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07:14
Qalibaf Says US 'Has No Alternative' But To Accept Iran's Terms
Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, says the United States "has no alternative" but to accept Tehran's latest counterproposal to end the war.
"There is no alternative but to accept the rights of the Iranian people as laid out in the 14-point proposal," Baqer, who is also speaker for the Iranian parliament,wrote on Xon May 12. "Any other approach will be completely inconclusive; nothing but one failure after another."
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said in his weekly press conference on May 11 that Tehran's response --issued via mediator Pakistan on May 10 -- included stopping the war, lifting the US blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, freeing Iran's assets, and "establishing security in the region and Lebanon."
US President Donald Trump called Tehran's counterproposal "totally unacceptable."
"The longer they drag their feet, the more American taxpayers will pay for it," added Baqer.
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01:14
We are now closing the live blog for the day. We'll be back at 7:30 a.m. Central European time to cover the latest events across the Middle East.
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01:14
As Iran Talks Stall, Markets Bet on Diplomacy, Experts Say
WASHINGTON-- The latest exchange between Washington and Tehran over a proposed path toward de-escalation has raised new questions about what comes next in the growing crisis around the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump described Irans latest response to a US-backed proposal as totally unacceptable, even as both sides continue to signal interest in negotiations over sanctions relief, nuclear restrictions, and the future of shipping through the strategic waterway.
Analysts in Washington say the standoff is increasingly testing assumptions that diplomacy can move quickly enough to prevent wider economic fallout from the conflict.
So far, financial markets have remained relatively calm despite some choppy moments.
But experts say the relative market stability reflects expectations that negotiations will eventually produce some form of agreement.
Theres pressure on both sides to make some sort of deal, Mark Cancian said during a discussion hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on May 11.
To read the full story, clickhere.
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19:03
11.5.2026
UN Official Warns Hormuz Disruption Could Deepen Global Hunger Crisis
A senior United Nations official has warned that disruptions to fertilizer shipments through the Strait of Hormuz could trigger a major humanitarian crisis and worsen global hunger.
Jorge Moreira da Silva, head of the UN Office for Project Services and leader of a special UN task force on fertilizer transport, said the world has only "a few weeks" to prevent what could become "a massive humanitarian crisis."
He warned that continued disruption in the Strait of Hormuz could push "45 million more people into hunger and starvation."
The UN task force was established to help maintain shipments of fertilizers and related materials -- including ammonia, sulphur and urea -- through the strategic waterway amid regional tensions.
A Thai farmer refuels diesel into a water pump while farming watermelons in Ayutthaya Province on April 1. Thai farmers are facing shortages of diesel, fertilizer, and insecticides, alongside rising production costs, which threaten their crops amid the ongoing global fuel price surge worsened by the US-Israel war on Iran.
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18:28
11.5.2026
Trump Says Iran Cease-Fire On 'Life Support'
US President Donald Trump characterized the cease-fire with Iran as being on "life support," adding he is considering restarting naval escorts -- dubbed Operation Enduring Freedom -- through the Strait of Hormuz as he looks to achieve "complete victory" in the war.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on May 11, Trump said the cease-fire, agreed to on April 8, is now "unbelievably weak."
"I would say it's one of the weakest right now, it's on life support," he said. "I would say the cease-fire is on massive life support."
The US leader later said in a Fox News interview that he was considering renewing Operation Enduring Freedom, though a final decision had yet to be made. Operation Enduring Freedom was launched on May 6 but stopped less than two days later.
"We're going to have a complete victory," he said, adding that Tehran thinks "I'll get tired of this. I'll get bored, or I'll have some pressure. But there's no pressure."
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16:21
11.5.2026
Lebanon Appeals To US To Help Stop Israeli Attacks
Destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon pictured on April 15
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on May 11 that he had asked the United States to pressure Israel to respect the cease-fire and halt attacks on civilian homes in southern Lebanon.
At the same time, the Lebanese government said that 74 people had been killed in Israeli attacks since May 9.
Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah resumed on March 2 after Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, launched attacks on Israel in what the group described as support for Tehran.
Hezbollah is both a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. It is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, although the European Union has only blacklisted its armed wing.
Although a US-brokered cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect in November 2024, hostilities have continued intermittently, with Israeli strikes and Hezbollah attacks reported in southern Lebanon.
Tehran has said that proposals it presented to Washington to end the broader conflict also included ending Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory. US President Donald Trump reportedly described the proposal as totally unacceptable.
According to the Lebanese government, 2,869 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since fighting resumed in March.
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16:19
11.5.2026
Britain Sanctions Several Individuals, Entities Over Iran Ties
The British government sanctioned 12 individuals and entities linked to Iran, it announced on May 11, accusing them of involvement in "hostile activity including plotting attacks and providing financial services to groups seeking to destabilize the UK and other countries."
Reuters reported that those sanctioned were accused of participating in hostile acts against Britain and several other countries.
The new sanctions include asset freezes and travel bans.
Those targeted include alleged members and associates of what the British government described as the "Zindashti criminal network."
In recent months, there has been speculation about possible Iranian support for anti-Semitic attacks in Britain.
At the same time, an Islamist group suspected of ties to Iran, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, has claimed responsibility for some attacks in Britain as well as similar incidents in several European countries.
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15:42
11.5.2026
Could Iran Start Charging Global Tech Firms For Undersea Cables In The Strait Of Hormuz?
Iran has insisted for weeks that it has the right to charge international ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route off the coast of the Islamic republic.
Now, two news agencies affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) have issued proposals urging Tehran to go further by imposing fees on the global tech firms that operate undersea fiberoptic cables running through the narrow waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the open sea.
The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has effectively closed since the United States and Israel launched a bombing campaign on February 28, remains a key sticking point in ending the war. Tehran has claimed sovereignty over the strategic waterway, which is rejected by the international community.
Experts say the proposals calling for Iran to demand payment for undersea cables under the strait is more of a threat than a viable plan.
"The risk of adversarial subsea cable cuts has always been there, but an open threat from a nation-state like Iran adds urgency," Isik Mater, director of research at the London-based Internet monitoring group NetBlocks, told RFE/RL.
To read the full report, clickhere.
Hormuz Data Chokepoint
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14:52
11.5.2026
Iran Says Water Shortages Affecting 35 Million People
A spokesman for Iran's water industry says that 35 million people in the country are facing water shortages.
Discussing the current water supply situation in Iran, Issa Bozorgzadeh told a press conference on May 11 that "currently, about 35 million people in the country are facing the problem of water shortage, and for this reason, we still need to save water consumption to overcome these conditions."
Referring to regional differences in rainfall, he said: "The distribution of rainfall in the country is very unbalanced, and although very good rainfall has b recorded in provinces such as Bushehr, Hormozgan, Ilam, and Kerman, we have encountered very little rainfall in provinces such as Tehran, Qom, Yazd, Markazi, and Isfahan."
Bozorgzadeh added that currently 11 provinces in the country are still experiencing below-normal rainfall conditions and "it cannot be said in any way that the country has entered a wet period."
In recent decades, Iran has faced persistent drought, excessive groundwater extraction, and mismanagement, which has caused many of the country's major cities to face a water shortage crisis.
The spokesman made no mention of the environmental impact of the US-Israeli war with Iran or attacks on Iranian infrastructure.
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13:46
11.5.2026
Beijing Pushes Back On US Sanctions Tied To Iran War Ahead Of Trump-Xi Summit
Beijing says it opposes the inclusion of Chinese and Hong Kong entities in the latest round of US sanctions aimed at companies with ties to the Iranian regime, as US President Donald Trump prepares to head to China and meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the first time since 2017.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters on May 11 that Beijing has "always required Chinese enterprises to conduct business in accordance with laws and regulations," adding that China "will firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises."
The US State Department announced sanctions against 10 individuals and companies on May 8 for "enabling efforts by Iran's military to secure weapons," as well as raw materials with military applications. One Chinese individual and seven Chinese companies were targeted.
Washington and Tehran have traded cease-fire proposals but have yet to reach any breakthrough in talks, with Trump calling Iran's response to the US proposal "totally unacceptable."
The round of sanctions comes as Trump travels to visit for a high-profile visit that will involve broad strategic talks ranging from trade issues to the war in Iran. The US president is set to arrive on May 13 and hold two days of talks from May 14-15.
A senior US official told Reuters on May 11 that Trump and Xi will likely discuss Beijing's support for both Iran and Russia during the summit.
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