Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi

EA-The Focus Special: The World That Donald Trump Damaged

UPDATES: US-Israel Wars, Day 72 — US and Iran Exchange Fire in Strait of Hormuz

UPDATE, MAY 13:

Indicating another day of attacks across southern Lebanon despite a nominal ceasefire, the Israel Defense Forces issued evacuation warnings for seven villages this morning.

The IDF ordered residents of Maashouq, Jarjouaa, Yanouh, Burj al-Shamali, Hallousiyyeh al-Faouqa, Debaal, and Aabbasiyyeh to evacuate at least a kilometer away.

It said Hezbollah fired several rockets at Israeli troops and launched a drone that was intercepted. There were no injuries.

UPDATE 1456 GMT:

At least three people have been killed and four wounded by a series of Israeli airstrikes on the town of Jebchit in southern Lebanon.

Two civil defense members were killed and another wounded by an Israeli strike on the town of Nabatieh. They were attacked while carrying out a rescue mission after an earlier assault.

Lebanon’s Health Minister Rakan Nassereldine has posted a video summarizing the Israeli attacks on medical workers:

Protecting the health sector is not an option, but a duty imposed by international law. Silence in the face of targeting life is complicity in the crime. Stop the aggression now.

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UPDATE 1437 GMT:

Bahrain has condemned three people to life imprisonment on charges of collaborating with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

More than 20 others were sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. One woman, accused of collaboration for “carrying out hostile terrorist acts”, was sentenced to life behind bars.

Other defendants were convicted of supporting Iran, filming in prohibited locations, and disseminating banned statements.

UPDATE 1429 GMT:

Pentagon Comptroller Jules Hurst has told a Congressional hearing that the war on Iran has cost the US $29 billion so far, an increase of $4 billion from his estimate in late April.

Hurst said the cost includes updated repair and replacement of equipment and operational costs.

Many analysts, critics, and Democratic legislators say the true cost of the US operations is far higher.

UPDATE 1421 GMT:

In a joint statement, 112 fellow Nobel laureates have called for the immediate and unconditional release of Narges Mohammadi, human rights activist and political prisoner, after she was transferred to hospital following a heart attack (See May 10, 2045 GMT).

The laureates urged the Iranian authorities and the international community to act “without delay” for a freed Mohammadi to have continued access to medical treatment.

“Medical experts warn that her life may be at imminent risk,” the signatories explained, adding that she had been denied specialized medical care for months while imprisoned.

UPDATE 0933 GMT:

The UAE’s main gas-processing complex, one of the world’s largest, will not return to full capacity until 2027 after Iran’s retaliatory attacks during the US-Israel War.

ADNOC Gas said the Habshan site in Abu Dhabi is operating at 60%: “The company is currently working towards achieving 80% restoration by the end of 2026 with full capacity restored in 2027.”

During the US-Israel War, production has been halted on at least three occasions after falling debris from intercepted Iranian munitions caused fires.

UPDATE, MAY 12:

Continuing its attacks and expanding its occupation in southern Lebanon despite a nominal ceasefire, the Israeli military has ordered residents of four towns and villages to evacuate immediately “by a distance of at least 1000 meters to open areas” in advance of assaults.

The areas are Arzun, Tayr Debba, al-Bazouriyeh, and al-Hawsh.

Six people were killed and seven injured by an Israeli attack on a house in Kfar Dounine last night. Israeli forces detonated houses in a neighborhood of Bint Jbeil.

A Syrian man was killed and his wife wounded by an Israeli airstrike that targeted a motorcycle in the Hamadieh area in the city of Tyre.

The Lebanon Health Ministry says at least 2,869 people, including many women and children, have been killed by Israel since March 2.

UPDATE 1931 GMT:

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says “armed forces are ready to deliver a well-deserved response to any aggression”.

Earlier, Donald Trump blustered that Iran’s plan to end the US-Israel War is a “stupid proposal” and “a piece of garbage” that he did not finish reading.

Trump said the ceasefire is “on massive life support”, but he also said a deal is “very possible”.

UPDATE 1925 GMT:

Guardian journalists publish a multi-media examination of the scale of Israel’s assault across southern Lebanon.

Step by step, Israel had ordered roughly 14.3% of Lebanon’s territory to be vacated – displacing more than 1.2 million people from their homes. The vast majority of those displaced were from south Lebanon.

More than two months after fighting began, most residents of south Lebanon remain displaced. Many of their homes lie in ruins, destroyed in airstrikes or controlled demolitions. Return is impossible for those from areas under the “yellow line”, an area established by Israel after the 17 April ceasefire along the Lebanon-Israel border comprising more than 50 villages occupied by Israeli soldiers.

The areas under the yellow line comprise about 608 sq km, or approximately 6% of Lebanese territory, which is now under Israeli occupation. Despite the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire, Israel continues to carry out strikes across Lebanon, and Hezbollah has continued to attack Israeli soldiers there.

UN Undersecretary General Tom Fletcher, who is in charge of humanitarian affairs, posted:

UPDATE 1210 GMT:

The Israel Defense Forces says a reservist Master Sergeant was killed in a Hezbollah drone attack in northern Israel on Sunday afternoon.

UPDATE 0822 GMT:

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has said there must be a lasting ceasefire before the country can reach a settlement with Israel.

In an interview with Saudi Arabia’s Al Arabiya, Salam said, “We support peace, but this peace has conditions. This is an issue we will reach at a later stage.”

He described talks in Washington with the Israelis as “preliminary”. In addition to the ceasefire, Lebanon is seeking a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory and the release of Lebanese detainees in Israeli prisons.

“After the Lebanese demands are implemented, we are open to discussing conditions for peace within a broader Arab framework, because this has implications for Arab states,” Salam said.

UPDATE 0814 GMT:

Oil prices have risen more than 3% after Donald Trump’s rejection of Iran’s proposal.

Brent crude surged to $105.45 per barrel before falling back to $104.39. US West Texas Intermediate reached $99.80 before settling at $97.92.

Both contracts fell 6% last week amid hopes for an end to the US-Israel War.

Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser said on Sunday that the world has lost about 1 billion barrels of oil over the past two months due to the war. He said energy markets will need time to stabilize even if flows resume.

UPDATE 0809 GMT:

Iran has executed another detainee.

Erfan Shakurzadeh, an employee of a scientific organization focused on satellites, was accused of spying for the US and Israeli intelligence services.

Alongside China, Iran is the leading executioner in the world on a per capita basis. Hangings have surged during the US-Israel War.

UPDATE 0758 GMT:

The Malta-flagged Agios Fanourios I, loaded with 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude and bound for Vietnam, has sailed through the Strait of Hormuz using the route designated by Iran.

The Agios Fanourios failed to transit the waterway in at least two previous attempts since loading Basrah medium crude on April 17.

Two other oil tankers reportedly exited the Strait with their trackers turned off.

Monitors said the Kiara M also has 2 million barrels of Iraqi crude. Its destination is not clear.

The third VLCC, the Basrah Energy, loaded 2 million barrels of Upper Zakum crude from the Zirku terminal in the UAE on May 1 and exited the Strait on Wednesday.

UPDATE 0755 GMT:

Two people have been killed and five wounded by an Israeli airstrike on the town of Abba in southern Lebanon.

Israel struck the town of Kfar Remman for the second time in less than an hour.

The Israeli military warned residents of nine areas to flee before the strikes.

Hezbollah claimed it targeted an Israeli military position inside a house in the town of Taybeh, forcing troops to retreat as an Israeli helicopter intervened to evacuate the wounded.

UPDATE, MAY 11:

Through Iran State media, officials have criticized Donald Trump’s rejection of their proposal as requiring “Iran’s surrender to [his] greed”.

The officials said Iran’s emphasis on the Strait of Hormuz and a long-term ceasefire in the first stage, rather than the nuclear program, “emphasizes the fundamental rights of the Iranian nation”.

They also cited “the necessity of war reparations by the US and Iran’s sovereignty” over the waterway, with the “need to end sanctions and release the country’s seized funds and assets”.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the US continues to have “unreasonable demands” and Iran’s proposals is “not excessive”:

Whenever we are forced to fight, we will fight, and whenever there is room for diplomacy, we will seize that opportunity.

However, diplomacy has its own rules. The decision will be based on our national interests, and Iran has proven that we are keen on safeguarding our people’s interests.

UPDATE 2104 GMT:

Lebanon’s Public Health Ministry says at least 2,846 people have been killed and 8,693 wounded by Israeli strikes since March 2.

At least 552 deaths and 1,149 injuries have occurred since a ceasefire supposedly began on April 16.

UPDATE 2102 GMT:

Saudi Arabia has condemned strikes on Qatari, Kuwaiti, and Emirati territories.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry called for an “immediate halt to the blatant attacks on the territories and territorial waters of the Gulf states, and to any attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz”.

A cargo ship was struck and set afire off the coast of Qatar. The UAE’s air defenses intercepted two drones launched from Iran, and Kuwait reported “hostile drones” in its airspace.

UPDATE 2045 GMT:

Political prisoner Narges Mohammadi, a human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has been moved to hospital in Tehran after a heart attack.

Mohammadi was granted a suspension of her sentence on heavy bail, said a foundation run by her family.

Mohammadi, 54, who won the ‌Nobel in 2023 while in prison over her campaigns to advance women’s rights and abolish the death penalty. suffered the heart attack two weeks ago.

Her family called for her to be transferred from Zanjan, northwest of Tehran, where she was serving her sentence and taken to hospital, so she could receive better medical care.

Mohammadi, recurrently imprisoned since the mass protests over the disputed 2009 Presidential election, was sentenced in February to a new term of 7 1/2 ​years. She was arrested two months earlier after speaking at the memorial of lawyer Khosrow Alikordi.

The foundation said, “A suspension is not enough. Narges Mohammadi requires permanent, specialized care. We must ensure she never returns to prison.”

UPDATE 2040 GMT:

Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s latest proposal.

Sneering at “so-called ‘Representatives’”, he posted on social media that the proposal is “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!”

An Iranian official responded, “No one in Iran drafts plans to please Trump.” He said the reaction “does not matter at all.”

UPDATE 1432 GMT:

Iranian State media says Tehran has responded to the US counter-proposal, delivering the message to Pakistani interlocutors.

The response focuses on “ending the war and maritime security”. That corresponds with Iran’s initial 14-point proposal, which focused on the Strait of Hormuz and a long-term ceasefire in a first stage and only then moved to the Iranian nuclear program.

State broadcaster IRIB said the response “focuses on ending the war imposed by the US and the Zionist regime on all fronts, especially Lebanon”.

UPDATE 1211 GMT:

In a call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Qatar Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani has spoken about efforts “aimed at achieving peace and enhancing security and stability in the region”.

The call follows al-Thani’s meetings in the US with Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff (see Original Entry).

The Prime Minister “stressed that freedom of navigation is a well-established principle that does not accept compromise, and that closing the Strait of Hormuz or using it as a pressure card would only lead to deepening the crisis and exposing the vital interests of the region’s countries to danger.”

He warned of “potential negative repercussions this could have on global energy and food supplies, as well as on the stability of markets and supply chains”.

Qatar has called for an investigation into the strike on one of its ships this morning (see 1037 GMT).

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs considers this attack a flagrant violation of the principle of freedom of navigation and the provisions of international law, and a dangerous and unacceptable escalation that threatens the security and safety of commercial maritime passages and vital supplies in the region.

UPDATE 1037 GMT:

A commercial cargo vessel has been struck by a drone off the coast of Qatar, setting a “limited” fire.

The Qatari Defense Ministry of Defense said the ship, coming from Abu Dhabi, was struck northeast of the Mesaieed Port. It continued towards the port after the fire was brought under control.

UPDATE 0917 GMT:

At least three people have been killed in attacks by Israeli drones and warplanes in southern Lebanon on Sunday morning.

One person was slain in an Israeli raid on the town of Bedias. Two Syrian nationals were killed by a drone attack on a motorcycle on the main road between Qlailah and Deir Qanoun.

Assaults were also reported in Nabatieh, Deir Qanoun, Ras al-Ain, Qalawiyeh, al-Samaiya, Chaqra, Safad al-Batikh, and Jebchit.

UPDATE 0857 GMT:

A Qatar-based gas carrier has crossed the Strait of Hormuz for the first time during the US-Israel War.

The carrier Al-Kharaitiyat departed from the Qatari port of Ras Laffan and is scheduled to unload its cargo at Port Qasim in Pakistan.

The vessel appeared on Saturday in the Strait of Hormuz at around 4:30 p.m., about 24 nautical miles southeast of Iran’s Qeshm Island, then hid its signal for around 14 hours.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Iran continues to make the Trump camp wait for an answer about an American counter-proposal over the US-Israel War.

The Trump Administration had said it expected Tehran’s response on Friday over issues such as Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s nuclear program, US sanctions, and guarantees against a future war.

But the Iranian Foreign Ministry repeated on Saturday that officials are studying the Trump camp’s reply to Iran’s 14-point proposals. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticized the Administration’s “destructive approach” to the diplomatic process.

Recent escalation by American forces in the Persian Gulf and their repeated violations of the ceasefire have increased suspicions regarding the American side’s intentions and seriousness on the path of diplomacy.

The Revolutionary Guards threatened, a day after US strikes on two Iranian tankers in the Gulf of Oman, “Any attack on Iranian tankers and commercial vessels will result in a heavy attack on one of the American centers in the region and enemy ships.”

On Sunday morning, a bulk carrier caught fire after being hit by an unknown projectile off the coast of Qatar, reported the UK Maritime Trade Operations center. The blaze was soon extinguished.

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani met Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Donald Trump’s envoy, real estate developer Steve Witkoff, in Miami, Florida on Saturday.

Qatar said in a statement:

His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed, during the meeting, the necessity for all parties to respond to the ongoing mediation efforts in a way that opens the door to addressing the roots of the crisis through peaceful means and dialogue, and leads to reaching a comprehensive agreement that achieves lasting peace in the region.

A “source familiar with the matter” said Qatar has been quietly operating as a go-between while Pakistan is the main channel for messsages between Washington and Tehran.

On Friday, al-Thani met Vice President J.D. Vance in the White House.