Donald Trump says he is still expecting a reply from Iran regarding a US peace proposal, though as of Saturday morning no such response had been announced.
“I’m getting a letter supposedly tonight,” the US president told reporters. “So we’ll see how that goes.”
With negotiations hanging in the balance, the US and Iran continue to engage in hostilities.
The US Navy struck two Iranian-flagged oil tankers on Friday accused of breaking the American blockade, after US and Iranian forces exchanged fire overnight on Thursday. Iran has accused the US of violating the ongoing ceasefire, which President Trump insists is still holding.
In a post on X earlier in the day, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi accused the US of consistently opting for a “reckless military adventure” every time a “diplomatic solution is on the table”.
During his ongoing visit to Italy, US secretary of state Marco Rubio chided allies for not doing more to support the war, arguing the US expects the ability to project force from Europe as a Nato member.
“That’s a problem and has to be examined,” Rubio said.
Read MoreRisk of $5 gas ‘can no longer be missed’, JP Morgan warns amid Iran war oil shocks
US Navy strikes two oil tankers attempting to breach Strait of Hormuz blockade
The companies getting rich off Trump’s war in Iran as recession fears grow
EU purchases from Russia’s largest natural gas field hit record £3bn
Key Points
- Iran could withstand blockade for months, analysts say
- Gas prices continue to hover near record highs
- US uses sanctions to target Iranian weapons supply
- Iranian lawmaker threatens 'military response' to US blockade
Bahrain says it has arrested 41 people 'linked to Iran's IRGC'
11:05 , Amy-Clare MartinBahrain’s interior ministry said on Saturday it had arrested 41 people it claims are linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), the state news agency reported.
The ministry said “security authorities uncovered a group linked” to Iran's IRGC, adding that investigations by the public prosecutor had also involved cases related to sympathy with Iranian attacks.
Iran has repeatedly fired at targets in Bahrain and other Gulf Arab states where the U.S. has military bases after the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran on 28 February.
Iran accuses US of opting for ‘reckless military adventure’
10:45 , Amy-Clare MartinIran’s foreign minister has accused the US of opting for a “reckless military adventure” every time there is a diplomatic solution on the table.
In a post on X on Friday, Abbas Araghchi insisted: “Iranians never bow to pressure.”
The comments came as Iran was expected to respond to US proposals on Friday, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
"I hope it's a serious offer, I really do," Rubio said during a visit to Italy.
Every time a diplomatic solution is on the table, the U.S. opts for a reckless military adventure. Is it a crude pressure tactic? Or the result of a spoiler once again duping POTUS into another quagmire?
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) May 8, 2026
Whatever the causes, outcome is the same: Iranians never bow to pressure. pic.twitter.com/ev7dMIebNB
Kamala Harris calls US-Iran war 'bull****'
10:25 , Amy-Clare MartinFormer US vice president Kamala Harris has described the ongoing US-Iran war as “bull****”.
Appearing in a fireside chat hosted by the Nevada Democrats in Las Vegas this week, the former presidential candidate described the conflict as something “which the American people do not want”.
Discussing President Trump, she said: “I'm not going to dismiss him as being an idiot. He’s dangerous.” She later added “it’s all just bull****”.
Iran can withstand Trump's blockade for months, reports claim
10:05 , Amy-Clare MartinIran can withstand the effects of the US blockade on Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz for three to four more months, according to reports citing US intelligence.
New analysis by the CIA has reportedly cast doubt on Donald Trump’s claim that Tehran needs the war to end imminently.
The confidential CIA report was delivered to officials in the Trump administration earlier this week, four people familiar with the document told The Washington Post.
The Independent’s Maira Butt has the full story:
Iran ‘can withstand Trump’s blockade for months and retains 70% of its missiles’
Ceasefire under strain as clashed continued on Friday
09:45 , Amy-Clare MartinSporadic clashes continued on Friday between Iranian forces and U.S. vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported.
The U.S. military said it struck two Iran-linked vessels attempting to enter an Iranian port, with a U.S. fighter jet hitting their smokestacks and forcing them to turn back.
Tehran has largely blocked non-Iranian shipping through the strait since the war began with U.S.-Israeli airstrikes across Iran on 28 February. Before the war, one-fifth of the world's oil supply passed through the narrow waterway. The U.S. imposed a blockade on Iranian vessels last month.
The UAE said its air defences engaged with two ballistic missiles and three drones from Iran on Friday, with three people sustaining moderate injuries. Iran has repeatedly targeted the UAE and other Gulf states that host U.S. military bases.
In what the UAE called a major escalation, Iran stepped up attacks this week in response to Trump's announcement of "Project Freedom" to escort ships in the strait, which he paused after 48 hours.
Trump said on Thursday the ceasefire, announced on 7 April, was still holding despite the flare-ups, while Iran accused the U.S. of breaching it.
"Every time a diplomatic solution is on the table, the U.S. opts for a reckless military adventure," foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday.
The companies getting rich off Trump’s war in Iran as recession fears grow
09:24 , Amy-Clare MartinThe war in Iran has killed thousands of people across the Middle East, driven millions towards poverty and forced up energy prices around the world.
Analysts have warned the consequences could push the world towards a global recession if disruption to the flow of oil continues in the Strait of Hormuz, despite Donald Trump insisting a deal to end the conflict is within reach.
But as consumers bear the brunt of higher energy costs and rising inflation, a handful of outliers are celebrating record profits from surging oil prices, renewed defence spending and frenzied trading patterns.
The Independent‘s James C. Reynolds has reviewed some of the main beneficiaries of the conflict in the Middle East:
The companies getting rich off the Iran war as recession fears mount
US and Iran appear no closer to ending war after another day of Hormuz clashes
09:00 , Adam WithnallThe US and Iran appeared no closer to finding an end to their war on Saturday morning, after a day in which the two sides traded fire in the Gulf despite a tenuous ceasefire.
The Trump administration said it expected a response from Tehran to a US peace proposal on Friday evening, though none has been announced.
Speaking in Rome on Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US was expecting a response the same day, although an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said Tehran was still weighing its response.
Sporadic clashes continued on Friday between Iranian forces and US vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported. The Tasnim news agency later cited an Iranian military source saying the situation had calmed but warning more clashes were possible.
ICYMI: US Navy strikes two oil tankers
07:59 , Josh MarcusSenator slams Trump administration over Iran war 's*** show'
07:30 , Josh Marcus
Arizona U.S. senator and former naval officer Mark Kelly didn’t mince words on Friday when he talked with constituents about the Iran war.
“What I’ve seen so far has been a s*** show,” the Democrat said at an event with veterans.
He accused the U.S. of offering shifting rationales for the conflict and delaying reaching a resolution because the president has few clear paths to a clean victory.
“So this has been a moving target,” Kelly said. “Now it seems the strategic goal is to open the Strait of Hormuz, which was open in February, and what I think the president is trying to figure out is how does he save face? How does he extract himself?”
“We’ve spent $25 billion dollars at least on this and depleted our magazines of critical munitions to a level that, if I told you the numbers that were shot, you would be shocked.”
Iran could withstand blockade for months, analysts say
06:30 , Josh Marcus
The US has premised its Iran strategy on the idea that an ongoing naval blockade will fatally disrupt the country’s oil production and larger economy.
It could be months before that’s the case, according to some analysts.
Iran can use its domestic capacities to find, refine, and consume oil, forestalling the full impacts of the US blockade.
Plus, Gregory Brew of the Eurasia Group recently told NBC News, Tehran has past experience scaling back oil production in responses to sanctions, so the wartime hit to Iran’s energy market isn’t totally novel.
“I don’t think it’s going to do tremendous damage to their infrastructure,” Brew said. “They know how to do this. They’ve done it before.”
Iran ‘can withstand Trump’s blockade for months and retains 70% of its missiles’
Gas prices continue to hover near record highs
05:30 , Josh MarcusGas prices in the U.S. continue to circle record highs amid the ongoing Iran war.
On Friday, the national average price for a gallon of gas was about $4.55, according to AAA.
That’s down about a cent from yesterday’s average, but still well above last week’s average ($4.39), as well as last month’s ($4.16).
Overall, gas prices are as high as they have been in decades, with only the Ukraine war-era 2022 spike in prices topping current levels, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Chinese are eagerly studying US failings in Iran war, defense officials claim
05:00 , Josh MarcusChina is paying close attention to the ongoing U.S.-Iran war, and defense experts warn that the prolonged conflicted is revealing flaws in U.S. defense efforts, putting President Donald Trump on the back foot ahead of his meeting next week in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“The Chinese would be well within their right to say, ‘What do you have left to build deterrence with?’” a former defense official told Politico. “In order for a grand bargain to work, you would have to have the muscle to put behind it. You can’t bluff on this question.”
“Without clear policy, strategy, we’re suffering at the operational level of warfare,” another defense official told the outlet. “The question that they have to answer is whether that’s unique to the current [administration] or a broader issue in American warfare.”
Here’s more on the upcoming summit, courtesy of Arpan Rai.
China may try ‘manoeuvring’ over Taiwan issue during Trump-Xi summit
US uses sanctions to target Iranian weapons supply
04:30 , Josh MarcusThe U.S. on Friday announced a bevy of sanctions aimed at impacting the Iranian weapons supply.
The sanctions target 10 individuals and companies located across the Middle East, Asia and Eastern Europe, the Treasury Department said.
Those sanctioned “are enabling efforts by Iran’s military to secure weapons, as well as raw materials with applications in Iran’s Shahed‑series unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and ballistic missile program,” Treasury wrote.
“While the surviving IRGC leaders are trapped like rats in a sinking ship, the Treasury Department is unrelenting in our Economic Fury campaign,” Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said in a statement. “Under President Trump’s decisive leadership, we will continue to act to Keep America Safe and target foreign individuals and companies providing Iran’s military with weapons for use against U.S. forces.”
Sailor describes being onboard during fatal strike on tanker in Iran war
04:30 , Josh MarcusA crew member on an oil tanker struck in the early stages of the Iran war is sharing his experience.
“There were immense shock waves and a fireball,” an anonymous sailor told The Guardian of his time on the MKD Vyom.
The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker was hit on March 1, though it’s unclear by which party in the conflict.
“The engine room had been destroyed,” the mariner added. “There were metal pipes, insulation covers, tanks, torn apart. A 2cm-thick solid fire door, glass windows – bang, all gone.”
“I thought: ‘I’m alive. I have to get out of here.’”
The attack killed on crew member, Dixit Solanki , 32, an oiler from Mumbai, India.
Iran's internet blackout enters 70th day
03:45 , Josh MarcusMost citizens of Iran have been cut off from the internet for 70 days, according to monitoring group NetBlocks.
The digital shutoff has made it difficult for residents to contact family abroad and stay abreast of news about the ongoing war.
Some Iranians have managed to retain connectivity through satellite internet service or VPNs, and others have paid fees to access a restricted version of the web.
The internet blackout is reportedly the longest for any country in world history.
In pictures: Families get by at camp for displaced persons in Lebanon
03:00 , James Reynolds
Iranian lawmaker threatens 'military response' to US blockade
02:15 , Josh MarcusAn Iranian lawmaker is threatening an escalated military response to the ongoing U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, as Washington awaits a response on its latest proposal to end the Iran war.
“From now on, U.S. actions for naval blockade will be met with a military response from Iran,” Ali Khezrian, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security Committee, reportedly told state broadcaster IRIB.
He told the U.S. to send “several escorts” alongside its destroyers so their crews could be extracted once they’re attacked.
Last month, U.S. commandos rescued a downed airman in Iran.
How US commandos rescued airman trapped in Iran in ‘daring’ operation
Trump expecting Iran's response 'supposedly tonight'
01:36 , Josh Marcus
President Donald Trump said Friday evening he’s expecting an imminent response from Iran to proposals to advance peace negotiations.
“We’ll hear from them supposedly tonight," he told reporters outside the White House.
“We’ll find out soon enough,” he added, when asked if he thought Tehran was slow-walking a response.
The U.S. is reportedly proposing a one-month ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as a prelude to negotiations for a larger peace deal.
US Navy strikes two oil tankers attempting to breach Strait of Hormuz blockade
Saturday 9 May 2026 00:45 , Josh MarcusTwo oil tankers were hit by the US Navy after they attempted the violate America’s Strait of Hormuz blockade,
US Central Command (CENTCO) released footage showing strikes on the empty tankers M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda as they attempted to sail into an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman on May 8.
US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) disabled both vessels after firing into their smokestacks.
A third vessel, the Iranian-flagged M/T Hasna, was also disabled on May 6.
US Navy strikes two oil tankers attempting to breach Strait of Hormuz blockade
Iran can outlast US blockade for three to four more months, says CIA
Friday 8 May 2026 23:59 , James ReynoldsIran is able to withstand the effects of the US blockade for three to four more months and retains significant missile stockpiles, according to US intelligence, casting doubt on Donald Trump’s claim that Tehran needs the war to end imminently.
New analysis by the CIA suggests that the Islamic Republic may be more resilient than expected and could withstand the economic pain of the blockade until later this year.
The confidential report was delivered to officials in the Trump administration earlier this week, four people familiar with the document told The Washington Post.
Iran ‘can withstand Trump’s blockade for months and retains 70% of its missiles’
Watch: Israel shares footage of Lebanon bombing campaign
Friday 8 May 2026 23:15 , James ReynoldsRisk of $5 gas ‘can no longer be missed’, JP Morgan warns amid Iran war oil shocks
Friday 8 May 2026 22:30 , Josh MarcusAmericans could soon see gas prices hit $5 a gallon, according to analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
The ongoing war with Iran is no longer just driving up crude oil prices – it is now squeezing global fuel supplies in ways that could increase the cost of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, the analysts warned in a note Friday, according to Bloomberg.
“If refinery runs continue to be constrained by limited supplies of crude, fuel prices, rather than crude prices, may become the ‘primary transmission channel for demand destruction,’” Natasha Kaneva and a team of analysts said in the note.
“In that scenario, crude could plausibly stabilize around $100 [a barrel] even as product cracks widen sharply. The next phase of the shock then may look less like a classic crude spike and more like a refining and end-user fuel crunch.”
“This likely helps explain why US gasoline prices are at [$4.55 a gallon] and why the risk of $5 gasoline can no longer be dismissed,” the analysts added.
Andrea Cavallier reports.
The Iran war's unlikely economic winners: US oil exporters
Friday 8 May 2026 21:45 , Josh MarcusAmericans are feeling the impact of the Iran war through higher prices at the gas pump, but it’s been a different story for U.S. oil exporters.
In late April, the U.S. was exporting more than 1.5 times the amount of oil as it was during the same period last year.
“That week ending April 24 is the first week in modern American history where the U.S. has been a net crude oil exporter,” Brian Prest, economist at Resources for the Future, told USA Today.
For more on the economic dimensions of the war, James C. Reynolds has this report.
The companies getting rich off the Iran war as recession fears mount
Israeli airstrikes kill 5 in southern Lebanon as Hezbollah rockets hit open areas in Israel
Friday 8 May 2026 21:00 , James ReynoldsIsraeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed at least five people Friday, while Hezbollah fired rockets on northern Israel without in inflicting any casualties.
The Health Ministry in Lebanon said that an Israeli airstrike on the southern village of Toura near the port city of Tyre killed four people and wounded eight.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency report another airstrike near the southeastern village of Kfar Chouba, saying it killed a paramedic with the Lebanese Civil Defense.
The strikes came hours after the Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesperson issued an evacuation warning to the residents of six villages in Tyre province, including Toura.
Israeli airstrikes kill 5 in southern Lebanon as Hezbollah rockets hit open areas in Israel
Trump announces brief Ukraine ceasefire as Iran deal eludes him
Friday 8 May 2026 20:28 , Josh Marcus
President Trump appears little closer to reaching a durable deal to end the war with Iran, but the Republican did announce a diplomatic victory all the same on Friday.
This Saturday will mark the beginning of a three-day ceasefire in the Ukraine war, Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“This request was made directly by me, and I very much appreciate its agreement by President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy,” Trump wrote. “Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought War. Talks are continuing on ending this Major Conflict, the biggest since World War II, and we are getting closer and closer every day.”
The U.S. is not at war with Russia, but the Russian campaign in Ukraine nonetheless has its ties to the Iran war.
Russia has made extensive use of low-cost, highly lethal Iranian drones in Ukraine, and Ukraine has used its years of experience fighting off these technologies to advise U.S. forces now facing similar threats.
Russia has also reportedly helped supply intelligence to Iran.
On a more abstract level, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has similarly disrupted global oil markets.
Recap: Trump says ceasefire still in place despite trading Hormuz strikes with Tehran ‘lunatics’
Friday 8 May 2026 20:00 , James ReynoldsTrump shares AI Iran war image and birthday during early morning Truth Social posting spree
Friday 8 May 2026 19:00 , James ReynoldsIn posts made at the crack of dawn Friday, the president defended the war amid the ongoing Strait of Hormuz standoff and touted his planned UFC match 80th birthday celebration on June 14 as the ‘biggest ever’:
Trump goes on 5am Truth Social blitz to brag ‘Lasers: bing, bing, GONE!!!’
President Donald Trump polls Washintgon, D.C. construction workers about Iran possessing nuclear weapons
Friday 8 May 2026 18:45 , Graig GraziosiPresident Donald Trump spent part of his day on Friday asking construction workers on a project updating the reflecting pool near the Lincoln Monument about their thoughts on Iran’s nuclear armament.
“Does anyone think Iran should have a nuclear weapon?” Trump asked the workers. The workers responded with a resounding “no,” shaking their heads.
Read more from reporter Rachel Dobkin below:
Trump polls Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool workers on how he’s doing
Three injured in UAE after ballistic missile, drone interception
Friday 8 May 2026 18:15 , Graig GraziosiThe United Arab Emirates confirmed on Friday that it intercepted two ballistic missiles and a trio of drones launched by Iran, but noted that three people were injured by the debris caused by the interceptions.
The nation’s Ministry of Defense said during the announcement that since the start of U.S. President Donald Trump’s war in Iran, it has had to intercept a total of 551 Iranian ballistic missiles, 29 cruise missiles, and another 2,263 drones.
Comment: Trump’s ‘one-page plan for peace’ looks like a win for Iran
Friday 8 May 2026 18:00 , James ReynoldsThere’s one good reason why America would even suggest a 14-point plan to end hostilities that ignores several of its red lines – not least over nuclear enrichment – and that is next week’s summit with Xi Jinping, says Mary Dejevsky:
Trump’s ‘one-page plan for peace’ looks like a win for Iran
Iranian news agency: 'limited exchange of fire' with US forces near Strait of Hormuz
Friday 8 May 2026 17:26 , Graig GraziosiOn Friday, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that there had been “reports of a limited exchange of fire with U.S. forces around the Strait of Hormuz.”
“Sounds of gunfire have reportedly been heard in areas near the Strait for approximately the past two hours,” the report said.
The report came just hours after U.S. forces intercepted a pair of Iranian-flagged oil tankers attempting to run the blockade, according to U.S. CentComm.
Despite the fighting, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said Tehran and Washington were still observing a “nominal ceasefire situation.”
The companies getting rich off Trump’s war in Iran as recession fears grow
Friday 8 May 2026 17:00 , James ReynoldsEven as Donald Trump insists a deal to end the conflict is within reach, analysts warn the consequences could push the world towards a global recession if disruption to the flow of oil continues in the Strait of Hormuz.
But as consumers bear the brunt of higher energy costs and rising inflation caused by the war, a handful of outliers are celebrating record profits from surging oil prices, renewed defence spending and frenzied trading patterns.
The Independent reviews some of the main beneficiaries of the conflict in the Middle East.
The companies getting rich off the Iran war as recession fears mount
Watch: Iranian troops 'seize oil tanker in Gulf of Oman'
Friday 8 May 2026 16:29 , James ReynoldsVance meeting with Qatari PM to discuss Iran talks: report
Friday 8 May 2026 16:14 , James ReynoldsJD Vance is now in a meeting with the prime minister of Qatar to discuss the negotiations with Iran, Axios reported on Friday.
US military disabled three Iranian oil-tankers trying to enter Iranian ports
Friday 8 May 2026 16:00 , James ReynoldsThe US military struck two empty Iranian-flagged oil tankers trying to enter an Iranian port on Friday, US Centcom reported.
Central Command said in a statement that the military enforced its blockade against the tankers as they tried to pull into a port in the Gulf of Oman.
A US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet from the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier disabled both with precision munitions, it said.
Separately, it said US forces had disabled the Iranian-flagged M/T Hasna on Wednesday as it tried to sail to an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman.
An F/A-18 from the USS Abraham Lincoln disabled the tanker’s rudder with its 20mm cannon.
"All three vessels are no longer transiting to Iran," Central Command said.
US ramps up airstrikes and targets tankers near blockade: report
Friday 8 May 2026 14:54 , James ReynoldsThe US military carried out more airstrikes on Friday and hit several empty tankers attempting to break the blockade on Iran, a Fox News reporter said on X.
Iran’s Mehr news agency meanwhile reported explosions heard in Iran’s Sirik, near the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran still weighing its answers: foreign ministry
Friday 8 May 2026 14:53 , James ReynoldsIran is still weighing its answers to the latest US proposals, according to the country’s foreign ministry.
Iran can withstand Trump’s blockade for months and retains 70% of its missiles, says US intelligence
Friday 8 May 2026 14:21 , Maira ButtIran is able to withstand the effects of the US blockade for three to four more months and retains significant missile stockpiles, according to US intelligence, casting doubt on Donald Trump’s claim that Tehran needs the war to end imminently.
New analysis by the CIA suggests that the Islamic Republic may be more resilient than expected and could withstand the economic pain of the blockade until later this year.
The confidential report was delivered to officials in the Trump administration earlier this week, four people familiar with the document told The Washington Post.
Iran ‘can withstand Trump’s blockade for months and retains 70% of its missiles’
Rubio says US expects Iranian response to draft agreement today
Friday 8 May 2026 13:52 , Maira ButtSecretary of state Marco Rubio has said that that the US expects a response from Iran to its proposal to end the ongoing conflict on Friday.
“We'll see what the response entails. The hope is it's something that can put us into a serious process of negotiation,” he told reporters in Rome on Friday.
Iran warns off US as clashes escalate again
Friday 8 May 2026 13:28 , James ReynoldsIran’s foreign minister accused the United States of repeatedly undermining diplomatic efforts on Friday with the fragile truce agreement in question as both sides renewed strikes.
Abbas Araghchi wrote in a brief statement that “every time a diplomatic solution is on the table, the U.S. opts for a reckless military adventure”, asking whether it was a “crude pressure tactic” or Donald Trump being “duped...into another quagmire”.
“Whatever the causes, the outcome is the same: Iranians never bow to pressure and diplomacy is always the victim,” he continued, reaffirming Iran’s readiness for a reopened conflict and claiming Tehran’s missile inventory is 120% of what it was at the start of the war.
US still waiting on Iranian response: Rubio
Friday 8 May 2026 13:17 , James ReynoldsUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that Washington is still waiting on an Iranian response to its latest proposal to end the war.
He says the US is expecting a response today that could pave the way for serious talks.
10 injured, 5 missing after 'US attack on Iranian ship'
Friday 8 May 2026 13:15 , James ReynoldsTen crew members were injured in an alleged US Navy attack on an Iranian commercial vessel on Thursday, Iranian state media is reporting.
A local official tells the Mehr news agency they are still searching for five people missing after the ship was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz late on Thursday.
US blockade still turning away 'dozens' of ships from Iranian ports: Centcom
Friday 8 May 2026 13:15 , James ReynoldsCentcom said that more than 70 tankers were being prevented from entering or leaving Iranian ports on Friday.
"These commercial ships have the capacity to transport over 166 million barrels of Iranian oil worth an estimated $13 billion-plus," the US Central Command said in a post on X.
Recap: Ceasefire on brink as Tehran launches fresh strikes on UAE
Friday 8 May 2026 13:00 , James ReynoldsA fragile ceasefire is on the brink after Iran launched new missile and drone attacks on the United Arab Emirates, a key US ally.
The country’s defence ministry said on Friday that it was “dealing with missile and drone attacks originating from Iran” and that its systems were intercepting “ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones”. No injuries have so far been reported.
However, president Donald Trump has insisted that the agreement with Iran was still holding after three US destroyers came under attack from missiles, drones and small boats in the Strait of Hormuz.
Though none of the vessels were hit, Washington launched retaliatory strikes on what it described as Iranian military sites, including launch positions and command centres.
Trump called Iranian leadership “lunatic”, warning Tehran that Washington will “knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently, in the future, if they don’t get their Deal signed, FAST!”
Iran, however, said the clashes were an “exchange of fire” after the US allegedly targeted vessels near the strait and claimed its forces had inflicted “significant damage” on American ships.
Thursday’s attacks happened as Iran was reviewing a US plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end hostilities, according to multiple reports.
MAGA Iran hawk says US proposal to end war would be ‘disastrous’
Friday 8 May 2026 12:30 , James ReynoldsConservative US radio host Mark Levin showed signs of a fracture in Donald Trump’s Maga base on Wednesday as he aired his concerns about a reported US proposal to end the war.
Levin said he believed the Axios report on a 14-point deal to halt Iranian enrichment, lift sanctions and end the war had to be “largely fake” in comments on social media.
“If the Axios report is close to accurate, the Iranian regime will survive, the Iranian people will face even more extensive brutality, and the Israeli government could fall in the October election. A disastrous result,” he said.
The Independent reviewed how the latest peace proposal stands up to past offers - and what the US may have to give up to end the war.
How Trump’s ‘one page memo’ takes us back to square one in Iran
EU bought record amount of gas from Russian project as Iran war bit
Friday 8 May 2026 12:41 , James ReynoldsThe European Union bought a record amount of gas from Russia's largest natural gas project in the first four months of the year as the Iran war pushes Europe back towards the fuel it has been trying to phase out.
The EU received 91 cargoes from Russia's Yamal LNG project between January and April, totalling 6.69 million tonnes – the highest volume for that period since the project was launched in December 2017, according to new analysis of shipping data published on Thursday by environmental group Urgewald.
The bloc paid an estimated €3.88bn (£3.25bn) for the gas over the four months, based on benchmark market prices.
EU purchases from Russia’s largest natural gas field hit record £3bn
Three injured in UAE following ballistic missile strikes
Friday 8 May 2026 12:13 , James ReynoldsThe UAE says its air defences engaged with 2 ballistic missiles and 3 drones from Iran on Friday, causing three injuries.
