Iran plans Strait of Hormuz transit fees; Israeli air strikes target south Lebanon; UAE minister meets IMO chief on maritime security

Day 77: Israel and Lebanon extend ceasefire by 45 days: US

Day 76: World leaders call for security in Strait of Hormuz

Day 75: Trump arrives in Beijing for summit with Xi

Day 74: Iran signals potential 90% Uranium enrichment

Day 73: Trump calls Iranian response 'totally unacceptable'

Day 72: 'As of today, Tehran’s restraint is over': Iran official

Day 71: Iran keeps US waiting on response to peace plan

Day 70: US fires on Iran tankers as talks hang in balance

Day 69: Iran creates agency to control shipping at the Strait of Hormuz

Day 68: Trump threatens 'higher level' bombing of Iran if deal not agreed

Day 67: 'Project Freedom' paused 'for a short period': Trump

Day 66: UAE intercepts 12 ballistic missiles, 3 cruise missiles, 4 drones

UAE and India have signed a sweeping package of agreements during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official visit to Abu Dhabi, witnessed by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The deals span energy, defence, artificial intelligence and maritime cooperation, including strategic oil collaboration between ADNOC and Indian energy giants, a defence partnership framework, and a term sheet to build an 8-Exaflop supercomputing cluster in India through G42 and the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.

The financial firepower behind the agreements is equally striking. Emirates NBD will invest Dh 11.02 billion to acquire a 60% stake in RBL Bank, while Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and International Holding Company (IHC) will each inject Dh 3.67 billion, into India's National Investment and Infrastructure Fund and Sammaan Capital respectively. Combined, the three investment announcements alone total over Dh 18 billion, underscoring the depth and ambition of the two nations' growing strategic partnership.

US President Donald Trump has said the first sentence of Iran’s latest proposal was “unacceptable,” claiming Tehran has reversed its position on its nuclear programme, CNN reported.

He said he would not proceed further with the proposal, arguing that Iran had already agreed to a “no nuclear” stance but was now backtracking.

Trump also criticised what he described as a lack of adequate guarantees from Tehran regarding its commitments.

The US president added that Iran had previously agreed to give up its “nuclear dust” — referring to enriched uranium — but later reversed its position, though he suggested a deal could still be reached eventually.

ADNOC today announced the exchange of two strategic collaboration agreements with Indian partners, reinforcing the strong and expanding UAE‑India energy partnership.

The agreements build on ADNOC’s expanding partnerships with Indian companies across crude, LNG and LPG supply, as well as energy storage opportunities, supporting India’s growing energy demand and long-term economic growth.

Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, said: “India’s scale and growth trajectory make it one of the defining energy markets of our time. As demand accelerates alongside a rapidly expanding population, the strength of the UAE–India energy partnership becomes ever more critical. These agreements reinforce supply security, deepen our strategic ties, and underscore ADNOC’s role as a dependable and reliable partner in powering India’s long-term economic growth.”

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to extend their cessation of hostilities by 45 days to allow more time for diplomatic progress, the US State Department said on Friday. The extension follows two days of talks in Washington involving representatives from both countries, as part of ongoing efforts to prevent renewed escalation along the border. The State Department said political negotiations are set to resume on June 2 and 3, while a separate security dialogue involving military delegations from both sides will begin at the Pentagon on May 29. US officials expressed hope that the parallel tracks would help pave the way towards a more sustainable and lasting peace between Israel and Lebanon.

An Israeli strike on southern Lebanon killed three paramedics from the Hezbollah-linked Islamic Health Committee on Friday, the Lebanese health ministry said.

In a statement, the ministry said an Israeli strike "directly targeted" the Islamic Health Committee's centre in Haruf, south Lebanon, killing three paramedics and critically wounding a fourth.

Israel's military called on residents of several buildings in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre to immediately evacuate ahead of planned strikes in the area on Friday.

"Urgent warning to residents of Lebanon, especially to residents of the city of Tyre... you are located near Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure against which the IDF is preparing to operate," the military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X.

"We urge you to immediately distance yourselves from these buildings and the surrounding structures, and move at least 300 metres away from them," the post said, alongside a map identifying the sites.

Aerospace giant Boeing on Friday confirmed that China had committed to purchasing 200 aircraft, as previously announced by US President Donald Trump during his visit to Beijing.

"We had a very successful trip to China and accomplished our major goal of reopening the China market to orders for Boeing aircraft," the company, whose CEO Kelly Ortberg was part of the US delegation to China, said in a statement.

"This included an initial commitment for 200 aircraft and we expect further commitments will follow after this initial tranche."

US authorities detailed charges against a commander of an Iran-backed Iraqi militia who was allegedly involved in plotting terrorism against Jewish people in Europe, Canada and the United States.

Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al Saadi, 32, is said to have directed and urged others to attack US and Israeli interests, and to kill Americans and Jews, in retaliation for the war against Iran.

He was identified as a senior figure in Kataeb Hezbollah, a US-designated foreign terrorist organisation linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The Islamic Republic has in the past been accused of seeking to orchestrate terrorist incidents, and several have occurred since US-Israeli strikes on Iran began in late February.

According to US court filings, Al-Saadi and unidentified associates planned, coordinated and claimed responsibility for at least 18 terrorist attacks in Europe, and two in Canada.

Three paramedics were killed and another seriously wounded in an airstrike in southern Lebanon, as Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam urged stronger Arab and international backing for Lebanon's diplomatic efforts, warning the country faces its gravest crisis since its founding.

Lebanon's Health Ministry said the strike hit a civil defence centre operated by the Islamic Health Authority in the town of Harouf and completely destroyed the facility.

The ministry accused Israel of violating international humanitarian law through attacks targeting medical and rescue personnel.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a deep lack of trust remains the biggest hurdle in talks aimed at ending tensions with the United States, adding that Tehran would welcome diplomatic support from countries such as China to help ease the crisis.

Araghchi said mixed and contradictory messages from Washington had raised doubts over America’s intentions.

“We are in doubt about their seriousness,” he said, adding that negotiations could progress if the US was prepared for a “fair and balanced deal”.

Earlier this week, Trump dismissed Iran’s latest proposal as “garbage”. While Tehran reportedly offered some nuclear concessions, Trump has insisted that Iran must remove its highly enriched uranium stockpile and abandon any path towards developing nuclear weapons.

Iran has repeatedly maintained that its nuclear programme is intended solely for peaceful purposes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China on May 19 for a two-day visit, hot on the heels of US President Donald Trump's trip to Beijing, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

During the trip, the Russian leader will discuss how to "further strengthen the comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation" between Moscow and Beijing with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, according to a Kremlin statement.

The attacks reportedly hit exposed automatic tank gauge (ATG) systems that were left online without password protection, allowing hackers in some cases to alter fuel level displays, according to CNN. However, officials said actual fuel quantities in storage tanks were not affected.

No physical damage or injuries have been reported, but the incidents have raised concerns over potential risks to critical infrastructure and operational security. US agencies, including CISA and the FBI, have not publicly commented, CNN reported.

Cybersecurity experts noted that Iran-linked groups have previously targeted US energy and water infrastructure. However, attribution in this case remains unconfirmed due to limited forensic evidence.

Palestinian health officials said Israeli forces killed a man on the outskirts of the Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank.

The health ministry in Ramallah identified the victim as 34-year-old Nour Al Din Kamal Hassan Fayyad, saying he was "killed by occupation forces' fire in the Jenin camp".

The Palestinian Red Crescent said its teams in Jenin received a man "with no signs of breathing or pulse from inside Jenin camp after he sustained a live bullet wound to the thigh".

The Israeli army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sri Lanka slapped a 50 percent surcharge on customs duties on vehicles Saturday in a bid to discourage imports and ease currency pressure stemming from the Middle East conflict.

The increase in taxes comes as the local rupee has sharply depreciated since the start of US and Israeli attacks on Iran, which prompted retaliation by Tehran.

"Given the current pressure on foreign exchange, we want people to delay their imports (of vehicles) by three months," Junior Finance Minister Anil Jayantha Fernando told reporters in Colombo.

Vehicle were charged a customs duty of 30 percent but several other taxes make the effective import tax on a car more than 100 percent.

Sri Lanka has increased energy prices by more than a third since the start of the Middle East war and has rationed diesel and petrol in a bid to reduce the import bill.

Official figures show that Sri Lanka's rupee has depreciated by 4.5 percent against the dollar so far this year.

Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe told a parliamentary panel last week that the rupee would continue to slide unless global oil prices fell or Sri Lanka slashed energy imports.

An Israeli airstrike has targeted the town of Beit Siyad in southern Lebanon, according to reports from correspondents on the ground, as attacks continue despite a ceasefire extension.

In a parallel development, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that an Israeli drone was flying at low altitude over several villages, including Zahrani, Bisariyeh, Tuffahta and Babliyeh.

The incidents come amid ongoing tensions in the region as the fragile ceasefire arrangement remains in place.

The Israeli military said it had launched new strikes targeting Hezbollah infrastructure across southern Lebanon on Saturday, the day after the two countries agreed to extend an existing ceasefire.

"The IDF has begun striking Hezbollah infrastructure sites in several areas in southern Lebanon," the military said.

The Gaza Health Ministry said hospitals across the enclave received 13 bodies over the past 24 hours, including one person who died from earlier injuries, along with 57 wounded individuals, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

The ministry added that since the ceasefire began on October 11 last year, the death toll from Israeli attacks has risen to 870, while the number of injured has reached 2,543. During the same period, 771 bodies have also been recovered.

Iraq's oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz plunged to just 10 million barrels in April, the country's new oil minister said Saturday.

A founding member of the OPEC oil cartel, Iraq normally exports the majority of its crude through the crucial waterway, but like other exporters in the oil-rich region, it has been left scrambling for alternative routes after Iran blockaded the strait.

"Iraq previously exported 93 million barrels per month through the Strait of Hormuz, but last April we exported only 10 million barrels due to the war," said Bassem Mohammed Khudair during a handover ceremony to assume his new post.

Iraq's southern oil terminals received in April two oil tankers to load Iraqi oil.

Last month, Baghdad said it had reached "understandings" with the United States and Iran to reduce the impact of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran announced it would allow Iraqi shipping to transit the key waterway.

Iraq previously exported an average of 3.5 million barrels daily, accounting for some 90 percent of its budget revenues.

FIFA secretary-general Mattias Grafström is set to meet officials from the Iranian Football Association in Istanbul to discuss Iran’s status in the upcoming World Cup, according to a person familiar with the talks cited by Reuters.

The meeting is aimed at providing reassurance over Iran’s ability to compete in the tournament, the source said.

The Israeli military on Saturday confirmed that Ezzedine Al Haddad, chief of Hamas' armed wing, was killed in an air strike in Gaza the day before.

"The IDF and the ISA announce that yesterday, in a precise strike in the area of the City of Gaza, the terrorist Ezzedine Al Haddad was eliminated," the military said, referring to itself and the Shin Bet domestic security agency.

Iran has prepared a new mechanism to regulate maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and is expected to announce the plan soon, a senior Iranian lawmaker said.

Ebrahim Azizi, head of Iran’s parliamentary national security and foreign policy committee, said the system would manage ship traffic through a designated route in the strategic waterway.

Azizi said only commercial vessels and countries cooperating with Tehran would be eligible to use the mechanism. He added that Iran plans to charge fees for specialised services provided under the new arrangement.

Israeli warplanes carried out an air raid on the town of Al-Shahabiya in Lebanon’s Tyre district, according to Wafa.

Separate air raids were also reported in the area between the towns of Arnoun and Yahmar al-Shaqif in southern Lebanon.

Iranian state television said on Saturday that European countries had been in talks with Tehran over transit for ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

"Following the passage of ships from East Asian countries notably China, Japan and Pakistan we received information today indicating that Europeans have also begun negotiations with the Revolutionary Guards navy" to get permission to pass, state television reported, without specifying which countries.

Days of protests in Comoros over rising fuel prices, stemming from the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, turned deadly when one person died following overnight clashes with police, officials said.

A youth was apparently fatally shot at dawn when a group "tried to disarm" police officers clearing the streets in Mpage, a town on the island of Anjouan that is part of the Comoros archipelago in the Indian Ocean, according to a local judge speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity.

The prosecutors' office on the island said in a statement that "a tragic event occurred... that led to the death of one person and injuries to five people", without giving further details.

The protests, and a strike by truckers, shopkeepers and fishers, are against a hike in fuel prices announced a week ago by the government, including a 46-percent rise in diesel.

Several small nations dependent on imports of petroleum products are struggling with the extended near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf.

Pakistan's interior minister arrived in Tehran "to facilitate" the peace talks between Iran and the United States that have stalled despite a fragile ceasefire, Iranian media reported.

"Mohsin Naqvi arrived today in the Islamic Republic of Iran on an official two-day visit as part of Pakistan's ongoing efforts to facilitate talks and promote regional peace," the Tasnim news agency reported.

Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni received Naqvi, whose visit to Tehran comes days after that of Pakistan's influential army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir.

UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received a phone call from Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, during which they discussed various aspects of cooperation and joint efforts aimed at strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries.

During the call, President Putin thanked Sheikh Mohamed for the UAE’s continued and successful mediation efforts regarding prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine, underscoring the importance of these efforts and their humanitarian impact.

The two sides also exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues of mutual interest, particularly developments in the Middle East and their serious repercussions for regional and international peace and security, as well as their impact on freedom of international navigation, energy security, and the global economy.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world largest aircraft carrier, returned home to Virginia on Saturday after an 11-month deployment, the longest since the Vietnam War, that saw it support the US war with Iran and the capture of Nicolás Maduro when he was Venezuela's president.

The most advanced US warship and two accompanying destroyers docked at Naval Station Norfolk with about 5,000 sailors waiting to see their families for the first time since June. Besides combat operations and traversing continents, the sailors aboard the carrier faced a noncombat-related fire that left hundreds without places to sleep and forced lengthy repairs on the Greek island of Crete.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was on hand for the arrival of the warships, which included the destroyer USS Bainbridge.

Hegseth commended the crew of the Bainbridge for a "job well done."

"You didn't just accomplish a mission, you made history," Hegseth said on the destroyer's deck. "You made a nation proud."

The Ford's 326 days at sea are the most for an aircraft carrier in the past 50 years and broke the record for the longest post-Vietnam War deployment, according to U.S. Naval Institute News, a news outlet run by the US Naval Institute, a nonprofit organization.

The only longer deployments were the 1973 deployment of USS Midway at 332 days and the 1965 deployment of USS Coral Sea at 329 days.

Lana Nusseibeh, Minister of State, met with Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), to discuss Iran’s ongoing unprovoked terrorist attacks and threats to vessels and seafarers in the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Gulf, as well as the steps required to restore safe and unimpeded maritime navigation while ensuring the security of seafarers.

Nusseibeh expressed her appreciation to the Secretary-General and his team at the IMO for their important role in securing humanitarian access and safe passage for stranded seafarers and support for diplomatic efforts to deescalate tensions and ensure freedom of navigation.

Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Jarwan, President of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace, is participating in an international conference being held in the Japanese capital Tokyo from 14th to 16th May, with the attendance of a distinguished group of leaders, decision-makers and international experts to discuss the most pressing challenges facing the international order amid escalating crises and rapid geopolitical transformations.

The conference opened with a recorded video message from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who welcomed the guests and participants, stressing the importance of international dialogue and joint cooperation in addressing current global challenges.

During the session dedicated to the Middle East, Al Jarwan affirmed that the region is passing through an extremely sensitive phase due to the overlap between political crises and security tensions, stressing that the blatant Iranian attacks on Gulf states represent a clear violation of the principles of sovereignty and good neighbourliness, and require a unified international position based on deterrence and respect for international law to preserve the security and stability of countries and the region.

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