US military boards Iranian oil tanker suspected of breaching blockade as Senate defies Trump on war
The US military has boarded an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman suspected of trying to bypass the American blockade of Iranian ports, US Central Command has said, as pressure mounts at home on US president Donald Trump over soaring fuel prices.
The vessel, identified as the M/T Celestial Sea, was searched and redirected after being suspected of heading to an Iranian port. It is at least the fifth commercial vessel boarded since the Trump administration imposed the blockade on Iranian shipping in mid-April.
The incident came as the Senate on Tuesday advanced legislation seeking to force Mr Trump to withdraw from the Iran war, with a growing number of Republicans defying the president in a 50-47 vote. Fellow Republicans are facing political headwinds ahead of November’s midterm elections as petrol prices skyrocket.
Nearly three months since the war began on 28 February, 1,550 vessels from 87 countries remain stranded in the Persian Gulf, the US military said. Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz while the US enforces its blockade on Iranian ports and Iranian-linked ships as far afield as the Indian Ocean.
Stuti Mishra21 May 2026 06:58
Oil edges higher with no peace deal progress
Oil prices edged higher early on Thursday, a day after Brent crude dropped 5%. Brent, the international standard, gained 48 cents to $105.50 per barrel, while U.S. benchmark crude added 52 cents to $98.78 per barrel.
Brent remains well above its roughly $70 level from before the war with Iran. Prices have been yo-yoing on rising and falling hopes that the United States and Iran can reach an agreement to allow oil deliveries to fully resume from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide.
Stuti Mishra21 May 2026 06:31
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard holds public weapons training in Tehran amid war threat
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard is holding regular public weapons demonstrations in Tehran, teaching civilians to handle assault rifles, according to The Associated Press, as US president Donald Trump threatens to restart the war if negotiations break down.
At a training session on Tuesday, male and female participants received instruction on handling Kalashnikov-style assault rifles, with those completing the course receiving a card certifying them as «Janfada», meaning those who sacrifice their lives. Military vehicles mounted with machine guns have also featured in parades through the capital, and a ballistic missile adorned the stage at a mass wedding.
«This is necessary for all our people to get trained because we are in a war situation these days,» Ali Mofidi, 47, a Tehran resident attending Tuesday’s session, told AP.
Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi criticised the demonstrations, particularly footage of young boys handling assault rifles, comparing the scenes to «child hostage-taking and arming by groups such as Boko Haram in Nigeria.»
Stuti Mishra21 May 2026 06:00
Iran releases map of its «controlled maritime zone» in the Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s newly-created Persian Gulf Strait Authority on Wednesday released a map of what it claims is its «controlled maritime zone» in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a post to X, the PGSA defined the zone as the «line connecting Kuh Mobarak in Iran and the south of Fujairah in the UAE in the east of the strait to the line connecting the end of Qeshm Island in Iran and Umm al-Qaiwain in the UAE in the west of the strait.»
Anyone transiting through the area for the purpose of passing through the strait «requires coordination with, and authorisation from» the PGSA, the post said.
Stuti Mishra21 May 2026 05:40
Iran says negotiations ongoing but it has ‘suspicion over America’s performance’
Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil ‌Baghaei said Iran was pursuing negotiations «with seriousness and good faith, but it has strong and reasonable suspicion over America’s performance.»
Iran ‌submitted a new offer to the US this week. Tehran’s descriptions suggest it largely repeats terms previously rejected by Mr Trump, ‌including demands for control of the Strait of Hormuz, compensation for war damage, lifting of sanctions, release of frozen assets and the withdrawal of US troops.
Mr Trump on Tuesday said he had been an hour away from ordering attacks this week in response to requests from several of Iran’s Gulf neighbours.
Stuti Mishra21 May 2026 05:20
Trump says willing to wait for a few days to get ‘right answer’ on Iran peace deal
Donald Trump has said the United States was ready to proceed with further attacks on Tehran if Iran did not agree to a peace deal, but suggested Washington could wait a few days to «get the right answers.»
Speaking to reporters, Mr Trump said the situation was «right on the borderline» and could escalate quickly. Six weeks after he paused Operation Epic Fury for a ceasefire, talks to end the war have shown little progress, while soaring gasoline prices have weighed on the president’s approval ratings.
«Believe me, if we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We’re all ready to go,» he said at Joint Base Andrews. Asked how long he would wait, Mr Trump said: «It could be a few days, but it could go very quickly.»
Iran warned against renewed attacks. «If aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will extend beyond the region this time,» the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement.
Mr Trump reiterated his determination not to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon.
«We’re in the final stages of Iran. We’ll see what happens. Either have a deal â or we’re going to do some things that are a little bit nasty, but hopefully that won’t happen,» he ​told reporters â earlier in the day.
«Ideally I’d like to see few people killed, as opposed to a lot. We can do it either way.»
Stuti Mishra21 May 2026 05:00
Trump: Netanyahu will do whatever I want him to
«He’s fine, he’ll do whatever I want him to do,†the US president told reporters at an airbase in Maryland, according to American media.
The comments came after a report by Israel's Channel 12 of a “lengthy and dramatic†phone call about Trump's decision to call off a return to military attacks.
“He’s a very- very good man. He’ll do whatever I want him to do. And he’s a great guy,» he added.
Stuti Mishra21 May 2026 04:40
Iran war briefing for Thursday 21 May:
- Donald Trump has claimed Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu will do whatever is asked of him, insisting the pair are on the same page over negotiations to end the Iran war.
- Trump said he was «in no hurry» to make a deal to end the war. He said the United States was ready to proceed with further attacks on Tehran if Iran did not agree to a peace deal, but suggested Washington could wait a few days to «get the right answers.»
- Iran’s foreign minister Esmaeil Baghaei told news agency Nour News: «We have received US Views and are reviewing them».
- Pakistan ‌continued to mediate exchanges ‌of messages ‌between Tehran and Washington, Baghaei said, â adding that several rounds of communication had taken place based on ‌Iran's ​original ‌14-point framework.
- Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to push the war «beyond the region» if the US or Israel resume attacks, promising «crushing blows … in places you cannot even imagine.»
Stuti Mishra21 May 2026 04:10
