LIVE | Trump calls war with Iran 'a little skirmish'

President Trump said Tuesday that war with the Iranian regime is "a small skirmish."

"We are in a little skirmish. I call it a skirmish, because Iran has no chance. They never did. They know it," the president said during an Oval Office event on physical activity among American children.

"They should do the smart thing, because we don't want to go in and kill people. Really don't. ... I don't want to, it's too tough," Trump told reporters.

The United States on Tuesday threatened the Iranian regime with "devastating firepower" if it attacks commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, where the U.S. military is conducting an operation to ensure free navigation.

"We're not looking for a fight. But Iran also cannot be allowed to block innocent countries and their goods from an international waterway," Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth told a news conference.

"If you attack American forces or neutral commercial vessels, you will face massive and devastating U.S. firepower," he added.

Iran's chief negotiator in talks with the United States, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, warned that his country had "not even started" in its standoff over the strategic waterway and that U.S. actions in the Strait of Hormuz had put navigation at risk.

Asian stock markets fell as a fresh spike in Middle East tensions stoked fears over a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire, and oil prices retreated slightly after Monday's gains.

Danish shipping giant Maersk stated that one of its vessels had sailed through the Strait of Hormuz under U.S. escort, adding that the transit was completed "without incident."

India condemned the drone attack on an energy facility in the United Arab Emirates, in which three Indians were injured, and urged that uninterrupted access to the Strait of Hormuz be ensured.

South Korea stated that it would "review its stance" on joining U.S. operations in the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump urged Seoul to participate following an apparent Iranian attack on one of its ships.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for de-escalation in the Middle East after the United Arab Emirates reported attacks for the first time since a truce was declared almost a month ago.

Iran had "no premeditated program" to attack oil facilities in the United Arab Emirates, according to statements by a military official quoted by Iranian state television, after the United Arab Emirates blamed the Islamic republic for a drone strike on an energy facility in Fujairah.

"What happened was the product of the U.S. military's adventurism to create a passage for ships to illegally pass through" the Strait of Hormuz, the official said. "The U.S. military must be held accountable for it."

A senior U.S. admiral claimed that U.S. forces had destroyed six Iranian vessels and shot down missiles and drones fired at U.S. Navy ships and merchantmen by Tehran's military, although Tehran denied that any vessels had been sunk.

President Donald Trump downplayed tensions after U.S. warships entered the Strait of Hormuz, saying Iran had "fired a few shots" but had caused no damage other than that suffered by a South Korean vessel.

"Other than the South Korean Ship, there has been, at this moment, no damage ‌going ⁠through the Strait,," Trump said on Truth Social.

The United Arab Emirates claimed to have been the target of Iranian attacks, including one against its vital Fujairah energy hub in which three Indians were injured.

"These attacks represent a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable transgression," the UAE's foreign ministry said, adding that the country reserves the "right to respond."