US-Iran War News Live Updates: Iran To Charge "Service Fee" According To Deputy Foreign Minister

US forces redirected 67 commercial vessels, disabled four vessels, allowed 15 humanitarian aid vessels to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Central Command.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister stated that Iran is developing a "service fee" for navigation support and rescue operations according to reports.

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the Strait of Hormuz has been “used as a weapon in this war” during a press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. He said the US-Israel war on Iran and the Hormuz crisis are limiting maritime movement, causing harsh economic repercussions for Gulf states.

(Source: Al Jazeera)

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the Strait of Hormuz has been “used as a weapon in this war” during a press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. He said the US-Israel war on Iran and the Hormuz crisis are limiting maritime movement, causing harsh economic repercussions for Gulf states.

(Source: Al Jazeera)

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth will face a new round of questioning from lawmakers over the Iran war, including some Republicans who have expressed concerns over the length of the conflict and its lack of congressional approval.

The powerful House and Senate subcommittees that oversee defence spending are holding back-to-back hearings to review the Trump administration's 2027 military budget proposal, which calls for a historic allocation of $1.5 trillion. But the discussions are expected to veer into the handling of a war that appears locked in a stalemate, as higher fuel prices pose political problems for Republicans in the midterm congressional elections.

(Source: AP)

Pakistan on Tuesday rejected as "misleading" a US media report that claimed Islamabad allowed Iranian military aircraft to park on its airfield to potentially shield them from American airstrikes, while playing the role of mediator between the two sides.

In a statement, the Foreign Office said that the Iranian aircraft currently parked in the country arrived during the ceasefire period following the initial round of US-Iran peace talks and bears "no linkage" to any military contingency or preservation arrangement.


(Source: AP)

The Revolutionary Guard’s navy says the Strait of Hormuz has “significantly expanded” as a strategic zone, now stretching from Jask to the Sirri islands. Political deputy Mohammad Akbarzadeh told Tasnim the waterway went from a 20-30 mile area around Hormuz island to a 200-300 mile “vast operational area” forming an arc beyond Qeshm Island and Greater Tunb.

(Source: Al Jazeera)

US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said Israel sent Iron Dome missile defense batteries and troops to the UAE during the war on Iran to help defend against Iranian strikes. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee confirmed the move, praising the UAE as the first Abraham Accords member and saying he’s “very optimistic” more countries will join the deal. 

(Source: Al Jazeera)

Shipping companies are trying to adapt to the energy shock, reducing vessel speeds and revising schedules to cut costs in the short term while making plans to acquire ships that can run on alternative fuels.

But some companies won't survive this triage for long, according to Henning Gloystein of the Eurasia Group consultancy firm, who warned that the pain will spread beyond Asia through global supply chains.

(Source: AP)

Tehran warns of 90% uranium enrichment if attacked again by US, Israel
Iranian Parliamentary Commission spokesperson Ebrahim Rezaei said one of Iran’s responses in the event of another US-Israeli attack on its territory "could be 90 percent enrichment."

"We will review it in the parliament," Rezaei said in a post on X.

Oil prices climbed as US-Iran talks stalled, while South Korean calls for a social tax on AI profits dragged down the tech-rich Kospi index.

Seoul plunged 5% after a top official proposed a "national dividend" to redistribute excess corporate profits from artificial intelligence.

South Korea is riding an AI chip boom driving massive earnings for tech giants Samsung and SK hynix and sending the Kospi to record highs in recent weeks.

Beijing publicly insists that it wants to see the war end, and has been working diplomatically behind the scenes to help its ally Pakistan push to broker a peace agreement.

It has also sent a “subtle message of discontent to Iran” for closing the Strait of Hormuz, and to the US for its blockade of Iranian shipping, said Ahmed Aboudouh, a specialist on China's influence in the Middle East with the London-based Chatham House think tank.

(Source: AP)

Asian shares traded mixed early as optimism encouraged by a record rally on Wall Street clashed with anxiety about surging oil prices and a possible AI bubble.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 added 0.7% to 62,881.03. South Korea's Kospi dropped 1.2% to 7,726.30, in what analysts are categorising as fallout from overreliance on fraying AI hopes.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has extended the countrywide austerity drive till June 13 in the wake of uncertainty caused by the US and Iran’s failure to strike a deal to end the conflict in Middle East amid a fragile ceasefire. The austerity measures were initially announced for two months.

"The prime minister, on consideration of the recommendations of the committee for monitoring and implementation of fuel conservation and additional austerity measures, has been pleased to extend the applicability of the following additional austerity measures up till June 13, 2026, with immediate effect," it read.

(Source: AP)

The Trump administration is calling on banks to flag certain customers who may launder funds for Iran's Revolutionary Guard — including newly formed companies moving unusually large amounts of money, firms that route payments through multiple intermediaries or transactions connected to Iranian crypto firms, among other indicators.

As part of the US initiative to monitor Iranian oil sales, banks are being asked to watch out for oil labelled as “Malaysian blend” to disguise its Iranian origin, missing or falsified shipping documents or ship-to-ship oil transfers that obscure where cargo came from.

(Source: AP)

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to New Delhi this week to attend the BRICS Foreign Ministers meeting on May 14 to 15 and is expected to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi before the latter’s visit to the UAE, diplomatic sources confirmed to The Hindu.
 

Two regional diplomats say one issue frustrating Trump is Iran's demand for war damages. They noted that, traditionally, reparations are paid by the defeated side and Trump is wary of the term “reparations” appearing in Iranian proposals, as agreeing to it could be seen as acknowledging defeat.

Both diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorised to discuss the ongoing negotiations.

One diplomat added that Pakistan is working to broker a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran aimed at ending the war and maintaining broader dialogue on unresolved issues.
 

(Source: AP)

US President Donald Trump said he plans to suspend a federal gasoline tax as consumers cope with surging energy prices in the wake of the Iran war.

US federal taxes on gasoline amount to 18.4 cents per gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon for diesel. 

Suspending the tax would require an act of Congress, where Trump's Republican party holds a razor-thin majority in both houses. 

(Source: AFP)

US President Donald Trump on Truth Social said, "I am very much looking forward to my trip to China, an amazing Country, with a Leader, President Xi, respected by all. Great things will happen for both Countries! President DONALD J. TRUMP."

Reacting to the report of Pakistan allowing Iranian military aircraft to park on its airfields to shield them from American airstrikes, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called for a complete re-evaluation of Pakistan’s role as a mediator. "If this reporting is accurate, it would require a complete reevaluation of the role Pakistan is playing as mediator between Iran, the United States and other parties," Graham, the Senator from South Carolina, said in a post on X.

Pakistan, which is playing mediator to end the US-Iran war, allowed Iranian military aircraft to park on its airfields to shield them from American airstrikes, CBS News reported in Washington quoting US officials. The report also claimed that Iran had also parked its civilian aircraft in neighbouring Afghanistan to protect it from US airstrikes.

 

US President Donald Trump said the Iran ceasefire is on "life support" after he rejected Tehran's latest proposal to end the war. The Trump administration is calling on banks to flag certain customers who may launder funds for Iran's Revolutionary Guard — including newly formed companies moving unusually large amounts of money, firms that route payments through multiple intermediaries or transactions connected to Iranian crypto firms, among other indicators.

Iran's Parliament Speaker MB Ghalibaf posted on X, "There is no alternative but to accept the rights of the Iranian people as laid out in the 14-point proposal. Any other approach will be completely inconclusive; nothing but one failure after another. The longer they drag their feet, the more American taxpayers will pay for it." [sic]

Iran's parliament speaker MB Ghalibaf on X said, "Our armed forces are ready to deliver a well-deserved response to any aggression; mistaken strategy and mistaken decisions will always lead to mistaken results— the whole world has already figured this out.  
We are prepared for all options; they will be surprised." [sic]