live US Awaiting 'Serious Offer' From Iran On Peace Proposal, Says Rubio

Two more Iranian-flagged tankers were disabled by US forces in the Gulf of Oman as Washington continued enforcing its blockade on vessels entering or leaving Iran, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a May 8 post on X.

According to CENTCOM, which is responsible for American forces in the Middle East, US Navy fighter jets struck the "unladen oil tankers" Sea Star III and Sevda before they could enter an Iranian port, while another tanker, the Hasna, had been disabled on May 6.

CENTCOM said more than 50 commercial vessels had been redirected during blockade operations.

CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper said US forces remained committed to “full enforcement of the blockade of vessels entering or leaving Iran.”

The governor of the southern Iranian city of Minab has said that a cargo vessel near the city’s waters was struck and caught fire during overnight US strikes, leaving five crew members missing.

Mohammad Rademehr told Iranian media on May 8 that 15 sailors had been aboard the cargo vessel, 10 of whom were transferred to hospital, while volunteer and search teams were trying to locate the remaining crew members.

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for American forces in the Middle East, said the US had launched strikes on “Iranian military facilities” in the early hours of May 8 in response to Iranian attacks against American destroyers.

In a post on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump said Iran had used small boats, missiles and drones in the incident and that the "Iranian attackers" had been “completely destroyed.”

Iran's military said it targeted the US ships after American forces struck “an Iranian oil tanker” moving from Iran’s coastal waters, as well as another vessel entering the Strait of Hormuz near Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates

With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, AFP, and Reuters

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Washington is awaiting Iran’s response to a US proposal aimed at ending the conflict.

"We're expecting a response from them today at some point... I hope it's a serious offer, I really do," Rubio told reporters during a visit to Rome on May 8.

Rubio also denounced Iran’s efforts to control transit through the Strait of Hormuz after reports that Tehran had established an authority to approve vessel passage through the crucial maritime conduit.

"Iran now claims that they own, that they have a right to control, an international waterway... That's an unacceptable thing that they're trying to normalize," he said.

Rubio also defended recent US military action in the Gulf, saying American forces had responded after Iranian fire targeted US warships on May 7.

Iran, however, said the confrontation began after US vessels attacked an Iranian civilian tanker near the Strait of Hormuz.

Rubio's remarks came on the same day as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi accused Washington of undermining diplomacy, saying in a post on X that "every time a diplomatic solution is on the table," the United States opts for "a reckless military adventure."

With reporting by Reuters

Iran has launched a new agency to oversee and collect tolls from ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, amid ongoing regional tensions and diplomatic efforts to end the conflict with the United States, according to shipping journal Lloyd’s List.

The agency, called the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, will be responsible for approving vessel transits and administering tolls in the strategic waterway.

Lloyd’s List reported that ships would be required to obtain transit authorization before sailing and submit ownership, insurance, crew and routing information to the authority.

Iranian state broadcaster Press TV earlier said Tehran had created a “system to exercise sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.”

The move comes as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps continues to disrupt shipping in the strait since the outbreak of the war in the Middle East in late February.

Iran has signaled that it wants to establish a new framework for regulating traffic through the waterway, through which roughly a fifth of global oil supplies normally pass.

The development also comes as Tehran reviews a US proposal aimed at ending hostilities and easing sanctions.

Tehran's efforts to formalize control over the strait have raised concern in Washington, which has continued to insist on freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz amid the US-Iran conflict.

With reporting by AFP

The United Arab Emirates says its air defense systems intercepted two ballistic missiles and three drones launched from Iran, leaving three people moderately injured.

In an X post on May 8, the country's Defense Ministry said that since the start of “blatant Iranian attacks” on the UAE, its forces had intercepted 551 ballistic missiles, 29 cruise missiles and 2,263 drones.

The Defense Ministry said the attacks have injured 230 people of multiple nationalities and killed 13 others, including three military-related fatalities and 10 civilians.

It added that it remained “fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats” to the country’s security and stability.

The UAE has blamed Iran for repeated missile and drone attacks during the conflict in the Middle East, as tensions spread across the region.

Iranian media have reported the “seizure” of an oil tanker named OCEAN KOI in the Gulf of Oman by the country's naval forces.

A report published uniformly across Iranian media on May 8 claimed the tanker was carrying an oil cargo belonging to the Islamic republic and had been “attempting to damage and disrupt Iran’s oil exports and interests by exploiting regional conditions.”

The US Treasury Department had placed a tanker with the same name under sanctions in February for allegedly being linked to the export of Iranian oil and petroleum products.

Reports carried by Iranian state-affiliated media did not provide details about the tanker's alleged “exploiting” of regional conditions nor did they specify the exact time and location of its seizure.

The Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, however, has aired video footage showing armed personnel boarding the tanker from small boats.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, Reuters, and AFP

A widespread Internet shutdown in Iran has now entered its 70th, the NetBlocks connectivity monitor said on May 8.

According to the digital access watchdog, the blackout and accompanying restriction of services has been harming "those most in need -- people with disabilities, students, small businesses and the general public."

The Iranian government claims the shutdown was due to security conditions stemming from the war with the United States and Israel, which began on February 28.

Critics and experts, however, insist the war was not the real reason for blocking Internet access and was merely a pretext to force people to use Iran's domestic National Information Network instead of the global Internet.

Meanwhile, officials and individuals close to the government, as well as those selected by the authorities through the allocation of so-called “white SIM cards,” continue to have Internet access, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports.

In addition, some telecom operators have recently been offering so-called “tiered Internet” services to certain professions and social groups at exorbitant prices.

On April 5, Iran’s Internet blackout became the longest nationwide Internet shutdown ever recorded, according to NetBlocks.

Despite numerous reports about the extensive economic and social damage caused by the Internet shutdown in Iran -- including coverage by some domestic media outlets and even government officials -- no institution or official has formally accepted responsibility for the blackout or provided an official explanation.

Based on reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

China’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed that an oil products tanker carrying Chinese crew members was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, and expressed concern over the safety of vessels affected by the escalating Middle East conflict.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said there were Chinese nationals aboard the ship but no reported casualties.

The Chinese media outlet Caixin had earlier reported that a Chinese-owned tanker marked “CHINA OWNER & CREW” was attacked on May 4.

Maritime security sources identified the vessel as the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker JV Innovation, which reportedly caught fire off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.

The attack came ahead of talks in Beijing on May 6 between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araqch,i on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. China -- a major buyer of Iranian oil -- has kept imports from Iran largely steady despite the war.

The incident comes amid renewed exchanges of fire between the United States and Iran and growing disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The son of a top leader of Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the US and the EU, has died from wounds sustained in an Israeli air strike on Gaza City, multiple media outlets reported on May 8.

The Middle East Monitor, citing a correspondent for Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, reported that Azzam al-Hayya, the son of Khalil al-Hayya, was critically injured in a strike on the Daraj neighborhood east of Gaza City on the evening of May 6 and died the following day.

According to Palestinian sources cited by The Middle East Monitor, Azzam al-Hayya was the fourth son of Khalil al-Hayya to be killed during the conflict with Israel.

The Israeli military has not commented on the matter.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi later offered condolences to Khalil al-Hayya, according to Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim News Agency.

Khalil al-Hayya is a senior Hamas official and chairman of the group’s political bureau. He has served as a leading Hamas negotiator in cease-fire talks with Israel during the Gaza war.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister spoke by telephone with his Singaporean counterpart, Vivian Balakrishnan, to request assistance in repatriating Pakistani and Iranian seafarers aboard vessels “seized by US authorities” near Singaporean waters.

In a social media post on May 8, Ishaq Dar said he had also discussed the matter with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi. The US has not commented on the matter.

According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, 11 Pakistani and 20 Iranian seafarers are aboard the vessels. Dar said the Foreign Office is closely coordinating with US authorities and other relevant parties to ensure the “safety, welfare, and earliest possible return of the crew members.”

Earlier this week, Pakistan facilitated the return of the Iranian sailors from a vessel seized by the United States. The Pakistani Foreign Office says the transfer of the Iranian crew members was part of “confidence-building measures.”

The Iranian ship was seized by US forces on April 19. At that time, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) has said that ship’s crew “failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period.”