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ASEAN States Meet As Iran War Takes Growing Economic Toll
Leaders of the ASEAN states are arriving in the central Philippines on May 7 for a summit focused on economic issues tied to the war in the Middle East.
Supply chain issued caused by the US-Israeli war with Iran are likely to dominate the discussions of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a grouping of 11 countries, the latest being Timor-Leste.
Fuel shortages, rising food prices, and the safety of migrant workers in the Middle East region will be the key issues at the summit, President Ferdinand Marcos said ahead of the summit after he declared a state of national energy emergency in his country of about 118 million people.
"What we really need at this time is for leaders to talk about...how can we help each other," he said.
With reporting by AFP
Rubio Set To Meet With Pope In Vatican Amid Tensions Over Iran War
US Secretary of State Macro Rubio is set to meet with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on May 7 amid an extraordinary war of words between the pontiff and President Donald Trump over the actual war in the Middle East.
US officials have said Rubio will meet with the pontiff and other Vatican leaders to discuss the situation in the Middle East, as well as other key issues affecting the Western Hemisphere.
Trump has heavily criticized the first American pope in the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year history after the pontiff called for peace and expressed dismay over the US military operation in Iran.
The US president accused Leo of being “soft on crime” and being in favor of allowing Tehran to develop a nuclear arsenal.
"I don't want a Pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon," Trump wrote on Truth Social on April 12.
The 70-year-old pontiff rejected the 79-year-old Trump’s assertion that he was in favor of allowing Tehran to attain weapons of mass destruction.
“The Church has spoken for years against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt there,” Leo told reporters on May 5. And, so, I simply hope to be listened to for the value of God’s words.”
Leo has also spoken out for the rights of immigrants and refugees -- comments seen by some Trump supporters as targeted toward the president.
With reporting by CNN
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Israel Targets Hezbollah Unit Commander In Beirut Suburb Amid Cease-Fire
Israeli forces struck a Beirut suburb on May 6 for the first time since a cease-fire took effect three weeks ago, targeting and reportedly killing a commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan special forces unit.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defense chief Israel Katz said in a joint statement that the operation was aimed at “eliminating” Malek Balut, commander of Radwan unit.
Hezbollah, a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon, is considered a terrorist organization by the US, while the EU has blacklisted its armed wing but not its political branch.
Israeli Channel 13, citing Israeli sources, reported that Balut, his deputy, and several other fighters were killed in the strike. Hezbollah sources confirmed to AFP that the commander was killed.
"The Radwan terrorists led by him are responsible for fire directed at Israeli communities and attacks against Israel Defense Forces soldiers," Netanyahu and Katz said in the statement.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that "Israeli warplanes launched an attack, targeting Ghobeiri" in the southern Beirut suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.
US Warplane Fires On Iranian-Flagged Ship
- By RFE/RL
US military officials said a naval warplane fired on and disabled the rudder of an Iranian-flagged oil tanker that tried to break the US blockade of Iranian ports.
In a statement on May 6, US Central Command, which oversees Washington's forces in the region, said the ship's crew "failed to comply" with demands and a F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet fired on the ship, identified as the M/T Hasna, as it was en route to an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman.
"American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the US blockade," officials said.
The tanker was not carrying oil, the statement said.
US forces have imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, following Iran's moves to effectively close down all maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
US naval forces had been escorting some ships through the chokepoint waterway, but US President Donald Trump announced a suspension of that effort.
Macron Calls For End To Hormuz Blockade
French President Emmanuel Macron called for restoring ship traffic to the Strait of Hormuz, and he condemned Iran’s “unjustified” strikes against civilian ships and targets in the United Arab Emirates.
In a post on X, Macron also confirmed that the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle was being “pre-positioned” near the strait as part of efforts to restore shipping to the chokepoint waterway.
Macron said he spoke with his Iranian counterpart, Masud Pezeshkian, expressing “deep concern over ongoing escalation,” and he said he “condemned unjustified strikes against Emirati civilian infrastructure and several ships.”
“All parties must lift the blockade of the strait, without delay and without conditions,” he said. “We must return to the regime of complete freedom of navigation that prevailed before the conflict.”
More than 1,500 commercial ships have been stranded in the Persian Gulf since Iran effectively shut down passage through the Strait of Hormuz after US-Israeli attacks on the country.
The blockade has sent global energy prices spiking, prompting concern in Europe and East Asia.
Iran Responds To Talk Of Deal With US
Following reports that an agreement between Washington and Tehran to end the war is imminent, a spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry said that Tehran is still considering the US proposal.
Esmail Baghaei told ISNA news agency on May 6 that "The American proposal is still being reviewed by Iran, and Iran will convey its points of view to the Pakistani side after summarizing them."
US media outlets, led by Axios, reported on May 6 that Tehran and Washington were close to an agreement on a one-page memorandum to end the war in the Gulf.
Iran's Tasnim news agency, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), quoted an unnamed source as saying that the latest US proposal "contains some unacceptable clauses" and that Iran has not yet responded to it.
The Fars news agency, which is also close to the IRGC, reported that "no new written messages have been exchanged between Iran and the US" and denied media reports that an understanding was imminent.
In its report on a possible deal, Axios said an agreement could include Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment, the United States agreeing to lift sanctions and release billions of dollars in frozen Iranian funds, and both sides lifting restrictions around ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Say Safe Transit Through Hormuz Strait Possible Once "Aggressors' Threats' End
In its first official reaction to the suspension of US naval operations in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has said that safe passage through the crucial waterway would be possible once “the threats of aggressors” end and “new procedures” are implemented.
In a statement carried by Iranian state media on May 6, the IRGC Navy command thanked ship captains and owners for transiting the strait in accordance with what it called “Iran’s regulations,” adding that vessels had made a “positive contribution to maritime security in the region.”
The statement did not provide any details about the “new procedures.”
The remarks came after President Donald Trump said on May 5 that “Project Freedom,” a US operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, would be temporarily paused to allow time to finalize a possible agreement with Iran.
Iranian Soccer Chief Says National Team Will Not Go To World Cup If Revolutionary Guards Are 'Insulted'
The head of Iran’s Football Federation has said the national team will only take part in the 2026 World Cup if the United States guarantees it will not “insult” the Islamic Republic’s “military institutions,” particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
Speaking on late on May 5, Mehdi Taj said Iran was seriously preparing for the tournament and that players will likely travel to Turkey for training camps and friendly matches after the domestic soccer season ends.
Taj added that the federation would seek “serious guarantees” during meetings with during meetings with Gianni Infantino, the president of world soccer’s governing body, FIFA, and other officials.
Referring to a recent controversy in which he and two other officials were turned back from Toronto airport while on their way to a FIFA congress, he said that, if a similar incident happened in the United States, “the national team may return" home.
“They do not have the right to insult our military institutions, especially the IRGC, and they cannot insult our officials,” Taj said.
Iran’s Football Federation said its delegation had returned from Canada after “the conduct of immigration officials at the airport and insults directed at one of the armed forces institutions.”
The Canadian government, without naming individuals, said people linked to the IRGC were not permitted to enter the country. Canada designated the IRGC a terrorist organization in June 2024.
The United States also designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization during Donald Trump’s first administration.
French Shipping Firm Says Vessel Attacked in Hormuz Strait
French shipping group CMA CGM said one of its vessels was attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring ongoing risks to commercial shipping amid the Iran conflict.
“The CMA CGM San Antonio was the target of an attack…resulting in injuries among crew members and damage to the vessel,” the company said, adding that those injured had been evacuated from the Maltese-flagged ship for treatment.
The incident, which occurred on May 5, came as US President Donald Trump said he would pause a naval escort operation in the strait, citing “great progress” toward a deal with Iran.
CMA CGM, which is the world’s third-largest container shipping line, said it had previously reported warning shots at one of its vessels. It also indicated 14 of its ships were stranded in the Gulf at the start of the war.
The Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global energy flows, has seen hundreds of vessels stranded as the conflict disrupts roughly a fifth of world oil trade.