US streaks Iranian fast boats

President Donald Trump says the US has struck seven Iranian "fast boats" in the Strait of Hormuz, as Washington seeks to guide stranded ships out of the Gulf through the largely closed waterway. The UAE and South Korea both reported strikes on ships in the vital channel on Monday. The UAE also said a fire broke out at the oil port of Fujairah after an Iranian attack. Shipping company Maersk told the BBC that one of its US-flagged vessels had successfully exited the strait with US military protection - under what Trump has called "Project Freedom". Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that events in the strait "make clear that there's no military solution to a political crisis". He added: "Project Freedom is Project Deadlock." Maersk said the transit of one of its commercial vessels was "completed without incident, and all crew members are safe and unharmed". The Strait of Hormuz has remained largely blocked since the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran in February. Tehran responded by blocking the crucial waterway through which 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes. In early April, the US and Iran announced a ceasefire under which Iran ended its drone and missile strikes on Gulf countries including the UAE, but few vessels have been able to transit the strait since then. The US also imposed its own blockade on Iranian ports.