US Central Command Refutes Iranian Claims of Missile Strike on Warship
The US Central Command (Centcom) has dismissed reports from Iranian media alleging that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps struck a US warship with two missiles while attempting to pass through the strait of Hormuz.
Centcom stated that the "truth" is that "no US Navy ships have been struck" and that US forces continue to enforce the naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Additionally, Centcom announced support for an operation, revealed over the weekend, to "guide" stranded ships out of the strait of Hormuz, deploying 15,000 personnel and over 100 aircraft to assist.
Iran has rejected this initiative, warning that "any foreign military force, especially the invading American army," will be attacked if it attempts to approach or enter the strait.
Hezbollah reported clashes with Israeli soldiers on Monday in southern Lebanon near the border, where its forces remain active despite a ceasefire since 17 April.
In a statement, Hezbollah said that after Israeli troops attempted to advance near the town of Deir Seryan—within the Israeli-declared "yellow line" where Lebanese residents have been advised not to return—its fighters "opened fire on the enemy force and engaged in heavy clashes with them."
South Korea Reports Explosion and Fire on Vessel in Strait of Hormuz
Seoul confirmed on Monday that a South Korea-operated ship suffered an explosion and fire in the strait of Hormuz, a critical Middle Eastern waterway effectively blocked following US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
The foreign ministry stated that at approximately 8:40 pm Korean time, "an explosion and fire occurred on a vessel operated by a South Korean shipping company... anchored in waters near the United Arab Emirates inside the strait of Hormuz."
There have been "no casualties to date" among the 24 crew members aboard, including six South Koreans and 18 foreign nationals, the ministry added.
"The cause of the explosion and fire, as well as the specific extent of the damage, are currently being investigated," the ministry said.
The vessel involved, the HMM Namu, is a cargo ship nearly 180 metres (590 feet) long, sailing under the flag of Panama, according to tracking data from MarineTraffic.
US Secretary of State and Treasury Secretary Engage in Diplomatic Efforts
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to travel to Rome and the Vatican from 6 to 8 May, according to a department spokesperson.
The trip aims to advance "bilateral relations" and align on global challenges. Rubio will meet with Italian government officials and Holy See leadership to discuss Middle East developments and shared security interests.
Meanwhile, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke to Fox News as Centcom announced that two US-flagged merchant vessels have "successfully transited" through the strait of Hormuz. Key points from the interview include:
- Gas prices are impacting Americans but are expected to decline rapidly once the war ends, Bessent stated.
- He urged China, a major trading partner of Iran, to join the US in supporting the reopening of the strait of Hormuz.
- Bessent noted that US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping have discussed Iran during their phone calls.
- He asserted that the US maintains absolute control of the strait due to its naval blockade of Iranian ports.
South Korea-Operated Vessel Suffers Fire and Explosion in Strait of Hormuz
South Korea’s foreign ministry confirmed to that the HMM Namu, operated by South Korean shipping company HMM, experienced an explosion and fire inside the strait of Hormuz at 20:40 Korean time.
The Panama-flagged ship carried six South Korean and 18 foreign crew members. No casualties have been reported. The cause remains under investigation.
The UAE diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash condemned the targeting of a tanker affiliated with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) as it transited the strait of Hormuz.
He wrote on X:
"The Iranian aggression continues unabated, with acts of maritime piracy targeting a national tanker affiliated with Adnoc as it transited the strait of Hormuz."
"The UAE’s stance remains steadfast in rejecting aggression and upholding freedom of navigation in this vital international passage. These attacks underscore that the Iranian threat to the security and stability of the region persists and cannot be ignored."
Executions in Iran Amid Political Protests and War Context
Iran has executed three men charged in connection with political protests in January, authorities announced, marking the latest in a series of hangings amid the ongoing war against the US and Israel.
Executions have been occurring nearly daily in recent weeks, which activists condemn as attempts to instill fear during a period of international and domestic tension.
Mehdi Rassouli, Mohammad Reza Miri, and Ebrahim Dolatabadi, all regarded as political prisoners by human rights organizations, were executed after convictions related to the protests, according to the judiciary’s Mizan news agency on Monday.
The timing and location of the executions were not specified. However, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) reported that Rassouli, 25, and Miri, 21, were hanged at dawn Sunday at Vakilabad prison in Mashhad.
The protests began in December, initially driven by economic grievances but escalating into nationwide demonstrations against the Islamic regime, peaking on the nights of 8 and 9 January.
Rights groups estimate thousands were killed during a security forces crackdown, while authorities blame "rioters" allegedly supported by the US and Israel.
Mizan stated that Rassouli and Miri were responsible for the death of a security force member and described Dolatabadi as one of the "instigators" of unrest in Mashhad.
US-Flagged Merchant Vessels Transit Strait Amid Naval Operations
Two US-flagged merchant vessels have passed through the strait of Hormuz while US Navy guided-missile destroyers operate in the Gulf, Centcom said on Monday.
"American forces are actively assisting efforts to restore transit for commercial shipping," the statement added.
Hezbollah Leader Condemns Israeli Operations in Lebanon
Hezbollah’s leader condemned Israeli military actions in Lebanon amid a fragile ceasefire, reiterating the group’s rejection of direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.
Despite the ceasefire agreed on 17 April to halt over six weeks of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, both sides accuse each other of violations, according to AFP.
In southern Lebanon near the Israeli border, the Israeli army has demolished buildings and prevented residents of numerous towns from returning.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem stated in a written message broadcast by al-Manar TV, affiliated with the Iran-backed group:
"There is no ceasefire in Lebanon, but a continuous Israeli-American aggression."
He added,
"Lebanon is the victim of aggression, and it is Lebanon that needs guarantees for its security and sovereignty" from Israel.
UAE Condemns Iranian Drone Attack on Adnoc Oil Tanker
The UAE strongly condemned an Iranian drone attack on the MV Barakah, an Adnoc oil tanker, in the blockaded strait of Hormuz as the US prepared to guide ships through the waterway.
Two drones struck the vessel off the coast of Oman, but no injuries were reported, Adnoc stated. The ship was not carrying cargo at the time.
The UAE foreign ministry said:
"Targeting commercial shipping and using the strait of Hormuz as a tool of economic coercion or blackmail represents acts of piracy by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps."
More than 850 ships are estimated to be trapped in the Gulf since the US and Israel launched their attack on Iran on 28 February. Iran imposed a blockade on foreign shipping through the strait soon after, and the US imposed a counter-blockade on ships using Iranian ports on 13 April.
A Pakistani-brokered ceasefire announced recently halted hostilities but failed to reopen the strait.
Approximately 20,000 sailors remain stranded on tankers, bulk carriers, container ships, and other vessels, raising concerns about their welfare. US President Joe Biden stated that the US has been approached by countries seeking assistance.
Iran’s military-backed Fars news agency quoted a senior official as saying a return to full conflict is "likely," weeks after the ceasefire was brokered. Pakistani efforts to revive peace talks in Islamabad have so far failed, with each side setting preconditions the other refuses to meet.
Summary of Recent Developments in US-Israeli Conflict with Iran
US Central Command denied Iranian claims that a US warship attempting to pass through the strait of Hormuz was struck by missiles.
Centcom confirmed no US Navy ships have been hit and that US forces continue enforcing the naval blockade on Iranian ports.
The denial followed unverified Iranian media reports that missiles hit a US warship near Jask island after it ignored Iranian warnings.
Fars news agency reported the ship was struck while violating "traffic and shipping security" in the strait.
The US has launched an operation to "guide" ships trapped in the Gulf through a southern route of the strait, although Tehran insists any transit must be coordinated with its armed forces.
Iran earlier warned that any foreign military force attempting to enter the strait would be attacked.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said officials are reviewing a US counter-proposal to end the US-Israeli conflict. He suggested the US must reduce its "excessive" demands for progress in peace talks, which have stalled.
French President Emmanuel Macron stated on Monday that reopening the strait requires "a coordinated reopening by the United States and Iran."
Axios global affairs correspondent Barak Ravid posted on X that a senior US official denies the American ship was hit by Iranian missiles.
Report of Two Missiles Hitting US Warship in Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Fars news agency reported that a US warship attempting to pass through the strait of Hormuz was turned back after ignoring a warning from Iran’s navy, citing "news sources in the south."
The report, not independently verified, claimed two missiles hit a US Navy frigate in what Iran considered a violation of "traffic and shipping security" near Jask island.
Iran’s military warned the US Navy to stay out of the strait after the US announced it would "help free up" ships stuck in the waterway starting today.
US President Joe Biden described the operation as a "humanitarian gesture," noting many vessels are low on food. Tehran, however, said it would view the move as a breach of the ceasefire.
Iran imposed a blockade on foreign shipping through the strait soon after the conflict began with a US-Israeli attack on 28 February that killed the country’s former supreme leader. The US imposed a counter-blockade on 13 April.
’s diplomatic editor, Patrick Wintour, published analysis on whether Iran’s worsening economic crisis—characterized by soaring prices, high unemployment, inflation, currency devaluation, and supply chain disruptions—could weaken its negotiating position with the US.
Iran’s economy was already weakened by years of US and international sanctions, but the US-Israeli conflict has exacerbated conditions.
Wintour’s analysis includes:
"Trump made his prediction that Iran would choke on the basis that the country would soon run out of oil storage space because of the US naval blockade. On 26 April, he predicted that Iranian wells would ‘explode’ in a ‘very powerful’ destructive process starting in three days.
Behind this prediction was a belief that the US naval blockade launched on 13 April would prevent Tehran’s tankers from reaching the strait of Hormuz, depriving the Iranian regime of at least $175m (£129m) a day in oil export revenue.
Once the oil was stuck inside the country, Iran would soon run out of storage, forcing it to close the taps. Such a closure would irreparably damage the wells.
Although it is true Iran is now producing more oil than it can export, it appears for the moment enough tankers are making it through the US naval blockade, while remedial steps such as flaring means storage space has not run out. Independent estimates, including from the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, suggest that Iran has up to three weeks of free useable storage capacity."
Iran Confirms US Counterproposal to End Conflict is Under Review
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei addressed journalists in a briefing, confirming officials are reviewing a US counterproposal to end the US-Israeli conflict with Iran.
"The US message was received through Pakistan, and I will not discuss the details of the issues raised at this time because these issues are still under review," Baghaei said. It is unclear what terms the US demanded Iran accept in its counterproposal.
"The issues raised about enrichment or nuclear materials are purely speculative and, at this stage, we are not talking about anything other than stopping the war completely, and the direction we will take in the future will be determined in the future."
Iran Urges US to Abandon 'Excessive Demands' in Negotiations
Baghaei suggested that the US must reduce its "excessive" demands for negotiations to end the conflict.
"At this stage, our priority is to end the war," he said in a briefing broadcast by state television. "The other side must commit to a reasonable approach and abandon its excessive demands regarding [issues]."
Iran reportedly received a US response to its latest peace proposal, which focused on an initial agreement to open the strait of Hormuz, US withdrawal from near Iran’s borders, compensation for the US attack on Iran, and an end to Israel’s war on Lebanon.
US President Joe Biden claimed on Sunday that US representatives were engaged in "very positive" discussions with Iran but reportedly told Israel’s Kan News the same day that the Iranian proposal was unacceptable to him.
The US has repeatedly stated it will not end the conflict without an agreement preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Tehran insists its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only and denies intentions to develop weapons.
It is possible an agreement to reopen the strait of Hormuz could be reached before nuclear program discussions occur, but speculation grows about potential US airstrikes aimed at accelerating concessions.
The internet blackout in Iran has entered its 66th day, according to monitoring group NetBlocks.
"It’s now the 66th consecutive day of Iran’s internet blackout with the censorship measure surpassing 1560 hours.
Despite the distribution of some international access via pro-regime channels, metrics confirm that there is still no restoration of service to the general public.
Certain journalists, businesses and politicians are allowed access to the internet. But the vast majority of Iranians have been completely cut off. There was an internet blackout during nationwide protests, which helped obscure events."
