U.S. fire on Iran tankers sparks reprisals as deal hangs in balance

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary. The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Published - May 09, 2026 05:24 am IST - TEHRAN Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, May 8, 2026. | Photo Credit: Reuters 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. 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." On the war's other front, Hezbollah said a salvo of missiles targeted a base south of the Israeli c

U.S. fire on Iran tankers sparks reprisals as deal hangs in balance

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U.S. fire on Iran tankers sparks reprisals as deal hangs in balance

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