A U.S. fighter jet disabled two Iranian-flagged tankers to enforce a port blockade on Friday, prompting retaliatory attacks and rattling a shaky truce as Tehran weighed Washington’s latest proposal to end the West Asia war.

Iranian officials accused the United States of violating the ceasefire with the tanker strikes and hampering diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.

A parallel ceasefire in Lebanon was also under strain. Iran-backed Hezbollah launched missiles and drones at military bases in Israel in retaliation for a recent attack on Beirut and ongoing strikes in the south, where Lebanese authorities reported 11 people killed on Friday (May 8, 2026).

U.S. Central Command said an F/A-18 Super Hornet used precision munitions on Friday (May 8, 2026) against two ships in the Gulf of Oman — gateway to the vital Strait of Hormuz — to prevent them from continuing to Iran.

An Iranian military official told local media the country’s navy had “responded to the violation of the ceasefire and to American terrorism with strikes” and “the clashes have now ceased.”

The latest incident came after another flare-up overnight in the strait, control of which an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader compared to having “an atomic bomb.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated on Friday (May 8, 2026) that it was “unacceptable” for Tehran to control the crucial oil conduit.

Speaking to reporters in Rome, Mr. Rubio said Washington was expecting Iran’s response to its latest proposal later in the day and expressed hope that it would be “a serious offer.”

Washington has sent Iran, via Pakistani mediators, a proposal to extend the truce in the Gulf to allow for talks on a final settlement of the conflict launched 10 weeks ago with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Friday (May 8, 2026) that the proposal was still “under review,” according to the ISNA news agency.

Oil slick

Iran’s UN envoy, Amir Saeed Irvani, accused the United States of violating the ceasefire with the attacks on the Iranian tankers, in a letter to the UN Secretary General and Security Council.

And Foreign Minister Sayed Abbas Araghchi, in a conversation with his Turkish counterpart, expressed doubts about the seriousness and the commitment of the United States to resolving the conflict diplomatically, Iran’s Tasnim news agency said.

Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, met with U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance in Washington on Friday (May 8, 2026) and discussed the Pakistani-led efforts to broker a permanent peace.

Iran has repeatedly attacked sites in Qatar during the war, pointing to the wealthy emirate’s role as host of a major U.S. air base.

Satellite images have shown that an oil slick is spreading off the coast of Iran’s Kharg Island, a key oil export terminal for the Islamic republic.

It was not immediately clear what had caused the apparent spill, which was located off the island’s west coast and appears to cover more than 52 sq km according to global monitor Orbital EOS.

Kharg Island is at the heart of Iran’s oil export industry, a lynchpin of the country’s battered economy, and lies in the Gulf, north of the narrow Strait of Hormuz.

Following the start of the war on February 28, Iran largely closed the strait, throwing global markets into turmoil and driving up oil prices. The U.S. later imposed its own blockade of Iranian ports in response.

On Sunday (May 3, 2026), Mr. Trump announced a U.S. naval operation designed to reopen the strait to commercial shipping, only to abandon it on Tuesday (May 5, 2026) in favour of a return to negotiations.

Saudi sources told AFP on Friday (May 8, 2026) that the kingdom had refused permission for the U.S. military to use its bases and airspace for the Hormuz operation, with one saying Riyadh “felt it would just escalate the situation and would not work.”

Lebanon front

On the war’s other front, Hezbollah said a salvo of missiles targeted a base south of the Israeli city of Nahariya on Friday (May 8, 2026) in response to Israeli targeting of Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon.

Hours later, the Iran-backed group announced it had launched a swarm of drones at another base in northern Israel.

Israel has kept up its strikes on Hezbollah in spite of a ceasefire, and on Wednesday (May 6, 2026) it carried out its first attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs in a month, saying it killed a senior Hezbollah commander.

The Lebanese Health Ministry said Israeli strikes in the south killed 10 people on Friday (May 8, 2026), including two children and three women. Lebanon’s civil defence said one of its members was killed.

The latest violence came as Lebanon and Israel, officially at war since 1948, were set to hold direct negotiations in Washington next week, which Hezbollah vehemently opposes.

Published – May 09, 2026 05:24 am IST

The U.S. military said it carried out strikes on Iranian military targets on Thursday (May 7, 2026) after an attack on three American destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran accused Washington of striking first.

The violence threatened to unravel a fragile truce in effect since April 8 that brought an end to weeks of U.S.-Israeli attacks on the Islamic republic, which has retaliated with strikes across West Asia and by blocking the strait, a vital route for oil and gas shipments.

U.S.-Iran war: Follow LIVE updates on May 7, 2026

“Iranian forces launched multiple missiles, drones and small boats” at the three U.S. warships, but none were hit, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X, adding that it “eliminated inbound threats and targeted Iranian military facilities responsible.”

“CENTCOM does not seek escalation but remains positioned and ready to protect American forces,” it said.

Iran’s central military command meanwhile accused the United States of violating the ceasefire by attacking an oil tanker and another ship on Thursday (May 7, 2026), saying Tehran’s forces “immediately and in retaliation attacked American military vessels.”

Trump threatens more Iran strikes if deal not signed ‘fast!’

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday (May 7, 2026) that U.S. forces dealt “great damage” to Iranian targets after three American naval destroyers came under fire, but was nonetheless still open to a deal with Tehran.

“There was no damage done to the three Destroyers, but great damage done to the Iranian attackers,” he said on his Truth Social platform, colorfully describing drones falling “like a butterfly dropping to its grave!”

“We’ll knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently, in the future, if they don’t get their Deal signed, FAST!” he added.

Mr. Trump had fuelled hopes of a deal just the day before, saying an agreement could be near, even as he again threatened to return to bombing if Tehran refused to back down.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran would communicate its position to mediator Pakistan “after finalising its views.”

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had struck an optimistic tone prior to the exchanges of fire on Thursday (May 7, 2026), saying in televised remarks: “I firmly believe that this ceasefire will turn into a long-term ceasefire.”

Lebanon talks

But, inside Iran, civilians were cynical.

“Neither side in these negotiations is really capable of reaching an agreement,” 42-year-old photographer Shervin told AFP reporters in Paris, messaging from Tehran.

“This is another one of Trump’s games; otherwise, why are so many warships and military forces being sent toward Iran?”

Any agreement between the United States and Iran could also help lower tensions in Lebanon, where a separate truce was under renewed strain after an Israeli strike on southern Beirut killed a commander from militant group Hezbollah on Wednesday (May 6, 2026).

A U.S. State Department official confirmed on Thursday (May 7, 2026) that the new Israel-Lebanon talks would take place on May 14 and 15.

It will be the third meeting in recent months between the two countries, which have technically been at war for decades and have no diplomatic relations.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday (May 5, 2026) that a peace deal between the two sides was “eminently achievable,” insisting Hezbollah was the sticking point, rather than any issue between the two governments.

Lebanon was drawn into West Asia war when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Ships, crew stranded

A ceasefire between the two countries and including Hezbollah was extended after the last round of talks in Washington, but Israel has kept up its strikes on the group, which has claimed attacks of its own on Israeli forces occupying parts of Lebanon’s south.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported at least 12 people killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes on Thursday (May 7, 2026).

Following the start of the war with U.S.-Israeli attacks on February 28, Iran largely shuttered the Strait of Hormuz.

Around 1,500 ships and 20,000 international crew are now trapped in the Gulf region because of the conflict, the secretary-general of the UN’s International Maritime Organization, Arsenio Dominguez, told a Maritime Convention of the Americas meeting in Panama.

Mr. Trump had this week briefly launched a naval operation to force open the strait to commercial vessels, only to stand it down within hours, citing progress on negotiations with Iran.

The U.S. president — who has lambasted Europe for not backing his war against Iran — said Thursday (May 7, 2026) he had a “great call” with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, saying they were “completely united that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.”

Published – May 08, 2026 05:08 am IST

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has rejected U.S. overtures, saying “we do not intend to negotiate”.

“At present, our policy is the continuation of resistance”, Mr. Araghchi said on state TV, adding that the United States “speaking of negotiations now is an admission of defeat” by Washington.

Pakistani officials earlier said Islamabad had conveyed to Tehran an American 15-point plan to stop the fighting that began on February 28 with U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and has since engulfed the region.

Iran state television Press TV cited an unidentified official as saying Tehran had “responded negatively” to the plan and that the war would only end on Tehran’s terms, which includes guarantees against future attacks.

“We seek an end to the war on our own terms,” Mr. Araghchi confirmed, “and in a way that it will not be repeated here again”.

Mediators in the region said work was ongoing behind the scenes, but Mr. Araghchi said the exchange of messages through “friendly countries” did not equate to negotiations with Washington.

The Iranian official quoted by Press TV said Tehran has put forward its own five conditions for hostilities to end.

These include a robust mechanism guaranteeing that neither Israel nor the U.S. will resume the war as well as compensation for war damages.

Iran’s conditions also include a cessation of hostilities on all regional fronts and against all “resistance groups”, an implicit reference to the Tehran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah.

Tehran also wants international recognition and guarantees of Iran’s rights to exercise its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

– AFP

Amid rising tensions in West Asia, the Indian Navy has launched an operation to escort, guide, and safeguard India-bound energy shipments through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, which has been blockaded by Iran.

The operation, called Urja Suraksha, is being conducted with calibrated precision and minimal publicity to ensure the uninterrupted and secure movement of Indian-flagged vessels carrying critical energy supplies, officials said. All India-bound ships transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and crude oil have been identified for protected transit.

U.S. President Donald Trump sent a peace plan to Iran as he voiced optimism Tuesday (March 24, 2026) at ending nearly a month of warfare, with Tehran announcing that it will let “non-hostile” oil vessels go through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

The tentative signs of a diplomatic solution came despite new violence, with an Iranian missile causing injuries in Israel, which in turn pressed on multiple fronts and vowed to seize control of a strip of southern Lebanon.

“They did something yesterday that was amazing actually. They gave us a present and the present arrived today. And it was a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money,” Mr. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “That meant one thing to me — we’re dealing with the right people.” He did not explain further but said it related to the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran, in a message circulated by the International Maritime Organization shortly afterward, assured safe passage to “non-hostile vessels” going through the strait, the gateway for one-fifth of the world’s oil.

Iran had already in recent days said it was not targeting friendly nations, although many vessels have shied away as insurance companies refuse to take risks.

– AFP

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has rejected U.S. overtures, saying “we do not intend to negotiate”.

“At present, our policy is the continuation of resistance”, Mr. Araghchi said on state TV, adding that the United States “speaking of negotiations now is an admission of defeat” by Washington.

Pakistani officials earlier said Islamabad had conveyed to Tehran an American 15-point plan to stop the fighting that began on February 28 with U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and has since engulfed the region.

Iran state television Press TV cited an unidentified official as saying Tehran had “responded negatively” to the plan and that the war would only end on Tehran’s terms, which includes guarantees against future attacks.

“We seek an end to the war on our own terms,” Mr. Araghchi confirmed, “and in a way that it will not be repeated here again”.

Mediators in the region said work was ongoing behind the scenes, but Mr. Araghchi said the exchange of messages through “friendly countries” did not equate to negotiations with Washington.

The Iranian official quoted by Press TV said Tehran has put forward its own five conditions for hostilities to end.

These include a robust mechanism guaranteeing that neither Israel nor the U.S. will resume the war as well as compensation for war damages.

Iran’s conditions also include a cessation of hostilities on all regional fronts and against all “resistance groups”, an implicit reference to the Tehran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah.

Tehran also wants international recognition and guarantees of Iran’s rights to exercise its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

– AFP

An Iranian missile with cluster munitions flies over Jerusalem amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran on March 20, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters