U.S. disables Iranian oil tankers as Strait of Hormuz ceasefire tensions escalate

Added: 2026-05-09

[00:00:00]The US military says it fired on and disabled two Iranian oil tankers today after exchanging fire with its forces in the Strait of Hormuz overnight. The United Arab Emirates meanwhile reported another missile and drone attack. The violence further undermines a month-old ceasefire that US officials insist remains in effect. Iran says the US strikes violate the truce. The The cat The attacks cast more doubt on a tenuous month-old ceasefire that the United States has insisted is still in effect.

[00:00:29]Washington is awaiting Tehran's response to the latest US proposal aimed at ending the war.

[00:00:37]Today, a member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security Committee warned that the US naval blockade will be met with a military response from Iran. The response comes after the US military fired on a pair of Iranian-flagged oil tankers trying to get around the American blockade.

[00:00:57]Central Command said the vessels were disabled trying to pull into a Gulf of Oman port. This follows the US striking several Iranian targets on Thursday.

[00:01:06]Officials said that was a response to attacks on American warships in the Strait of Hormuz. If you fire at a US Navy ship, what are we supposed to do?

[00:01:15]Say, "Oh, there's a ceasefire. We're not going to shoot down your drone." That's a stupid question. That's a stupid position to take. Of course we fired back at them. They were shooting at us.

[00:01:22]That's what I would expect to do. Only stupid countries don't shoot back when you're shot at, and we're not a stupid country. US President Donald Trump has insisted the ceasefire is holding. He also has reiterated threats to resume full-scale bombing if Iran doesn't accept an agreement to reopen the strait and roll back its nuclear program. They trifled with us today. We blew them away. They trifled. I call that a trifle. I'll let you know when there's no ceasefire. You won't have to know. If there's no ceasefire, you're not going to have to know. You're just going to have to look at one big blow coming out of Iran.

[00:01:57]And they better sign their agreement fast. Pakistan's Prime Minister said his country has been in contact with the US and [music] Iran day and night in an effort to extend the ceasefire and reach a peace deal. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the US is still waiting on Iran's response to a proposal tied to ending the war. Speaking in Rome today, Rubio said he hopes Tehran delivers what he called a serious offer. We're expecting a response from them today at some point. We have not received that yet as you know the last in the last hour, but perhaps that will come. Their system is still highly fractured and a bit dysfunctional as well. So, that may be serving as an impediment. I hope it's a serious offer. I really do.

[00:02:38]Rubio also responded to reports that Iran may set up a mechanism to control traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

[00:02:44][music] He calls that possibility unacceptable.

[00:02:48]The the world has to start asking itself what is it willing to do if Iran tries to normalize a control of an international waterway. Also today, the US military says it stopped more than 70 ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports amid the US blockade. Officials say the commercial ships are capable of transporting more than 166 million barrels of Iranian oil worth more than 13 billion dollars. Meantime, as tensions in the Middle East continue, global food prices climbed again in April, marking the third straight monthly increase. That's according to new data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. The agency says prices for cereals, vegetable oils, and meat all moved higher.