Iran Says Sound Of Explosions On Qeshm Island Linked to Drone Interception
Authorities in Iran’s Hormozgan Province said explosion sounds heard overnight on Qeshm Island were linked to air defenses intercepting drones, denying any damage.
A provincial statement on May 6 said the noise was “caused by countering small drones and reconnaissance UAVs” and that “no impact, damage or explosion” had occurred on the island.
Officials gave no explanation for a separate blast reported in the port city of Bandar Abbas.
The incidents come amid recurring reports of nighttime explosions across Iran since a cease-fire with the United States and Israel, which authorities often attribute to unexploded ordnance or air defense activity against drones.
Beijing Urges Immediate Cease-Fire In Iran As Trump-Xi Summit Nears
- By Colin Hood
Beijing has reiterated its call for a “comprehensive cease-fire” in the Iran-US conflict and for a return to normal passage through the Strait of Hormuz as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi kicked off his first visit to China since the conflict erupted at the end of February.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi said after a meeting with Araqchi on May 6 in the Chinese capital that China will work “harder” to help bring an end to the fighting and play a “greater role in restoring peace and tranquility to the Middle East."
"China believes that a complete cessation of hostilities is imperative, restarting the conflict is unacceptable and persisting in negotiations is particularly important," Wang said, according to a statement from his ministry after the talks, which come one week before US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
Araqchi’s meeting with Wang came amid media reports that Tehran and Washington are close to an agreement on a one-page memorandum to end the war in the Gulf.
Read more here
Trump Says US Will Pause Operation To Guide Ships Through Hormuz Strait
- By RFE/RL
US President Donald Trump has announced that the operation called Project Freedom to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz will be “paused for a short period of time" after making "Great Progress....toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran."
In a post on Truth Social on May 6, Trump said the decision was made at the request of Pakistan, which is mediating talks between the US and Iran, “to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed.” However, a US blockade of Iranian ports is to remain in place.
The US launched the so-called Project Freedom to restore commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz halted by Iran, leaving thousands of ships stranded on both sides of the strait for weeks and impacting the global economy.
Iran blocked transit through the crucial waterway threatening to target any vessels that attempted to pass through the strait without its consent in response to the US and Israeli military campaign against it, which was launched on February 28.
Trump’s announcement followed a news conference by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in which he announced that US military campaign against Iran, called Epic Fury, has ended.
Read more here
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Iran Denies Attacks On UAE, Warns Against Retaliation
Iran has denied that it carried out any attacks on the United Arab Emirates, while warning that it would deliver a “crushing and regret-inducing response” to any attack launched from UAE territory.
In a statement issued on May 5, the Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters, which coordinates the military of the Islamic republic, said Iran’s armed forces had carried out “no missile or drone operations against the UAE" in recent days, adding that "if any action had been taken, we would have announced it clearly and decisively."
The statement accused the UAE of becoming “one of the main American and Zionist bases,” and warned that “if any action is taken from UAE territory against our islands, ports, or coasts, we will respond with a crushing and regret-inducing response.”
The UAE’s Defense Ministry said that the country had been targeted by Iranian missile and drone attacks on May 4 and May 5.
According to the UAE, an oil industrial complex in Fujairah caught fire during the attack on May 4, and three Indian nationals sustained minor injuries.
The UAE’s Foreign Ministry has said the country reserves its right to respond to Iranian attacks.
US Proposes UN Resolution, Says Iran 'Holds World’s Economy Hostage'
- By RFE/RL
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Washington has proposed a UN Security Council resolution to secure the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Iran of threatening global trade.
In a May 5 statement, Rubio said Iran “continues to hold the world’s economy hostage” through threats to shipping, sea mines and efforts to impose tolls.
The draft resolution, backed by Persian Gulf partners, would require Iran to “cease attacks, mining, and tolling” and disclose mine locations while supporting a humanitarian corridor.
The United States expects the measure to be voted on “in the coming days,” Rubio said in the statement.
Iran Again Warn Vessels To Use Its Designated Hormuz Corridor
The naval command of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has again warned all vessels intending to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, saying the only safe route is the corridor previously designated by the Islamic republic.
According to the warning, “any diversion of ships to other routes is dangerous and will result in a firm response from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards navy.”
The IRGC navy had earlier published an updated map showing an expansion of areas it said were under Iran’s control near the Strait of Hormuz, including zones covering the UAE ports of Fujairah and Khor Fakkan, as well as the coastline of the emirate of Umm Al Quwain.
The warning on May 5 comes one day after the United States launched “Operation Freedom” to allow ships from neutral countries to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
These vessels have been stranded in the Persian Gulf for more than two months due to the US-Israeli war with Iran and the closure of the strait by the IRGC.
On the first day of the US operation, the IRGC fired at several vessels, while drone attacks attributed to Iran sparked a fire at the UAE’s Fujairah oil port.
With reporting by AFP
Trump Says Iran Should ‘Wave White Flag,’ Urges Deal
US President Donald Trump has dismissed Iran’s military capabilities and urged Tehran to “do the smart thing” and strike a deal to end the war amid a fragile cease-fire.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on May 5, Trump said Iran’s forces had been reduced to firing “peashooters” and suggested the country “should wave the white flag of surrender,” though he added he did not want to “go in and kill people.”
"They play games, but let me just tell you, they want to make a deal,” Trump said, arguing that Iran’s military was “totally gone.”
He also praised the ongoing US blockade of Iranian ports as being “like a piece of steel,” saying “nobody’s going to challenge” it.
Asked what would constitute a cease-fire violation by Iran, Trump said: “You’ll find out… They know what not to do.”
With reporting by Reuters and AFP
UAE Says Attacked Again By Iranian Missiles And Drones
The United Arab Emirates has said that it has once again been attacked by Iranian missiles and drones and was responding to these threats.
In a post on X, the UAE Defense Ministry said that “The UAE’s air defense systems are actively engaged in missile and drone threats,” adding that “the origin of these threats is Iran.”
There were reports of air-raid sirens sounding in Dubai.
On May 4, the UAE announced the interception of "three missiles fired by Iran" and a fourth that fell into the sea.
However, authorities in the port of Fujairah said a drone strike hit an energy installation, causing a fire and injuring three people.
Iran Seizes Assets Of Political Activists
Iran's judiciary has announced that it has seized the assets of political activist Mehdi Nasiri and 21 other people it identified as "enemy-affiliated elements" in the Semnan Province in north-central Iran.
The Mizan news agency, which is affiliated with the judiciary, identified the 22 people as "affiliated" with Israel and other "hostile" countries, writing that their assets had been seized in line with the implementation of a law on punishing espionage and cooperation with Israel.
Mehdi Nasiri, a former regime insider and one-time hard-line editor of the state-aligned Kayhan newspaper, is now a journalist and outspoken critic of the Iranian authorities.
The news agency described the seizure of these individuals' assets as a "national necessity" and claimed that they "have caused extensive damage to infrastructure and public places, such as schools, universities, research centers, industrial centers -- in cooperation with hostile governments."
The judiciary released the names of all the individuals and announced that their movable and immovable assets, as well as their bank accounts, have been identified, seized, and frozen. The individuals have also been banned from carrying out any financial transactions.
The judiciary has not provided any evidence to back up its actions against the 22 people.
Iran frequently seizes the assets of journalists, political activists, and artists whom it accuses of posing a threat.
After the Iran-Israel war in June 2025, Iran's parliament approved a plan to increase the punishment -- including the death penalty -- for those spying for or collaborating with Israel or the US.