live Trump Says Iran Cease-Fire On 'Life Support'

The war in Iran and the wider Middle East appeared to be in a holding pattern as Washington awaited Iran's response to its latest peace proposal, while Tehran, which has not yet offered a formal reply, maintained its belligerent stance toward the United States.

Iran's hard-line Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) angrily responded to the continuation of the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, threatening that "any attack on Iranian tankers and commercial vessels will result in a heavy attack on one of the American centers in the region and enemy ships."

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The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) reported on May 10 that an "unknown projectile" had hit a bulk carrier off the coast of Qatar.

In a post on X, the British monitor said the incident caused a "small fire" on the ship, which was extinguished and no casualties or environmental damage were reported.

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.

Russian President Vladimir Putin repeated the Kremlin's oft-stated offer to transport and store enriched uranium from Iran if it would help seal a deal to end the war in Iran.

Putin said Russia had transported enriched uranium from Iran once before, in 2015, and that Moscow was ready "to repeat this experience."

The Russian leader said Iran, the US. and Israel had all had agreed to the transporting the uranium out of Iran. "But then the United States hardened its position and demanded that the uranium be transported exclusively to US territory. Iran then hardened its position," he said.

Some US and other Western officials rejected earlier suggestions that Russia take possession of Iran's uranium in light of the close relations between Moscow and Tehran.

With reporting by dpa

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with the prime minister of Qatar, a Middle East ally that reportedly has been working behind the scenes in an attempt to help mediate an end to the Iran war.

The May 9 meeting came as Washington awaited a response from Tehran for its latest peace proposal, one aimed at ending the fighting but which would put off many crucial issues for later discussions.

"The secretary expressed appreciation for Qatar's partnership on a range of issues," State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a brief statement after Rubio met with Prime Minister Muhammad bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, who also acts as Qatar's foreign minister.

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"The secretary and the foreign minister also discussed US support for Qatar's defense, and the importance of continued close coordination to deter threats and promote stability and security across the Middle East," the statement said.

The statement did not specifically mention Iran.

A day earlier, al-Thani met with US Vice President JD Vance and "stressed the need for all parties to engage with the ongoing mediation efforts, to pave the way for addressing the root causes of the crisis through peaceful means and dialogue, leading to a comprehensive agreement that achieves lasting peace in the region," the Qatari Foreign Ministry said.

Meanwhile, a Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker was sailing toward the Strait of Hormuz on May 9 en route to Pakistan, according to tracking services.

Reuters quoted sources as saying the move was being allowed by Tehran as part of efforts to confidence with Qatar and Pakistan, which acts as the official mediator in the war.

Shipping data from LSEG shows that a Qatari LNG carrier was sailing towards the Strait of Hormuz on May 9, departing the port city of Ras Laffan en route to Pakistan.

While there was no immediate comment from QatarEnergy, the potential transit would mark the first successful passage of a Qatari tanker through the key waterway since its effective closure following the strikes on Iran launched by the United States and Israel on February 28.

Control over the Strait of Hormuz has become central to peace negotiations between Washington and Tehran, which has resisted giving up its hold over the waterway.

The opening of the strait was reportedly included in the latest US peace proposal to Iran, described as a one-page memorandum that would call for an end to the fighting but leave many other key issues --including Iran's right to enrich uranium -- until later.

Earlier in the day, Iranian leaders said they were reviewing the proposal. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he hoped Tehran's response would be "a serious offer."

Britain will deploy a Royal Navy destroyer to the Middle East ahead of a planned multinational mission to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the UK Defense Ministry said on May 9.

A ministry spokesperson said the HMS Dragon was being pre-positioned "ahead of any future multinational mission to protect international shipping when conditions allow them to transit the Strait of Hormuz."

The deployment comes as London and Paris advance plans for a coalition naval mission aimed at restoring freedom of navigation through the vital waterway, which accounted for about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments before the US-Israeli war with Iran erupted in February. Officials from more than 40 countries are understood to support the initiative.

A fragile cease-fire remains in place, but tensions in the Persian Gulf persist. Amid renewed exchanges of fire with Iranian forces in the Gulf, US forces on May 8 struck two Iranian tankers Washington accused of challenging its ongoing naval blockade of Iranian ports,

With reporting by AFP and dpa

Iran blamed the United States for a recent escalation of skirmishes in the Persian Gulf as Washington awaits a response from Tehran over the latest proposal to end their war.

Senior US officials, from President Donald Trump to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said on May 8 that Iran’s response to a US proposal aimed at ending the conflict -- which comes as fragile cease-fire efforts continued alongside fresh military incidents in and around the Strait of Hormuz -- was expected within hours.

But as of May 9, there was no word from Tehran on its response other than a tersely worded statement questioning Washington's seriousness in the talks.

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Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said on May 9 that security forces had dismantled an organization accused of links to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps and arrested 41 suspected members amid heightened regional tensions linked to the conflict in the Middle East.

The ministry claimed it had dismantled the group "in accordance with previous investigations carried out by the prosecutor's office. It said the cases involved "espionage on behalf of foreign entities and sympathy for Iranian aggression."

The Sunni-ruled Persian Gulf kingdom, which hosts a major US military base and has a large Shi'a population, has intensified its crackdown on expressions of support for Tehran since the conflict began. Bahrain was also heavily affected by Iranian attacks in the Gulf launched in response to US and Israeli strikes on Iran.

The arrests come against the backdrop of longstanding tensions between Bahrain’s Sunni-led monarchy and the country’s Shi’a population. Bahrain has repeatedly alleged Iranian involvement in unrest since 2011 anti-government protests led largely by Shi’a opposition groups, which Iran has denied.

Human rights activist Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei told the AFP news agency that authorities had carried out “arrests against some of the country's most prominent Shi'a religious figures,” calling the move “unprecedented.”

Human Rights Watch said in March that dozens had already been detained, while Bahrain last month stripped 69 people of citizenship for expressing support for Tehran.

With reporting by AFP