DUBAI, May 9: A tenuous ceasefire appeared to be holding today after the United States struck two Iranian oil tankers, while the country that hosts the US Navy’s regional headquarters said it arrested dozens of people it alleged were linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRG).
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Friday’s attacks cast doubt on the month-old ceasefire that the United States has insisted is still in effect.
Washington awaits Iran’s response to its latest proposal for a deal to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping and roll back Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme.
The US Military said Friday that its forces disabled two Iranian tankers that were trying to breach the American blockade of Iran’s ports. Hours earlier, the military said it thwarted attacks on three Navy ships and struck Iranian military facilities in the strait.
On Saturday, the small Gulf island of Bahrain said it had arrested 41 people who were part of a group affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. The interior ministry said investigations were ongoing but did not provide details.
Iran issued a warning to Bahrain. “Siding with the US-backed resolution will bring severe consequences. The Strait of Hormuz is a vital lifeline; do not risk closing it on yourselves FOREVER,” Ebrahim Azizi, head of the National Security Commission of Iran’s Parliament, said on social media.
Iran has mostly blocked the critical waterway for global energy since the US and Israel launched the war on February 28, causing a global spike in fuel prices and rattling world markets. The US has imposed its own blockade of Iran’s ports.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Defence Ministry said it was deploying a warship to the Middle East to join a potential mission to protect commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz once hostilities end.
The ministry said the HMS Dragon will “preposition” in the region, ready to join a UK and French-led security plan. France announced this week it was moving its aircraft carrier strike group into the Red Sea in preparation.
US President Donald Trump has insisted the ceasefire is holding but has reiterated threats to resume full-scale bombing if Iran doesn’t accept an agreement to reopen the strait and roll back its nuclear programme.
On Friday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the country was not paying attention to “deadlines,” according to state-run IRNA.
Also on Friday, a top Iranian official said Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was in “complete health” and eventually would appear in public. Khamenei hasn’t been seen or heard in public since the war began, fuelling speculation about his status. (AP)
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