UN Chief Urges Iran To Ensure Care For Nobel Laureate Mohammadi
Antonio Guterres has expressed alarm over reports about the poor and deteriorating physical condition of the detained Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi.
Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on the evening of May 4 that the US Secretary-General had expressed "deep concern" over Mohammadi's medical condition and called on Iranian authorities to ensure that Mohammadi "receives, at the very least, urgent medical care as required by her current health condition."
The US ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, also wrote on X on May 5, highlighting abusive treatment of Mohammadi in prison "for telling the truth about the regime’s abuse of women and political opponents" and urging Tehran to provide her with "the urgent care she needs."
The Narges Mohammadi Foundation said on May 1 that the renowned human rights activist had been urgently transferred to a hospital in Zanjan due to a sharp deterioration in her condition.
According to the foundation, she lost consciousness twice and suffered a severe cardiac crisis, and her condition was described as “extremely critical.”
After her transfer from Zanjan prison to a hospital in the same city, the foundation said her condition remained “unstable.”
Her brother, Hamidreza Mohammadi, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda on May 2 that the family had been able to see her in the hospital’s intensive care unit, adding that her condition was “grave” and that she was breathing with the aid of oxygen.
Iran Warns UAE Against 'Military Solution' As Tensions Escalate
In a new message, Iran’s foreign minister has urged the United Arab Emirates not to resort to a “military solution” against the Islamic republic.
Writing on X, Abbas Araqchi said late on May 4 that he believed “there is no military solution” to the current crisis.
“While talks are progressing thanks to Pakistan’s generous efforts, the United States must be careful not to be dragged back into a quagmire by ill-wishers. The United Arab Emirates must likewise remain vigilant," he added, referring to efforts by Islamabad to mediate in the conflict.
Since the start of the United States and Israel's with Iran on February 28, the UAE has been among the Persian Gulf countries particularly affected by Iranian strikes, which Tehran says are a response to the US-Israeli military campaign.
A day before Araqchi’s message, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei criticized what he called the UAE’s “inappropriate behavior” since the conflict began, saying it had “aligned” with aggressors against Iran, creating “many problems.”
Iranian media have also been publishing reports claiming recent military cooperation between Israel and the UAE, including the deployment of advanced air defense systems.
Meanwhile, Emirati authorities said on May 4 that the country had come under Iranian missile and drone attack, condemning the strikes as a “dangerous escalation” and warning it “will not hesitate to protect its security and sovereignty.”
Authorities in the port of Fujairah said a drone strike hit an energy installation, causing a fire and injuring three people, while the defense ministry said four cruise missiles were launched, three of which were intercepted.
South Korea Weighs Role In US Hormuz Mission After Ship Blast
South Korea has said it would “review its position” on joining US-led operations in the Strait of Hormuz after Donald Trump blamed Iran for an apparent attack on a South Korean-operated vessel.
An explosion and fire struck the Panama-flagged cargo ship HMM Namu on May 4 while it was anchored in the vital waterway, which has been largely blocked since the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East in late February.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said on May 5 that all 24 crew members on the Namu were safe and that the fire had been extinguished, adding that “the exact cause of the accident would be figured out after the vessel is towed and its damage is assessed.”
Trump said Iran had fired on the ship and urged Seoul to join US efforts to escort stranded vessels, suggesting it was time for allies to contribute to securing the strait.
Seoul’s Defense Ministry said it would “carefully review our position,” citing international law, maritime safety, and alliance considerations. It also said that it had been "actively participating in international discussions on cooperation to ensure safe passage" through the strait.
Vanguard, a British maritime risk management company that monitors shipping threats, said authorities were investigating whether the blast was caused by an attack, a drifting mine or another external factor, as dozens of South Korean-linked vessels remain stranded in the crucial shipping lane.
With reporting by AFP and Reuters
Trump Warns Iran Will Be 'Blown Off Face Of The Earth' If US Vessels Targeted In Hormuz
US President Donald Trump has threatened that Iran would be “blown off the face of the earth” if it targets US vessels seeking to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as tensions strain a fragile cease-fire between the two sides.
The warning comes as Washington pushes ahead with a naval operation to escort commercial traffic through the Persian Gulf, where more than 800 ships and around 20,000 crew remain stranded along the strait, which is critical for global oil flows.
Speaking to Fox News on May 4, Trump praised the effort as “one of the greatest military maneuvers ever done” and said Iranian officials had been “far more malleable” in recent talks.
Iran, however, has warned it will strike US vessels approaching the strait and has disputed US claims that it had destroyed six Iranian small boats and intercepted Iranian missiles and drones.
Washington says it has already redirected dozens of commercial ships amid the ongoing standoff.
With reporting by AFP and The Guardian
We are now closing the live blog for the day. We'll be back at 7:30 a.m. Central European time to cover the latest events across the Middle East.
'Forced Confessions': Iranian Prisoners Speak Amid Wave Of Executions
Iran announced the hanging of three more men on May 4 as a wave of executions continued amid the backdrop of Tehran's war with the United States and Israel.
Before being hanged on the weekend, another two members of Iran's Kurdish minority issued audio statements from prison. One human rights activist told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that there are concerns the rate of executions will increase as Iranian authorities attempt to instill fear in the population.
Rubio Heads To Rome, Vatican As Iran War Strains US Ties With Europe
WASHINGTON -- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to visit Rome and the Vatican on May 6-8 in what officials describe as an effort to shore up strained ties with key European partners as the war in Iran deepens divisions across the Atlantic.
According to a State Department announcement, the trip will serve to “advance bilateral relations.”
Rubio is set to meet with Holy See leadership to discuss the situation in the Middle East and mutual interests in the Western Hemisphere.
“Meetings with Italian counterparts will focus on shared security interests and strategic alignment,” spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on May 4.
A former senior State Department official who spoke to RFE/RL on condition of anonymity said the timing of the trip signals its importance.
“Secretary Rubio’s trip is an important step in diplomacy,” the ex-official said, adding that the face he is taking the trip at this time is an indication of how much the administration of US President Donald Trump "values the relationship with Italy and the Holy See."
The visit comes against a backdrop of increasing tensions between Washington and its European allies over both the Iran conflict and broader policy disagreements, including trade and military commitments.
Analysts say the trip is as much about damage control as diplomacy.
“The Iran war is putting extreme strain on President Trump’s relations with European allies,” Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told RFE/RL. “Rubio is dispatching the fire trucks to try to put out the conflagration and limit the damage.”
Read more here
CENTCOM Head Says Iran Launched 'Cruise Missiles, Drones, And Small Boats' At US Navy
US forces intercepted cruise missiles and drones fired by Tehran on May 4, a US admiral said, as Washington launched an operation to guide stranded "neutral" ships out of restricted waters near the Strait of Hormuz.
As the operation announced by US President Donald Trump a day earlier took effect, Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) which oversees American forces in the region, said "multiple cruise missiles, drones, and small boats" were launched at US Navy ships and commercial ships "protected" by the United States.
He added that the US military "blew up" six small Iranian boats in the crucial waterway with Apache and SH-60 Seahawk helicopters and urged Iranian forces to stay away from US military while the operation was underway.
He also said that US ships were not "just escorting" the commercial ships out of the strait but employing a "much broader defensive package."
"We have multiple layers that include ships, helicopters, aircraft, airborne early warning, electronic warfare,” Cooper said.
With reporting by CNN
War Pushes Iran's Economy Even Further Toward The Brink
- By Kian Sharifi
For years, Iran's economy has struggled as international sanctions and administrative mismanagement took their toll. Since US and Israeli air strikes hit the country on February 28, the situation has grown markedly worse.
Already decrepit infrastructure has been targeted in the strikes, knocking out factories, steel mills, bridges, and ports. Even worse, oil and gas facilities have been struck, while a US blockade on all traffic calling at Iranian ports still functioning has all but cut off Tehran's main lifeline: oil money.
With the currency at historic lows against the dollar and an Internet shutdown crippling businesses, analysts say Iran's economy is now in uncharted territory.
"So, unless the regime seeks concessions from the US to lift the blockade, the economy will have to remain extremely depressed," said Jason Tuvey, deputy chief Emerging Markets economist at the London-based Capital Economics.
Read more here
UAE Slams 'Unacceptable' Drone And Missile Attacks
The United Arab Emirates said that it had come under Iranian missile and drone attack, strongly condemning the strikes as a “dangerous escalation” and holding Tehran fully responsible for their consequences.
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates' major port city of Fujairah reported a drone strike that targeted an energy installation and caused a fire.
"Fujairah Civil Defense teams immediately responded to the incident and are continuing their efforts to control it," the Fujairah media office said in a statement on May 4, following multiple air alerts.
The UAE’s Foreign Ministry said the "unacceptable" attacks, which injured three people, constituted a direct threat to the country’s security and violated international law, warning it “will not hesitate to protect its security and sovereignty” and reserves the right to respond.
Fujairah, on the shore of the Arabian Sea, has been a key exporting hub of the UAE.
The port facility there has become even more crucial after the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, as it has allowed the UAE to access global shipping without using the waterway.
The UAE's Defense Ministry said Iran had also targeted the country with four cruise missiles on May 4.
"Three were successfully engaged over the country's territorial waters, while one fell in the sea," it said.