirmation pending.