Here's the latest
• War negotiations: The US is awaiting a response from Iran on a proposal to end the war. President Donald Trump previously said his administration was expecting to hear back from Tehran on Friday night.
• Strait of Hormuz: Trump said the US might resume a short-lived operation to guide ships through the waterway. He paused the operation earlier this week, citing progress in negotiations with Iran.
• Fresh sanctions: The US imposed sanctions on several Chinese companies over their links with Iran, just days before Trump is due to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.
• Iran’s supreme leader: US intelligence assesses that Mojtaba Khamenei, who has remained out of public view, is still shaping war strategy, according to sources familiar with the matter.
What to know about US fighter jet’s attack on Iranian tankers
A US fighter jet disabled two Iran-flagged tankers on Friday by firing precision munitions into their funnels, the US military said, demonstrating the precision of the weapons in use.
US Central Command, which oversees Middle East military operations, released a video it says shows the tankers – the Sea Star III and the Sevda – being hit by a US Navy F/A-18. It said the vessels were violating the US blockage of Iranian ports.
The video shows slight puffs of smoke from the Sea Star’s smokestack, and then darker smoke rising from it after the strike.
In the Sevda clip, a burst of flame is followed immediately by plumes of heavy black smoke.
No damage beyond the funnel, or smokestack, area is evident in the videos provided by CENTCOM. The release did not mention any casualties on the tankers.
Military experts told CNN the Navy fighter jet likely used 500-pound laser-guided bombs to hit the tankers with such precision.
Global food prices rise for 3rd straight month, UN data shows, as war fuels supply concerns
Global food prices rose in April for the third straight month, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Friday, as conflict in the Middle East fuelled global supply concerns and pushed up the cost of fertilizer.
Prices of cereals, vegetable oil and meat all rose, though dairy and sugar prices fell, according to the FAO’s Food Price Index, which tracks a basket of internationally traded food commodities.
“Despite the disruptions linked to the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, global agrifood systems continue to show resilience,” said FAO Chief Economist Máximo Torero. “Cereal prices have increased only moderately so far, supported by relatively strong stocks and adequate supplies from previous seasons.”
The FAO said it expects global cereal supplies to hold up through 2026, with production forecast to rise 6% year-on-year, but that uncertainty remains over next year’s wheat output as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz drives up energy and fertilizer costs.
Hezbollah claims responsibility for cross-border attacks while Israel strikes south Lebanon
Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for 26 attacks on Friday, including two on targets inside Israel for the first time since the ceasefire agreement.
Friday’s attack on a military base in Israel marked the first time the Iranian-backed militant group has publicly claimed responsibility for a cross-border strike since a delicate truce between Israel and Lebanon was ordered in mid-April.
In a statement, Hezbollah said it targeted an Israeli military base south of the city of Nahariya on Friday afternoon.
Later on Friday, Hezbollah said it launched an attack on Israel’s Meron military base, which the Israeli military said was intercepted with some projectiles falling in open areas.
Israel also carried out attacks on Hezbollah in south Lebanon, according to the country’s military, which said it had targeted more than 85 sites linked to the group in the past 24 hours.
At least 16 people, including four children, were killed by Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon on Friday and 54 people were wounded, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported multiple airstrikes on Friday in the south, as well as two on Nabi Sheit area east of Bekaa Valley.
Both Israel and Hezbollah have accused each other of violating the extended ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon.
Eugenia Yosef contributed reporting.
Higher costs linked to war pushed onto households, economist says
People in developed economies are cutting savings to maintain living standards, as higher costs linked to the Iran war are pushed directly onto households, an economist told CNN.
“Companies are effectively passing costs on to the end consumer,” said Paul Donovan, global chief economist for UBS Wealth Management.
His comments come as consumer sentiment in the US continued to decline this month, hitting a record low as the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz rattles global energy markets.
Donavon also warned that rising energy prices could leave households with less room for other everyday spending, as customers will prioritize higher fuel and utility bills.
“The problem comes in when consumers are no longer willing to keep cutting back on their savings rate,” Donavon said. “Then you would start to see consumption have to be cut back in order to pay for the higher energy costs.”
US intel: Iran’s injured supreme leader is still shaping war strategy
US intelligence assesses that Iran’s new supreme leader is playing a critical role in shaping war strategy alongside senior Iranian officials, according to multiple sources familiar with the intelligence. The reports found that precise authority within a now-fractured regime remains unclear, but that Mojtaba Khamenei is likely helping direct how Iran is managing negotiations with the US to end the war.
Khamenei has not been seen in public since he sustained serious injuries during an attack that killed his father and several of the country’s top military leaders at the beginning of the war, leading to speculation about his health and role in the Iranian leadership structure.
The Trump administration continues to pursue a diplomatic end to the conflict as a ceasefire stretches past a month with US intelligence assessing that Iran continues to dig out from the US bombing campaign that left significant Iranian military capabilities intact and the ability to survive months more of an American blockade, according to sources.
Khamenei was announced as Iran’s new supreme leader replacing his father days after the strike that injured him, but to date the US intelligence community has not been able to visually confirm his whereabouts, the sources said.
Part of the uncertainty stems from Khamenei not using any electronics to communicate, instead only interacting with those who can visit him in-person or by sending messages via a courier, one of the sources added.
US sanctions Chinese firms over Iran links just days ahead of Trump-Xi summit
Days ahead of a critical summit between US President Donald Trump and China’s leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, the United States has placed fresh sanctions on a number of Chinese firms for links with Iran.
On Friday, the State Department sanctioned four firms, three of which are based in China, linked with providing satellite imagery it said enabled Iranian strikes on US forces in the Middle East.
The US Treasury Department, meantime, designated 10 individuals and companies, including several based in China, on Friday, which it said helped Iran secure weapons and materials needed to build ballistic missiles and drones.
“Today’s action holds China-based entities accountable for their support to Iran,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement Friday. “The United States will take all necessary action at its disposal to target third-country entities and individuals aiding Iran’s military and defense industrial base.”
The US recently imposed sanctions on several Chinese refineries over purchases of Iranian crude oil, prompting a pushback from China which ordered companies not to comply.
Beijing’s foreign ministry has consistently said it opposes “unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law” and will safeguard the rights of Chinese citizens and companies.
Trump is expected to travel to China next week.
The US is expecting Iran's response to a proposal to end the war. Where things stand now
President Donald Trump told CNN on Friday that his administration was expecting to hear back from Iran later that evening about a US proposal aimed at ending the conflict.
Asked by CNN’s Kristen Holmes whether he had received a response from Iran, Trump said, “We’ll hear from them supposedly tonight.”
Pressed on whether he believed the Iranians were slow-rolling negotiations, Trump replied that he did not know. “We’ll find out soon enough,” he said.
As at Saturday morning Eastern time, it is not clear if Iran has responded to the US.
The president’s comments came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US expected a response from Iran on Friday regarding a proposal intended to end the war.
Other headlines to know:
- Project Freedom: Trump told reporters that the US might resume a short-lived operation, named “Project Freedom,” that guided ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Attacks on vessels: US Central Command said on Friday the US military fired on and disabled two Iranian-flagged oil tankers as the ships tried to bypass the blockade. The attacks came after the US said it targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking its warships in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Exchange of fire: According to Iranian media, the US and Iran have been embroiled in a “limited exchange of fire” around the strait, while Trump maintains the ceasefire is still in effect. Rubio said that the latest US military action was “separate and distinct from Operation Epic Fury” and that the US would continue to respond “defensively.”
- Hezbollah attacks: Hezbollah said it attacked a military base in Israel on Friday, which appears to be the first time the Iranian-backed group has publicly claimed responsibility for a cross-border strike since a truce between Israel and Lebanon was ordered in mid-April.
- Port blockade: US Central Command said Friday that more than 70 vessels are being stopped from entering or leaving Iran’s ports amid the US blockade.
CNN’s Alejandra Jaramillo, Haley Britzky, Zachary Cohen, Billy Stockwell, Brad Lendon, Eleni Giokos, Tim Lister, Aida Karimi, Sana Noor Haq, Jennifer Hansler, Sarah Tamimi, Charbel Mallo, Eugenia Yosef, Kevin Liptak, Kaanita Iyer and Mustafa Qadri contributed to this report.
