UK Deploys HMS Dragon to Middle East

U.K. Ministry of Defence said Saturday. The initiative is jointly led by the UK and France.

Britain and France have led planning meetings involving several dozen countries, but the operation will not begin until a sustainable ceasefire is in place and the maritime industry is reassured that ships can safely transit the strait. S. strikes the previous day disabled two Iranian tankers attempting to breach an American blockade of Iran’s ports.

U.S. military said its forces thwarted attacks on three Navy ships and struck Iranian military facilities in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday. S. fighter jet struck the smokestacks of the two tankers, while an American military jet had shot out the rudder of a tanker earlier in the week.

U.S. strike overnight killed at least one sailor and injured 10 others aboard a cargo vessel that caught fire, according to a news agency affiliated with Iran's judiciary. S.

Forces. Satellite images reviewed by the Associated Press show an oil slick covering about 71 square kilometers emanating from the western side of Kharg Island, Iran’s main crude export terminal. The slick was first detected Tuesday and has released approximately 80,000 barrels of oil, according to Ami Daniel of maritime intelligence firm Windward AI.

The spill appears to be spreading southwest and could reach the shores of the UAE, Qatar or Saudi Arabia within the next two weeks. -Israel began on February 28, 2026. Iran has mostly blocked the Strait of Hormuz for global energy shipping since that date.

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Investigations are continuing. President Donald Trump insisted the ceasefire is still in effect. He reiterated threats to resume full-scale bombing if Iran does not accept an agreement. S.

Proposal. Mazaher Hosseini, affiliated with the office of Iran’s former Supreme Leader, said Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was in complete health, had suffered knee and back injuries that have largely healed, and would eventually appear in public. Khamenei has not been seen in public since the war began on February 28, 2026.

France moved its aircraft carrier strike group into the Red Sea in preparation for a potential mission in the Strait of Hormuz, the French government said. S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions against 10 individuals and companies, while the State Department targeted four more entities accused of supporting Iran’s drone and missile programs.

Russia and Saudi Arabia called for continued diplomatic efforts to reach a sustainable long-term agreement, according to Russia’s foreign ministry. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani reiterated that diplomacy is the sole path to a solution. S.

And Iran day and night to extend the ceasefire. Southeast Asian leaders adopted a contingency plan on May 8, 2026, to mitigate the impact of the Iran war, including emergency fuel sharing and diversifying crude oil sources.