Day 70 | US military strikes sites in Iran as countries exchange fire

Iran said on Friday it redirected a US-sanctioned oil tanker carrying Iranian oil back to its shores, though it was unclear from its statement why it would have returned it.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran's navy, through a specially planned operation in the Sea of Oman, seized the offending tanker Ocean Koi," the army said in a statement carried by state television, adding that the oil belonged to the "Islamic republic".

It said the ship was redirected to Iran's southern shores after it sought "to damage and disrupt Iran's oil exports," without elaborating.

The ‘Israeli’ military said Friday morning that three soldiers were injured, including one seriously, by Hezbollah drone attacks today.

One drone exploded inside ‘Israel’ close to the border injuring one moderately, and the other seriously.

Another soldier was moderately injured when several drones exploded near ‘Israeli’ soldiers in southern Lebanon, according to the statement.

Iran’s state television reported Friday that the Iranian navy seized the oil tanker “Ocean Koi” in the Gulf of Oman.

According to the report, “special forces from the army carried out the operation based on a judicial order.”

The tanker was then escorted to Iran’s southern coast, it added.

Iraq’s Oil Ministry denied US accusations that Deputy Oil Minister Ali Maarij al-Bahadli helped Iran evade sanctions, as Washington ramps up pressure on Baghdad to disarm factions linked to Tehran.

The US State Department announced Thursday sanctions on Iraqi Deputy Oil Minister Ali Maarij al-Bahadli, saying he had “abused his government position to divert Iraqi oil in support of the Iranian regime and its terrorist proxies.”

Washington also accused him of fraud by mixing Iranian oil with Iraqi oil as part of a scheme to help the Islamic Republic bypass sanctions.

In response, Iraq’s Oil Ministry rejected the allegations against al-Bahadli on Thursday, stressing “the importance of transparency and responsibility in handling all issues and accusations based on evidence and facts,” according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).

The ministry said it was ready to investigate the matter, but noted that “the export, marketing, tanker loading, and related procedures of crude oil” do not fall within al-Bahadli’s responsibilities.

Last year, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on entities run by an Iraqi businessman over similar accusations.

At the time, Iraq’s State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO) denied any oil-mixing operations in the country’s ports or territorial waters in favor of Iran, whose oil exports are under US sanctions.

While Iran maintains close ties with major Iraqi parties, Washington has intensified pressure on Baghdad to move toward disarming Tehran-backed factions, which the United States classifies as terrorist groups.

Since the launch of the US-‘Israeli’ war on Iran on February 28, these groups have carried out more than 600 attacks on US facilities and interests in Iraq.

Images released by Iranian media showing what it says is the “forceful response to the ceasefire violation” by the United States, after the two traded limited strikes overnight.

The ‘Israeli’ police arrested three soldiers and a civilian in March on suspicion of spying for Iranian intelligence “while they were minors,” Hebrew media reported on Friday.

The four maintained long-term contacts with Iranian intelligence operatives, during which they photographed various sites across ‘Israel’, including the ‘Israeli’ Air Force school, according to initial suspicions.

Some of the soldiers were studying at the school itself, the report by YNET added.

Iranian intelligence also directed them to carry out missions related to ‘Israeli’ security and vandalism.

They were arrested in March, and the prosecution filed indictments against them on Friday.

An ‘Israeli’ strike on south Lebanon killed a member of Lebanon's civil defence, the rescue organisation said Friday, a day after another strike killed a rescuer from the Islamic Health Committee.

In a statement, the civil defence said their rescuer was killed "as a result of an Israeli strike that targeted him" on the road between two southern towns, despite the truce in effect.

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday it had "verified 152 attacks on healthcare that resulted in 103 deaths and 241 injuries" in Lebanon since the war began on March 2.

Oil prices, which fell around 10 percent over the past three days, rose more than one percent on Friday as US-Iran clashes in the Strait of Hormuz jolted hopes that the conflict will end soon.

At around 0230 GMT, the benchmark US oil contract West Texas Intermediate (WTI) climbed 1.2 percent to $95.93 per barrel. International oil benchmark Brent North Sea crude rose 1.5 percent to $101.56.

Equity markets retreated, with Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sydney, Shanghai, Singapore, Wellington, Taipei, Manila and Jakarta also down.

Russia and China are expected to veto a Gulf-backed UN Security Council resolution focused on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, according to diplomatic sources.

The draft, backed by the US, Bahrain, and Gulf Cooperation Council states, reportedly faces opposition from Moscow and Beijing over language that could pave the way for sanctions on Iran and for not explicitly blaming the US and 'Israel' for triggering the conflict.

The United Arab Emirates said Friday its air defences engaged missiles and drones coming from Iran, hours after the United States and the Islamic republic traded fire and strained a fragile truce.

"UAE air defences are currently engaging missile and drone attacks originating from Iran," the defence ministry said on X, adding that interception sounds were heard "across various parts of the country".

US President Donald Trump dismissed Iran's attacks on three American warships Thursday as "a trifle," saying he considered the ceasefire still active.

Asked during a visit to see renovations of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool if the Iran ceasefire was still on despite the attacks, Trump said: "Yeah it is. They trifled with us today. We blew them away. They trifled. I call that a trifle."

ABC News, citing US President Donald Trump, reports that he said the ceasefire with Iran remains in place and described the US response to recent Iranian attacks as only a “light strike.”

Iran’s Mehr News Agency reports a new explosion was heard in the city of Sirik in Hormozgan province in southern Iran, according to local reporting.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy claims it targeted three US Navy destroyers using ballistic missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles, and explosive drones, in what it described as a coordinated maritime strike operation. 

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American naval forces intercepted what it described as “unprovoked” Iranian attacks while three US Navy guided-missile destroyers were transiting the Strait of Hormuz toward the Gulf of Oman on May 7.

According to CENTCOM, Iranian forces launched multiple missiles, drones, and deployed small boats during the transit involving USS Truxtun (DDG 103), USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), and USS Mason (DDG 87). The statement said no US vessels were struck during the incident.

CENTCOM added that US forces responded with self-defense measures, intercepting inbound threats and carrying out strikes on Iranian military assets allegedly involved in the operation. These targets reportedly included missile and drone launch sites, command and control facilities, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance nodes.

The command emphasized that it does not seek escalation but remains fully prepared to defend US forces and maintain freedom of navigation in the region’s strategic waterways.

Iran’s Mehr News Agency reports a joint 'Israeli' and US attack targeting a naval base in the southern city of Minab.

Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, citing sources, reports that 3 US destroyers were targeted by missiles and drones launched by the Iranian navy near the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating regional tensions.

The spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said Iranian armed forces launched attacks on US military vessels near the Strait of Hormuz in response to what Tehran described as American strikes on Iranian targets and civilian areas.

In a statement carried by Iranian media, the spokesperson said the United States had violated a ceasefire by targeting an Iranian oil tanker traveling from the coastal waters near Jask toward the Strait of Hormuz, as well as another vessel entering the strategic waterway near the Emirati port of Fujairah.

The spokesperson also accused the US of carrying out airstrikes, alongside “some countries in the region,” on civilian areas along the coasts of Khamir and Sirik and on Qeshm Island in southern Iran.

According to the statement, Iranian forces responded by attacking American military ships east of the Strait of Hormuz and south of the port of Chabahar, claiming the strikes caused “serious damage” to the vessels.

“The criminal and aggressor United States and the countries supporting it must know that the Islamic Republic of Iran will respond to any aggression and violence with a crushing response without the slightest hesitation,” the spokesperson said.

There was no immediate confirmation from the US military regarding the alleged attacks or the claims of damage to American warships.