Image: Iran found its atomic bomb: An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader on Friday compared control over the Strait of Hormuz to having an “atomic bomb,” and vowed not to relinquish it.
Here is the latest on the Middle East war
- The U.S. military says its forces fired on two Iran-flagged oil tankers to stop them from docking at an Iranian port Friday in violation of the U.S. blockade in the area.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. was expecting a response from Iran on a peace proposal Friday, adding, “we’ll see what the response entails” and that he hopes it’s “a serious offer.”
- President Trump said the U.S.-Iran ceasefire is “still in effect,” but he warned the U.S. would “knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently,” if Tehran doesn’t accept a peace deal.
Lebanon, Israel to hold discussions in Washington next week
Two days of “intensive talks” will be held in Washington, D.C., between representatives from Lebanon and Israel on May 14 and 15 to work out a “lasting peace and security arrangements,” according to the State Department.
This will be the third round of recent talks between the two sides, following meetings on April 14 and 23.
“Building on the April 23 round, which was led personally by President Trump, both delegations will engage in detailed discussions aimed at advancing a comprehensive peace and security agreement that substantively addresses the core concerns of both countries,” the State Department said in a statement.
“These talks aim to break decisively from the failed approach of the past two decades, which allowed terrorist groups to entrench and enrich themselves, undermine the authority of the Lebanese state, and endanger Israel’s northern border,” it continued.
The April 14 meeting was the first time representatives from the two countries had direct talks in decades and resulted in a 10-day ceasefire. The ceasefire was extended for three more weeks at the April 23 meeting.
But the ceasefire has largely been in name only, especially in recent days. Both sides have been exchanging small-scale strikes at each other in southern Lebanon, and Israel launched its first major strike on Beirut in weeks on Wednesday, targeting and killing the leader of Iranian-backed Hezbollah’s elite Radwan forces.
U.S. military says it redirected 57 commercial vessels, disabled 4
U.S. forces have redirected 57 commercial vessels and disabled four as part of the U.S. blockade to keep ships from going to or leaving Iranian ports, the U.S. military said Friday.
CENTCOM shared the update on X alongside photos of the USS Truxtun, the USS Rafael Peralta and the USS Mason – destroyers currently positioned in the Arabian Sea in support of the blockade
Hormuz= Atomic Bomb
An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader on Friday compared control over the Strait of Hormuz to having an “atomic bomb,” and vowed not to relinquish it.
Adviser Mohammad Mokhber said Iran had long “neglected” its privileged position along the strait, a vital conduit for oil and gas shipments that Tehran shut early in the Middle East war, throwing markets into turmoil and stranding hundreds of vessels.
“The Strait of Hormuz represents an opportunity as precious as an atomic bomb,” he said in a video published by the Mehr news agency.
“Indeed, having in one’s hands a position that allows you to influence the global economy with a single decision is a major opportunity.”
Pledging not to “forfeit the gains of this war,” he went on to say Iran would “change the (legal) regime of this strait,” through international law if possible, and unilaterally if not.
Mokhber did not specifically mention charging vessels to use the waterway, but the shipping journal Lloyd’s List reported on Friday that Iran had created an authority to approve transit through the strait and to collect tolls.
U.S. expecting Iran response to peace proposal
Washington on Friday was awaiting a response from Iran to its latest proposal for a peace deal.
Speaking in Italy, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the response was expected “at some point” Friday and that he hopes it will be “a serious offer.”
“We’ll see what the response entails,” he said, adding that the hope is for something “that can put us into a serious process of negotiation.”
Vance meeting with Qatari prime minister to discuss war
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani arrived Friday morning in Washington, D.C., where he is meeting with Vice President JD Vance to discuss topics including the Iran war.
Yesterday, the prime minister told al-Araby al-Jadeed there is a “high probability” that the U.S. and Iran will reach a deal. Speaking Friday morning in Italy, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said today the U.S. expects to receive Iran’s response to the draft agreement for ending the war.
“We’re expecting a response from (Iran) — we’ll see what the response entails,” Rubio said as he left Rome. He added that the hope is that it’s something that “can put us into a serious process of negotiation.”
The prime minister, who also serves as the minister of Foreign Affairs, is the emirate’s top diplomat. He has been a conduit for the U.S. on some of the thornier issues, including Gaza, Afghanistan and Iran. Qatar is also the base for U.S. Central Command.
2,759 people killed in Lebanon since March 2, health ministry says
Lebanon’s health ministry says 2,759 people have been killed from Israel’s attacks since March 2. Another 8,512 others have been injured.
More than 1 million people have been displaced from their homes by the fighting.
UAE says 3 people wounded as Iranian missiles and drones intercepted in latest
The United Arab Emirates said Friday that its air defenses had intercepted two ballistic missiles and three drones launched by Iran, but that debris from the interceptions had moderately wounded three people.
The statement from the UAE Ministry of Defense added that, since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, the country had intercepted a total of 551 Iranian ballistic missiles, 29 cruise missiles, and 2,263 drones.
The total number of people wounded since the start of the Iran war has reached 230 in the UAE, a close U.S. ally, and 10 civilians, two members of the armed forces and one foreign civilian military contractor have been killed there, the government says.
CBS
