The United States and Iran exchanged military strikes in and around the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, testing the limits of a ceasefire announced roughly a month ago, as Washington awaited Tehran's response to a formal proposal that could pave the way for negotiations to end a conflict that has reshaped global energy markets since it began in late February.
US Central Command confirmed that American forces fired precision munitions into the smokestacks of two Iranian-flagged oil tankers attempting to enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman in violation of the US naval blockade, disabling the vessels and releasing Pentagon footage of the strikes. Iran's semi-official news agencies reported that a US Navy attack on an Iranian commercial ship overnight left one crew member dead, ten wounded, and four missing. US forces also said they had destroyed incoming Iranian missiles, drones, and small boats that targeted three American warships in what Central Command described as an unprovoked attack, striking Iranian land-based positions in retaliation. The United Arab Emirates separately said its air defences engaged two ballistic missiles and three drones fired by Iran on Friday, with three people sustaining moderate injuries — part of a pattern of Iranian strikes on Gulf states hosting US military bases that has intensified since President Donald Trump briefly launched, then paused, "Project Freedom," a naval mission to escort stranded tankers through the strait.
The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and the Omani peninsula of Musandam that connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, is one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints. Before the war began with joint US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran on 28 February, it carried roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies. Its effective closure has already pushed fuel prices sharply higher worldwide and raised fears of a global recession. Iran has been blocking non-Iranian shipping through the strait since the conflict began; the US responded last month by imposing a blockade on Iranian-linked vessels. A CIA assessment, first reported by The Washington Post, concluded that Iran could withstand the economic pressure of this blockade for approximately four more months — a finding that suggests Washington's leverage over Tehran remains constrained.
Diplomacy, meanwhile, continued in fits and starts. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking in Rome after meeting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, said the US was expecting Iran's response to an interim ceasefire proposal — brokered via Pakistani mediation — that would formally end hostilities for at least 60 days and open the door to talks on deeper issues including Iran's nuclear programme. Trump said at the White House on Friday evening that he expected to receive a letter from Iran that night. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Washington of undermining its own diplomatic efforts, writing on X that "every time a diplomatic solution is on the table, the US opts for a reckless military adventure." He also claimed Iran had not only replenished its ballistic missile stocks during the ceasefire period but expanded them. US Vice-President JD Vance met Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Washington to discuss the Pakistani-led mediation, while the US announced plans to host Israel-Lebanon talks on 14 and 15 May aimed at stabilising a separate front where Iranian-backed Hezbollah and Israeli forces have continued to exchange fire.
Analysts and officials close to the talks describe an increasingly complex picture. Reporting by The Atlantic, citing five Trump advisers and external consultants, indicated that Trump has grown weary of a conflict he expected to resolve in days or weeks and is eager to reach any deal he can present as a victory before US midterm elections and his planned visit to Beijing next week. Iranian decision-makers, however, appear divided, with some officials publicly rejecting concessions and others reportedly calculating that a prolonged stalemate could yield better terms as US domestic political pressure grows. Regional diplomats warn that Iran risks overplaying its hand: a deal is possible now, but a full resumption of fighting could leave Tehran under crippling sanctions with nothing to show for the standoff. The US Treasury on Friday announced fresh sanctions targeting ten individuals and companies, including several based in China and Hong Kong, accused of helping Iran's military acquire components for its Shahed drone programme — a pointed signal delivered just days before Trump's Beijing summit.