UAE official Anwar Gargash said any settlement of the US-Iran war must guarantee access through the Strait of Hormuz, warning that a deal that fails to rein in Iran’s nuclear programme and its missiles and drones would pave the way for “a more dangerous, more volatile Middle East", even as Israel and the US carried out a wave of attacks Monday that killed more than 25 people in Iran and Tehran responded with missiles.

Gargash, the diplomatic advisor to the UAE President, told a weekend briefing that the Strait of Hormuz – the world’s most critical oil artery – cannot be weaponised, stressing that its security is not a regional bargaining chip but a global economic imperative.

"The Strait of Hormuz cannot be held hostage by any country," said Gargash, adding that freedom of navigation through the waterway "has to be part and parcel of the settlement of any conflict with clear agreement on that."

Gargash said the UAE wants the war to end, but warned against a ceasefire that leaves the root causes of instability unresolved.

“We don’t want to see more and more escalation,” he said. “But we don’t want a ceasefire that fails to address some of the main issues that will create a much more dangerous environment in the region...notably (Iran's) nuclear programme, the missiles and drones that are still raining down on us and on other countries."

US President Donald Trump threatened to rain "hell" on Tehran if it did not make a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz by his Tuesday deadline. In a post laden with expletives on Sunday on his Truth Social platform, Trump threatened further strikes on Iranian energy and transport infrastructure that critics say would constitute a war crime.

The US and Israel have pounded Iran with missiles and airstrikes for more than five weeks to destroy what they said was an imminent threat from the country's nuclear weapon development programme, ballistic missile arsenal and support for regional proxy militias.

UAE ready to join Hormuz bid

Gargash said the United Arab Emirates was ready to join any US-led international effort to secure shipping through the strait.

The UAE has come under heavier Iranian strikes than any other Gulf state, according to regional officials.

Gargash said that for decades, the most unlikely worst-case scenario for the UAE had been a full Iranian attack, a scenario that is now unfolding.

Despite that, he said, the country was coping well, demonstrating resilience and resourcefulness under pressure.

He said the UAE’s economic fundamentals remained strong and positioned the country for a recovery, though he acknowledged it would require effort.

Gargash said Iran’s strategy was likely to harden the Gulf’s security alignment with Washington rather than reduce it, entrenching the US military role in the region and amplifying Israel’s footprint.

He said the US would remain the UAE’s core security partner and that Abu Dhabi would double down on that relationship as regional threats intensify.

Iran’s strikes on Gulf energy facilities and shipping lanes were seen by regional officials as a calculated attempt to raise the costs for Washington’s Gulf Arab allies. By hitting oil facilities, ports and key waterway – including the Strait – Iran banked on Gulf states, alarmed by economic shock and regional spillover, to press the United States to halt its campaign.

That logic drew on years of Gulf efforts to balance ties with Washington and Tehran, keep tensions contained, and avoid direct confrontation. Many Gulf states had restored diplomatic relations with Iran and tried to shield their economies from regional shocks, believing engagement would lower the risk.

Gargash said Iran’s leadership was fighting to preserve the "regime, not the country", arguing that no normal government would accept such destruction simply to claim it had resisted. He said the UAE did not seek hostility with Iran, but warned that trust was impossible under the current Tehran government.

The UAE was grateful, he said, for the international support it has received, singling out France as a steadfast partner and praising Washington for its exceptional backing, particularly in strengthening the UAE’s air-defence capabilities.

Airstrikes, missile hits continue

One of Monday's morning airstrikes targeted Tehran's Sharif University of Technology, where Iranian media reported damage to the buildings as well as a natural gas distribution site next to the campus.

It wasn't immediately clear what had been targeted on the grounds of the university, which is empty of students as the war has forced all schools into the country into online classes.

However, multiple countries over the years have sanctioned the university for its work with the military, particularly on Iran's ballistic missile programme, which is controlled by the country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

A strike near Eslamshar, southwest of Tehran, killed at least 13 people, the semiofficial Fars news agency reported.

Five others were killed when a residential area in the city of Qom was hit, and six more were killed in strikes on other cities, the state-run IRAN daily newspaper reported.

Three more people were killed when an airstrike hit a home in Tehran, Iranian state television reported.

Tehran responded with missile fire on Israel and Gulf Arab neighbours as Trump's deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz loomed.

Two people were found dead in the rubble of a residential building in Haifa, according to Israeli authorities. The search was ongoing for two more even as new Iranian missile attacks hit the northern Israel city early Monday.

Kuwait and the UAE both activated their air defence systems to intercept incoming Iranian missiles and drones, as Tehran kept up the pressure on its Gulf neighbours.

Talks still on

Under pressure at home as consumers are growing increasingly concerned, Trump gave Tehran a deadline that expires Monday night, Washington time, saying if no deal was reached to reopen the strait the US would hit Iran's power plants and other infrastructure targets and set the country "back to the stone ages."

"Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran," he threatened in an expletive-laden social media post, adding that if Iran did not open the strait "you'll be living in Hell."

Tehran has shown no signs of backing down off of its stranglehold on shipping through the strait, which was fully open before Israel and the US attacked Iran on February 28 to start the war.

Following Trump's expletive-laced posts on Easter Sunday, Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf called the threats of targeting Iran's infrastructure "reckless."

"You won't gain anything through war crimes," Qalibaf wrote on X. "The only real solution is respecting the rights of the Iranian people and ending this dangerous game."

Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose to $109 in early Monday spot trading, some 50 per cent higher than it was when the war started.

Iran has let some vessels through the strait since the war began, but none belonging to the US, Israel or countries perceived as helping them. Some have paid Iran for passage and the overall flow of traffic is down more than 90 per cent over the same period last year.

Beyond Trump's military threats, diplomatic efforts are still underway to see if a solution can be reached to open the waterway.

Oman's foreign ministry said that deputy foreign ministers and experts from Iran and Oman met to discuss proposals to ensure "smooth transit" through the strait.

Egypt said that foreign minister Badr Abdelatty had spoken with US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, and with Turkish and Pakistani counterparts. Russia said that Araghchi also spoke with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov.