Trump says ceasefire still in place despite trading Hormuz strikes with Tehran ‘lunatics’Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Read more
Donald Trump says he is still expecting a reply from Iran regarding a US peace proposal, though as of late on Friday 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.
US and Iran appear no closer to ending war after another day of Hormuz clashes
The 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.
Adam Withnall9 May 2026 09:00
ICYMI: US Navy strikes two oil tankersUS Navy bombs tanker attempting to breach Strait of Hormuz blockade
Josh Marcus9 May 2026 07:59
Senator slams Trump administration over Iran war ‘s*** show’
(Getty)
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.”
Josh Marcus9 May 2026 07:30
Iran could withstand blockade for months, analysts say
(AFP/Getty)
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.”
Josh Marcus9 May 2026 06:30
Gas prices continue to hover near record highs
Gas 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.
(U.S. Energy Information Administration)
Josh Marcus9 May 2026 05:30
Chinese are eagerly studying US failings in Iran war, defense officials claim
China 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.
Josh Marcus9 May 2026 05:00
US uses sanctions to target Iranian weapons supply
The 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.”
Josh Marcus9 May 2026 04:30
Sailor describes being onboard during fatal strike on tanker in Iran war
A 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.
Josh Marcus9 May 2026 04:30
Iran’s internet blackout enters 70th day
Most 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.
Josh Marcus9 May 2026 03:45
In pictures: Families get by at camp for displaced persons in Lebanon
A member of the Red Cross provides learning activities to children inside a tent at Camille Chamoun Sports City stadium turned into a temporary shelter in Beirut, Lebanon, May 8 (Reuters)
A child sits on a chair near a tent inside the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, turned into a temporary shelter in Beirut, Lebanon, May 8 (Reuters)
People stand outside Camille Chamoun Sports City stadium (Reuters)
James Reynolds9 May 2026 03:00