Strait of Hormuz enters: Iran offers maritime support services in Strait of Hormuz | NewsX World

Ajouté : 2026-05-07

[00:00:02]Hello and welcome. I'm Thomas Portius and you're watching the World Report on NewsX World. Let's take a look at some of the top headlines leading this hour.

[00:00:13]US President Donald Trump says a peace deal with Iran is very possible after what he calls very good talks. Iran's foreign ministry says it will convey its response to Pakistani mediators though an Iranian lawmaker has dismissed the proposal as a wish list.

[00:00:35]Meanwhile, the US and Iran remain at odds over Thran's nuclear program and control of it the Strait of Hormuz despite ongoing negotiations. The Strait, which before the war was one of the world's most critical oil routes, remains a central sticking point in any deal.

[00:00:58]The White House believes it may be closing in on a 14point memorandum of understanding with Iran as a framework for nuclear negotiations. Pakistan's foreign minister says his country is working to convert the current ceasefire into a permanent end to the war.

[00:01:19]Elsewhere in the Middle East, Israel has struck Beirut for the first time since agreeing a ceasefire with Hezbollah, targeting a commander of the group's elite Radwan force in the city's southern suburbs. Israeli media reported the commander was killed, though neither the military nor Hezbollah have confirmed this.

[00:01:42]In the United States, a federal judge has released a document described as a suicide note purply written by Jeffrey Epstein. The disgraced financeier was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in August 2019. A death ruled suicide, though one long subject to widespread speculation.

[00:02:06]Now in Europe, Ukraine has accused Russia of flouting a key of proposed ceasefire by carrying out dozens of assaults, air strikes, and drone attacks. President Zilinski, who proposed the truce from May the 6th, described Moscow's actions as an obvious spurning of peace.

[00:02:28]In contrast, Russia says it or Moscow hosts its World War II victory day commemorations. The Kremlin has demanded a ceasefire on May the 8th and 9th to coincide with the events, a proposal Kiev has so far rejected.

[00:02:47]In the UK, polling stations across England, Scotland, and Wales have opened for local elections. Seen as the biggest test for Prime Minister K Starmmer since Labour's general election win last year, the vote is expected to highlight the growing influence of both hard right and left-wing populist movements across the UK.

[00:03:13]We start this hour in West Asia where the standoff in the Persian Gulf has entered a new phase following calls for the withdrawal of foreign military forces. Iran has now announced that Iranian ports are ready to provide support services to all ships navigating the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's ports and maritime organization is broadcasting an advisory three times daily over maritime VHF channels. The offer includes technical repairs, fuel provisioning, freshwater and medical assistance for commercial crews. This initiative follows the pause of the US naval escort mission, Operation Project Freedom, which occurred after reports that Saudi Arabia denied the use of its airspace for American defensive aircraft. While the White House continues to advance a 14point peace proposal via Pakistani mediators, the US military maintains a blockade on Iranian energy exports.

[00:04:15]Joining us to discuss this now is Hamid Vidi, the leader of the Iranian Australian community. Thank you very much for joining us to discuss this. It is a great pleasure to speak to you. Um, thanks for having me.

[00:04:29]>> You're welcome. Uh, it's a great pleasure. Um, in terms of this blockade, of course, um, post the ceasefire that was announced uh, in early April, um, it's been rather confusing in terms of, um, the ball which is in a certain court. Who do you believe um, it's on uh, for to put the most effort into uh, those uh, vessels passing through the straight of Hormuz now? And do you see the American operation project freedom as having a positive impact as of now?

[00:05:09]>> Um yes, I think it's a it's a great point that that you're making. I think the uh reopening of the foremost it's it's a kind of a narrative that Iran is trying to project. It's Iran is trying to say that we are controlling the maritime rule ruling over the street of foremost and anything that is happening is our initiative which we know it's not accurate uh because you know um this new reopening that Iran has started was because of the project freedom and I think Iran saw that they they don't have any other u way to escape that that situation the blockade is still happening. Iran has no military ships, has no air defense system, has no uh air force, has no navy. So they they couldn't match up with the army that that is in the on the shores of Iran and the project freedom started and that just you know started you know flowing ships and that that was uh you know eventually the the result of the would be eventually the result of the project freedom. So the ships the commercial ships would be freely passing through a straight of mos. So I think this was just a bargaining chip for for Iran to say that I I will open I will cooperate with with US and with the rest of the world to to open this foremost to not threat any ships and any boats that are you know passing by.

[00:06:48]uh instead we let's continue with the negotiations and the conditions that US and Israeli um government has put through although they're not uh very acceptable and they're hard and difficult to to be met by by Iranian I think those are much more favorable comparing to letting the board know that all the ships can pass through uh by getting escorted from the US uh you know US ships and Iran has no bargaining ships anymore.

[00:07:24]So I think it was effective. The uh project freedom was effective. The blockade it is effective. I I honestly don't know what what happened with the project freedom that they they stopped it because it was eventually after a few days Iran would have come to the Islamic Republic would have come to the conclusion that they should negotiate.

[00:07:49]Maybe it has happened. Maybe that's the only interpretation that I can have that the the eventual uh inevitable result of this mission has happened much much sooner comparing to what we we could have expected.

[00:08:06]>> Yes. And and Hamid that 14 point proposal is obviously on the table. Um a a central question is is hanging over this possible next round of talks. Um has a Washington um implicitly accepted Iran's core demand do you think to to end the war and settle the the hormers issue first with nuclear talks to follow. This of course comes after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's recent briefing that suggests a significant departure of of Washington's original maximalist position.

[00:08:45]I think that u we need to look at it this way. So, President Trump is not stupid. He he has played all of his cards very uh geniusly so far >> and he's not going at this stage. He has the upper hand in this war. He has the uh the military, the army set in the navy. He has you know bases full of full with the tankers and you know the refilling regrouping and happened everywhere. Uh the armors the u the soldiers you know the troops are there.

[00:09:22]So he he has everything and Islamic Republic in Iran has has nothing. The Islamic Republic in Iran has has not even the backing of their own people. So people want to change the regime. So they're they're not only empty-handed with the military and you know missiles and bombings and and air force and stuff like that. They're empty-handed even with the support of their own people.

[00:09:48]So I don't think at this stage when you look at the game uh at this situation I don't think at this stage President Trump would accept conditions from Iran and the conditions from Iran we know from the past that was we continue to support the proxies the militias likeah Hamas and other groups Houthies and and others and we continue to build long range missiles and we continue to enrich the uh uranium and maybe we pause it for 3 to 5 years. Okay, but after that we're going to continue and we won't hand over the uh you know highly enriched uranium more than 400 kilograms of the of that.

[00:10:33]So any of those are deal breaker for uh President Trump and US government and almost all of them are deal breaker for Israeli army and we know that Israeli army has their you know finger on the trigger. They they are ready to come in and take take a you know forcible action. So I don't think that that that negotiation would lead to anything at this stage. Hamid um when this war started uh the on the last day of February um just a couple of months ago now regime change it seemed was one of the one of the core priorities of this conflict and now it's not really being spoken about of course I I see the I see the lion and sun flag behind behind you there um yes if in terms of um if a deal is made to end this conflict with the Islamic Republic still standing. The uh Straight of Horm is open, the blockade removed, um a a some sort of deal to um maybe prevent the Iranians from uh enriching uranium either completely or or or severely in a in a in a degraded way. How will you feel uh about that deal and and especially uh people in your diaspora who are living abroad?

[00:12:02]>> Yes, I think that that's that's a real concern of every Iranian inside or outside. So when we say so let let me clarify this. Iranians outside of Iran, they're not different. So the diaspora, they they're the same as the people inside Iran, but they have internet.

[00:12:19]they have access to Twitter to X to you know Instagram Facebook and stuff like that. people inside Iran if they have access to internet they would say the same thing exactly the same thing and I think that that expression is sort of a feeling a common feeling at at this stage for everyone we would think that if this deal happens which I think it's a very rare case but it could happen if it happens what what would happen to the revolution >> and I think the the the response to that was very clearly said by the crown prince Razaf Alvi who we have chosen as the leader of this revolution and he he is the son of the late Sha.

[00:13:01]>> Uh so uh he he said it very clearly. We don't ask for anyone to come in and do the revolution for us. We don't want them to fight our fight. We want them to just give us a chance to come back to the streets. And I think that's the that's the plan for President Trump and and Prime Minister Netanyahu to to give the chance to people.

[00:13:25]Hamid Vahidi, thank you so much for taking the time. I hope we speak again.

[00:13:28]Thank you for your time. We now move on to our next story where Pakistan has welcomed reports of a possible agreement between the US and Iran, expressing hope that a deal could be reached sooner rather than later. Speaking at a weekly briefing in Islamabad, the foreign office spokesperson Tahil Hussein Andrai said Pakistan is ready to continue playing the role of an honest facilitator in the ongoing diplomatic efforts. According to reports, intensive back channel talks are underway with Pakistan helping mediate discussions between Washington and Thran. Officials say negotiators are working on a memorandum of understanding aimed at reducing tensions and addressing nuclear and security concerns. The proposed framework reportedly includes easing restrictions in the straight of Hormuz in exchange for gradual relief from some US sanctions and naval measures.

[00:14:24]Pakistan Prime Minister Shabbaz Sharif and Army Chief Aim Manir are said to be closely involved in the mediation efforts as regional tensions remain fragile but diplomacy gains momentum.

[00:14:36]Okay, we move on now to our next story where the Danish shipping giant Mesque has beaten first quarter profit forecasts but maintained its fullear guidance warning that ongoing Iran conflict is creating major uncertainty for global trade. The company said higher energy prices and trade disruptions in the upper Gulf region could weigh on global container demand growth this year. Mireesque reported first quarter atiba of $1.73 billion above analyst expectations of $1.66 billion. However, profits were still sharply lower than the $2.71 billion recorded during the same period last year. The shipping firm said the full impact of the Iran war was not yet reflected in the first quarter results as the conflict only escalated at the end of February following US and Israeli strikes on Iran. The war has disrupted global shipping routes after Iran closed the straight of Hormuz to commercial traffic, driving up fuel costs and operational expenses. Mesque has said freight rates fell earlier in the quarter due to over supply but surged again after the outbreak of the war. The company has also warned that continued instability in the Middle East is forcing vessels to avoid the Red Sea and Suez Canal with ships still being rrooted around Africa due to security risks near the Babel Mandeb strait.

[00:16:15]We move on now and over to Britain where a series of local elections across the UK this week could significantly reshape the political landscape.

[00:16:25]Prime Minister Kier Stalmer faces mounting pressure as his leadership comes under scrutiny. Regional governments led by parties such as Pied Camru in Wales, the Scottish National Party and Shinfane in Northern Ireland could further challenge his authority.

[00:16:41]Sama's Labour Party is bracing for heavy losses with polls predicting up to 1,800 of 2,500 council seats in England may be lost. The party also risks finishing third in Scotland and Wales, where it has held power for over a century.

[00:16:59]Results from about 5,000 council seats and several mayoral races will indicate whether Labour can recover or faces a prolonged period of political uncertainty.

[00:17:11]Joining us to tell us about the weight of this is Ruby Barrow, my colleague and correspondent. She joins us live from the newsroom. The importance of this, Ruby, cannot be understated. What more can you tell us about it?

[00:17:23]>> Yes, Tom. So, today Brits will head to the polls in a series of local elections which uh will be choosing some council seats. Um there's about 5,000 seats up for grabs across 136 municipalities and it is expected to be a referendum on Kyama's popularity. Um he's had a lot of drama so far uh since he was elected as prime minister, taking over a 13-year conservative rule. Um but is now very a very very unpopular figure. A lot of analysts see the vote um for his prime ministership uh for the win of the Labour Party rather as a vote against the Conservative party at that time when he was elected. Um and so if these opinion polls are correct, which are coming out, Labour's defeat is predicted to be catastrophic, Tom. Um and the picture for the other major parties is not so much better. It looks like there is a picking off of the vote from the radical wings of the political spectrum.

[00:18:31]Um on the right we have Reform UK picking up votes from the Conservative Party and on the left we have the Greens Party picking up votes uh that would have normally gone towards the Labor Party. Uh it is expected that they could perhaps pick up uh 1,000 uh council seats for reform and perhaps 500 for the Greens uh which would be a very good result for those leaders Zack Palansky and Nigel Farage. Um, of course, if this is a referendum on uh on Kustama's popularity, it will be taking into account um not only the current performance of his government, but also the scandals that have plagued his his government. So far there's been um the scandal uh which has been unfolding over the last couple of months of Peter Mandlesson who K uh picked as the US ambassador but was eventually shown to have not been uh vetted and was also uh had some links to Jeffrey Epstein. Uh it looks like there could also be a referendum on his popularity amidst the cost of living crisis as well to which has also affected the UK uh quite intensely over the last couple of years.

[00:19:52]There's also been a series of anti-semitic attacks in Britain um especially over the last couple of weeks and this has definitely affected the social cohesion over there. So, it'll be all of these factors combined, um, which will be veering voters further to the left or further to the right. Uh, and so, uh, there could be perhaps a a a massive change in in the Labor Party's popularity in the amount of council seats that they do have, a change to the to the two party system in the UK. It could be a a much more varied spectrum of votes spread out across the political across the political spectrum. Uh and so it remains to be seen how these how these votes will be counted. There's been a couple of bi-elections over the last over the last couple of months which have not looked good for the Labour party. Um but yes, it is seen commonly by analysts as a referendum on Cir's uh personal popularity. But yes, Tom, it's a it's a very interesting election um today and and one that we'll keep an eye on here at Music's World.

[00:21:00]Thank you very much, Ruby. We'll keep tabs on that. We move on over to some breaking news now coming out of the European continent once again where a Ukrainian drone has targeted an industrial facility in Russia's Perm region. The regional governor, Dmitri McConin reported on Thursday. While the name of the facility wasn't disclosed, Mcconin confirmed that no injuries or fatalities have occurred. This incident adds to the ongoing tensions between the two nations. McConin refrained from providing additional details about the site. Perm, a key industrial hub in the Ural's region, is situated around 1,600 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, making it a significant distance from the front line. We'll bring you further news as soon as we get it. But we now head to East Asia where the Philippine Coast Guard has accused China of conducting illegal marine research near the gas reed bank in the South China Sea. Officials said a Chinese research vessel seeing at Yang Kong 33 was spotted near Iroyos Reef during a maritime patrol on May 6th. The Philippine Coast Guard said the vessel deployed a service boat indicating unauthorized research activities inside Manila's exclusive economic zone.

[00:22:25]Authorities also reported the presence of one Chinese Coast Guard ship and 13 maritime militia vessels in the area.

[00:22:33]The Philippines said the Chinese ship had earlier operated near second Thomas Shaw, Sabina Schaw, Mischief Reef and Jackson at Manila called the activities a violation of its sovereign rights and of the United Nations Convention of the Law on the sea. China's embassy in Manila has not yet responded to the allegations.

[00:22:58]We're now joined by Collins Chong Yu Kat, a foreign affairs, security and strategy analyst. He joins us live from Koala Lumpar. Thank you very much for joining us, Colins. Thanks, Thomas.

[00:23:09]>> Great pleasure to speak to you. um in terms of these consistent spats between the Philippines and China um whether it's the Scarra Shaw um or other um maritime areas um are you seeing these um escalating or um perhaps moving in a different direction? Um what more can you tell us about this uh this current dispute between China and the Philippines on these issues?

[00:23:38]Well, definitely there's been no let up uh by both sides. We have seen how this is yet another effort uh from from Beijing to test the waters to test the response from Manila especially regards to the upcoming summit being held there.

[00:23:53]And of course also this is not merely uh as simple as a research vessel issue.

[00:23:57]You know in the in the sub context research is never just research. It is uh more often than not the first layer of uh this signaling of the intent of strategic presence of resource mapping and legal signaling by by China and uh this particular you know uh piece of uh you know contentious issue has been of great importance because uh the red bank is uh particularly important for the Philippines because of the uh the the strategic resource of oil and gas and this forms one of the key you know energy security equation for the Philippines. is not just being a symbolic uh presence and uh of course it's tied closely to the Philippines future energy security as well as also as a reflection of its own uh sovereignty and the need also to preserve this uh as as a sovereign economic space for for the Philippines.

[00:24:47]So of course under all frameworks including ANCORS on the EEZ uh and this any kind of activities whether is whether it's research whether it's you know any kind of presence will need the consent of the coastal state and this regard will be the Philippines and uh and of course you know chi China's objective here is to is to physically you know weaken the control of the Philippines as well as also to continue its own salami slicing approach you know coercion. So all these are still in continuation of what he has been doing in South China Sea and I don't see this as a surprise to anyone here Thomas >> and China pretty frequently um it um prides itself that it follows international law according to Beijing of course um how does it interpret this situation through um chi the Chinese perspective how does it view these these maritime territories as their Well, of course, we have seen how this is a continuation of the years of increased Chinese presence and uh you know as part of his own gray zone uh you know tactics of course stopping short of a full-blown military confrontation but over the past couple years now we have seen this increased uh highly risky confrontations especially between the Philippines and China and of course also China will have its own interpretation of what is being considered as a legal basis for its own claims under the nine their regional partners as far as the world is concerned. And know this this claim has no basis at all as part of the uh you know uh international law and maritime law and uh and this is primarily the basis of the whole uh contest between both sides and uh and so far we have seen how this muted response from the region as a whole and not wanting to uh you know upset the apple card in this case China in terms of this profound economic importance but uh we might see a lot of new changes uh in regards to how this will be managed.

[00:26:47]because Philippines is now the chair for ASA for this year and you might want to also test new openings and new response system and and having this new leverage and options to dictate policies to dictate narratives. I think this gives Philippines a stronger position. But it remains to be seen the credibility and efficacy of the CDC. Now I mean sorry I mean the COC the code of conduct whether it's you know as I've stated you know as of now is just a symbolic measure and he has no legal basis is non-binding as of now and it's just it just serves as maybe another pretext by uh you know by China to to use that to to say to say and to show to the region that is now you know align to this whole notion of preserving peace and stability but as long as non-binding uh he has little effects on uh whether it will restrain uh you know actions that will violate the uh the maritime law and as of now I think the Philippines has the the upper hand in terms of dictating what kind of response that this region must give to preserve its own uh sovereignty. Thomas >> Colin Chong Yukat thank you so much for that rundown. It's always a great pleasure to speak to you. We now turn to some breaking news coming in from West Asia where a Hamas official Basim Naam has confirmed the killing of Azam al-Ha, son of Khalil Al-Ha in an Israeli strike on Gaza city. The victim is the fourth son of Hamas's exiled Gaza chief to have been killed in Israeli attacks. Al-Ha, who has seven children, has survived multiple Israeli attempts to assassinate him. An Israeli attack in Qatar's capital, Doha, last year, targeting the Hamas leadership killed one of his sons, though Al-Ha survived. Two other sons were killed in past Israeli attempts on his life in Gaza strikes in 2008 and 2014.

[00:28:45]Now we move over to Russia where in a stark escalation on rhetoric from Moscow, the deputy chairman of Russia's security council, Dmitri Medvidev, is warning of the total destruction of German industry in the event of a direct conflict with Russia. In an article published today by Russia Today, the former president targeted Germany's increasing militarization. Medvidev stated that a war between the two nations would not only collapse the German economy beyond recovery, but would pose an existential threat to European civilization as a whole. He characterized the current stance of the German elite as a move towards mutually assured destruction, claiming that such a conflict would end Europe's history.

[00:29:33]While Russia would persist, Medvidev further asserted that any remaining qualified German personnel would likely flee to Russia, the United States or Asia. The politician defended his severe language as a necessary measure to bring Western leaders to reason and prevent massive loss of life. Berlin has yet to formally respond to these latest remarks which mark some of the most aggressive Russian warnings against a NATO member state to date.

[00:30:07]We move on now and the maritime crisis in the Persian Gulf has reached a critical tipping point. New data indicates that nearly 1600 tankers and cargo vessels are currently stranded near the straight of Hormuz unable to pass through the vital waterway. Reports reveal that the naval forces managed to escort only two ships through the area since the conflict began. The human toll of the standoff continues to mount. At least 32 ships have been fired upon within the strait, resulting in 10 fatalities and dozens of injuries. This escalation follows the recent decision to suspend international naval escort operations. The pause was implemented to allow space for diplomatic negotiations currently being facilitated by regional mediators. While officials seek a peaceful resolution, a strict blockade on energy exports remains in effect.

[00:31:04]Well, that's all that we have time for.

[00:31:05]Keep watching NewsX World for more international news updates.