What to know about the Iran war today:The U.S. military says its forces fired on two Iran-flagged oil tankers to stop them from docking at an Iranian port Friday in violation of the U.S. blockade in the area.Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. was expecting a response from Iran on a peace proposal, adding, “we’ll see what the response entails” and that he hopes it’s “a serious offer.”President Trump said the U.S.-Iran ceasefire is “still in effect,” but he warned the U.S. would “knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently,” if Tehran doesn’t accept a peace deal. U.N. chief calls on U.S., Iran to abide by the ceasefire
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern at the reported exchange of fire between Iran and the United States in the Strait of Hormuz, his spokesperson said.
“He underscores that this is a critical moment for de-escalation and urges all sides to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further escalation,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Friday.
Guterres calls on all parts to refrain from action “that could lead to renewed escalation or undermine ongoing diplomatic efforts,” Dujarric said.
Meanwhile, Iranian Ambassador to the U.N. Amir Saeid Iravani in letters Friday to the U.N. Security Council and Guterres said that the consequences of the U.S.’s recent actions in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz “could be catastrophic” and extend far beyond the Middle East.
He called on the secretary-general and Security Council to urge the U.S. “to comply with its obligations under international law and refrain from further provocative actions.”
U.S. Treasury issues new round of sanctions against entities accused of supporting Iran’s drone, missile programs.
The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday announced a new round of sanctions against 10 individuals and companies it accused of helping enable Iran’s drone and ballistic missile programs.
The sanctions, implemented by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, target those “that are enabling efforts by Iran’s military to secure weapons, as well as raw materials with applications in Iran’s Shahed‑series unmanned aerial vehicles and ballistic missile program,” the Treasury Department said in a news release.
The State Department was targeting another four entities with sanctions, the Treasury Department said.
Among those sanctioned were companies based in China, Dubai, Hong Kong and Belarus that the Treasury Department alleged have served as intermediaries, helping Iran’s Center for Innovation and Technology Cooperation, the CITC, with “financial, material, technological or other support.”
According to the Treasury Department, the CITC has sought to purchase weapons and air defense systems from China.
One of the sanctioned companies, Hong Kong-based Mustad Limited, has helped, or attempted to help, Iran procure “millions of dollars’ worth of weapons,” the Treasury Department stated.
“Under President Trump’s decisive leadership, we will continue to act to Keep America Safe and target foreign individuals and companies providing Iran’s military with weapons for use against U.S. forces,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a separate statement that Friday’s sanctions hold “China-based entities accountable for their support to Iran. The United States will take all necessary action at its disposal to target third-country entities and individuals aiding Iran’s military and defense industrial base.”
Southeast Asian leaders adopt crisis plan to mitigate impact of Iran war
Southeast Asian leaders adopted a contingency plan Friday to mitigate the impact of the Iran war on their people and economies but acknowledged it will be difficult to enforce complex steps like establishing a regional fuel reserve to ensure a steady supply.
The Philippines, among the worst affected by fuel price spikes caused by the Iran war, hosted the group’s annual summit on the central island province of Cebu. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the summit stripped of the traditional pomp and pageantry in keeping with the economic headwinds worldwide.
ASEAN’s contingency plan calls for actions including the ratification possibly this year of an agreement that will pave the way for coordinated emergency fuel sharing, planning a regional power grid and fuel stockpile and diversifying the region’s sources of crude oil.
Promoting the use of electric vehicles and studying the use of new technologies, including civilian nuclear energy, were also part of the crisis plan.
Images show apparent oil slick off Iranian terminal, AP reports
Satellite images reviewed by The Associated Press show what appears to be an oil slick in the Persian Gulf emanating from the western side of Kharg Island, Iran’s main crude export terminal.
Images taken Friday show the slick covering about 27 square miles and appear to show oil still leaking from the terminal, said Ami Daniel, CEO of maritime intelligence firm Windward AI.
Daniel estimated the equivalent of roughly 80,000 oil barrels has spilled from Kharg Island since the slick was first detected by satellite images Tuesday. It’s unknown whether the spill was caused by a malfunction, an airstrike or something else.
“This is the risk of fighting in an oil-rich area,” said Daniel, adding that it’s unlikely any cleanup efforts will be launched in Gulf waters that have become an active war zone.
He said the spill appears to be spreading southwest and within the next two weeks could potentially reach the shores of the UAE, Qatar or Saudi Arabia.
Nina Noelle, an international crisis operations expert with Greenpeace Germany, said Friday recent images show the spill beginning to disperse and it appears unlikely that it will impact land, though it could still possibly affect some sensitive marine habitats.
“More likely, it will dissipate offshore under prevailing conditions,” Noelle said.
The Pentagon declined to comment on whether the U.S. military was tracking the spill or whether there had been recent strikes on the Iranian island. Based on the imagery taken earlier this week, the spill occurred before the most recent round of U.S. strikes.
Lebanon, Israel to hold discussions in Washington next week
Two days of “intensive talks” will be held in Washington, D.C., between representatives from Lebanon and Israel on May 14 and 15 to work out a “lasting peace and security arrangements,” according to the State Department.
This will be the third round of recent talks between the two sides, following meetings on April 14 and 23.
“Building on the April 23 round, which was led personally by President Trump, both delegations will engage in detailed discussions aimed at advancing a comprehensive peace and security agreement that substantively addresses the core concerns of both countries,” the State Department said in a statement.
“These talks aim to break decisively from the failed approach of the past two decades, which allowed terrorist groups to entrench and enrich themselves, undermine the authority of the Lebanese state, and endanger Israel’s northern border,” it continued.
The April 14 meeting was the first time representatives from the two countries had direct talks in decades and resulted in a 10-day ceasefire. The ceasefire was extended for three more weeks at the April 23 meeting.
But the ceasefire has largely been in name only, especially in recent days. Both sides have been exchanging small-scale strikes at each other in southern Lebanon, and Israel launched its first major strike on Beirut in weeks on Wednesday, targeting and killing the leader of Iranian-backed Hezbollah’s elite Radwan forces.
U.S. military says it redirected 57 commercial vessels, disabled 4
U.S. forces have redirected 57 commercial vessels and disabled four as part of the U.S. blockade to keep ships from going to or leaving Iranian ports, the U.S. military said Friday.
CENTCOM shared the update on X alongside photos of the USS Truxtun, the USS Rafael Peralta and the USS Mason – destroyers currently positioned in the Arabian Sea in support of the blockade.
Adviser to Iran supreme leader compares Strait of Hormuz control to “atomic bomb”
An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader on Friday compared control over the Strait of Hormuz to having an “atomic bomb,” and vowed not to relinquish it.
Adviser Mohammad Mokhber said Iran had long “neglected” its privileged position along the strait, a vital conduit for oil and gas shipments that Tehran shut early in the Middle East war, throwing markets into turmoil and stranding hundreds of vessels.
“The Strait of Hormuz represents an opportunity as precious as an atomic bomb,” he said in a video published by the Mehr news agency.
“Indeed, having in one’s hands a position that allows you to influence the global economy with a single decision is a major opportunity.”
Pledging not to “forfeit the gains of this war,” he went on to say Iran would “change the (legal) regime of this strait,” through international law if possible, and unilaterally if not.
Mokhber did not specifically mention charging vessels to use the waterway, but the shipping journal Lloyd’s List reported on Friday that Iran had created an authority to approve transit through the strait and to collect tolls.
Hezbollah says it launched missiles at military base in Israel.
Hezbollah launched missiles at a military base in Israel on Friday in response to Israeli attacks that killed a top commander, while Lebanese authorities reported five people, including a rescuer, were killed in fresh Israeli strikes.
In a statement, Hezbollah said the missiles targeted a base south of the Israeli city of Nahariya “in response to the Israeli enemy’s violation of the ceasefire, the targeting of Beirut’s southern suburbs and the attacks that affected villages and civilians in southern Lebanon.”
The military said it “intercepted one launch, and the additional launches fell in open areas,” adding that no injuries were reported.
The Lebanese health ministry meanwhile said “the Israeli enemy’s raid on the town of Toura” in the southern Tyre district killed four people, including two women, and wounded eight others in a preliminary toll.
Lebanon’s civil defense said earlier that one of its members was killed in an Israeli attack on the south.
The Israeli military had issued evacuation warnings for seven southern Lebanese towns, including Toura.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported a series of strikes across the south on Friday.
Hezbollah also claimed responsibility for several attacks on Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.
U.S. expecting Iran response to peace proposal
Washington on Friday was awaiting a response from Iran to its latest proposal for a peace deal.
Speaking in Italy, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the response was expected “at some point” Friday and that he hopes it will be “a serious offer.”
“We’ll see what the response entails,” he said, adding that the hope is for something “that can put us into a serious process of negotiation.”
Vance meeting with Qatari prime minister to discuss war
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani arrived Friday morning in Washington, D.C., where he is meeting with Vice President JD Vance to discuss topics including the Iran war.
Yesterday, the prime minister told al-Araby al-Jadeed there is a “high probability” that the U.S. and Iran will reach a deal. Speaking Friday morning in Italy, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said today the U.S. expects to receive Iran’s response to the draft agreement for ending the war.
“We’re expecting a response from (Iran) — we’ll see what the response entails,” Rubio said as he left Rome. He added that the hope is that it’s something that “can put us into a serious process of negotiation.”
The prime minister, who also serves as the minister of Foreign Affairs, is the emirate’s top diplomat. He has been a conduit for the U.S. on some of the thornier issues, including Gaza, Afghanistan and Iran. Qatar is also the base for U.S. Central Command.
Credit: Yahoo News