US awaits Iran reply as Gulf tensions escalate
The United States is awaiting Iran’s response to a proposal aimed at ending the ongoing conflict, even as military tensions in the Persian Gulf continue to intensify, reports a Qazinform News Agency correspondent.
US President Donald Trump earlier said Washington expected to receive Tehran’s response on Friday night. Despite diplomatic efforts, both sides have continued exchanging military actions in and around the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
Trump also stated that the US could resume a previously suspended naval operation designed to guide commercial vessels through the waterway. The operation had been paused earlier this week amid signs of progress in negotiations with Iran.
Meanwhile, the US imposed new sanctions on several Chinese companies over alleged links with Iran, just days before Trump is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
Military activity in the Gulf also intensified on Friday after the US military said an American fighter jet disabled two Iranian-flagged oil tankers accused of violating a US maritime blockade.
According to United States Central Command, a US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet launched from the USS George H.W. Bush struck the tankers M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda with precision munitions aimed at their smokestacks.
“A US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) disabled both tankers after firing precision munitions into their smokestacks, preventing the non-compliant ships from entering Iran,” Central Command said in a statement posted on X.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 8, 2026
Video released by CENTCOM showed smoke rising from the vessels after the strikes. No casualties were immediately reported.
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) May 8, 2026
Iranian officials, however, claimed that US warplanes had attacked Iranian fishing and cargo vessels near the Omani port of Khasab, close to the Strait of Hormuz, leaving six people missing and several others hospitalized.
Shipping traffic through the Strait remains sharply reduced as both Iran and the United States continue military operations and maritime restrictions near one of the world’s most important oil transit routes.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Donald Trump had announced a three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine to be observed on May 9, 10, and 11.
