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A U.S. combatant pitchy disabled 2 Iranian-flagged tankers to enforce a larboard blockade connected Friday, prompting retaliatory attacks and rattling a shaky truce arsenic Tehran weighed Washington's latest connection to extremity the West Asia war.
Iranian officials accused the United States of violating the ceasefire with the tanker strikes and hampering diplomatic efforts to extremity the conflict.
A parallel ceasefire successful Lebanon was besides nether strain. Iran-backed Hezbollah launched missiles and drones astatine subject bases successful Israel successful retaliation for a caller onslaught connected Beirut and ongoing strikes successful the south, wherever Lebanese authorities reported 11 radical killed connected Friday (May 8, 2026).
U.S. Central Command said an F/A-18 Super Hornet utilized precision munitions connected Friday (May 8, 2026) against 2 ships successful the Gulf of Oman — gateway to the captious Strait of Hormuz — to forestall them from continuing to Iran.
An Iranian subject authoritative told section media the country's navy had "responded to the usurpation of the ceasefire and to American coercion with strikes" and "the clashes person present ceased."
The latest incidental came aft different flare-up overnight successful the strait, power of which an advisor to Iran's ultimate person compared to having "an atomic bomb."
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated connected Friday (May 8, 2026) that it was "unacceptable" for Tehran to power the important lipid conduit.
Speaking to reporters successful Rome, Mr. Rubio said Washington was expecting Iran's effect to its latest connection aboriginal successful the time and expressed anticipation that it would beryllium "a superior offer."
Washington has sent Iran, via Pakistani mediators, a connection to widen the truce successful the Gulf to let for talks connected a last colony of the struggle launched 10 weeks agone with U.S.-Israeli strikes connected Iran.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Friday (May 8, 2026) that the connection was inactive "under review," according to the ISNA quality agency.
Oil slick
Iran's UN envoy, Amir Saeed Irvani, accused the United States of violating the ceasefire with the attacks connected the Iranian tankers, successful a missive to the UN Secretary General and Security Council.
And Foreign Minister Sayed Abbas Araghchi, successful a speech with his Turkish counterpart, expressed doubts astir the seriousness and the committedness of the United States to resolving the struggle diplomatically, Iran's Tasnim quality bureau said.
Qatar's Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, met with U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance successful Washington connected Friday (May 8, 2026) and discussed the Pakistani-led efforts to broker a imperishable peace.
Iran has repeatedly attacked sites successful Qatar during the war, pointing to the affluent emirate's relation arsenic big of a large U.S. aerial base.
Satellite images person shown that an lipid slick is spreading disconnected the seashore of Iran's Kharg Island, a cardinal lipid export terminal for the Islamic republic.
It was not instantly wide what had caused the evident spill, which was located disconnected the island's westbound seashore and appears to screen much than 52 sq km according to planetary show Orbital EOS.
Kharg Island is astatine the bosom of Iran's lipid export industry, a lynchpin of the country's battered economy, and lies successful the Gulf, northbound of the constrictive Strait of Hormuz.
Following the commencement of the warfare connected February 28, Iran mostly closed the strait, throwing planetary markets into turmoil and driving up lipid prices. The U.S. aboriginal imposed its ain blockade of Iranian ports successful response.
On Sunday (May 3, 2026), Mr. Trump announced a U.S. naval cognition designed to reopen the strait to commercialized shipping, lone to wantonness it connected Tuesday (May 5, 2026) successful favour of a instrumentality to negotiations.
Saudi sources told AFP connected Friday (May 8, 2026) that the kingdom had refused support for the U.S. subject to usage its bases and airspace for the Hormuz operation, with 1 saying Riyadh "felt it would conscionable escalate the concern and would not work."
Lebanon front
On the war's different front, Hezbollah said a salvo of missiles targeted a basal southbound of the Israeli metropolis of Nahariya connected Friday (May 8, 2026) successful effect to Israeli targeting of Beirut's confederate suburbs and confederate Lebanon.
Hours later, the Iran-backed radical announced it had launched a swarm of drones astatine different basal successful bluish Israel.
Israel has kept up its strikes connected Hezbollah successful spite of a ceasefire, and connected Wednesday (May 6, 2026) it carried retired its archetypal onslaught connected Beirut's confederate suburbs successful a month, saying it killed a elder Hezbollah commander.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said Israeli strikes successful the southbound killed 10 radical connected Friday (May 8, 2026), including 2 children and 3 women. Lebanon's civilian defence said 1 of its members was killed.
The latest unit came arsenic Lebanon and Israel, officially astatine warfare since 1948, were acceptable to clasp nonstop negotiations successful Washington adjacent week, which Hezbollah vehemently opposes.
