The UAE will accelerate the construction of its new oil pipeline through Fujairah, the Abu Dhabi media office has said. Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan chaired a meeting of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s executive committee to discuss updates on the pipeline, which will transport oil from Abu Dhabi to the Gulf of Oman, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.

It is scheduled to operate in 2027 and will double the UAE’s export capacity via Fujairah to meet global energy demand.

The United States on Thursday offered a reward of up to $15 million for information on individuals allegedly involved in operating an Iranian drone manufacturing company tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

In a statement, the US State Department’s “Rewards for Justice” program released photos of several individuals linked to Kimia Part Sivan (KIPAS), the drone production arm of the IRGC’s Quds Force. Earlier this week, Washington imposed sanctions on 12 individuals and entities for allegedly facilitating the IRGC’s sale and shipment of Iranian oil to China.

All designations were issued under Executive Order 13224, which targets groups and entities accused by Washington of supporting terrorism. Under the measures, all property and interests belonging to sanctioned parties under US jurisdiction are blocked, while US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions involving them without authorization.

⁠Iran’s ⁠ability to threaten Gulf states and US ⁠interests in the Middle East have been dramatically reduced, a senior US naval official says.

“Iran has a significantly degraded threat, and they no longer threaten regional partners, ⁠or the United ⁠States, in ways that they were ⁠able to do ⁠before, across ⁠every domain,” Admiral Brad Cooper told a US Senate ‌committee. “They’ve been significantly degraded.”

US State Secretary Rubio has defended the war on Iran, claiming this time that Tehran was building a huge arsenal as a prelude to a nuclear weapon, which Tehran has always denied it is trying to obtain.

“Iran was building up a conventional capability, where they would have so many missiles and so many drones, that they could overwhelm anyone’s defences,” Rubio said.

“They were going to have so many drones and missiles that no one could attack Iran, because the result would be catastrophic for the region – and once they had that immunity, then they would break out towards a weapon,”

US senators have narrowly rejected a resolution curbing Trump’s power to wage war on Iran, their first vote on the conflict since a 60-day deadline expired for the White House to seek formal authorisation. The measure, introduced by Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley, was the seventh failed attempt by Democrats to rein in Trump’s war powers since the conflict began at the end of February. The vote tally was 50-49.

Democrats say that, under the War Powers Act, the administration had until May 1 to secure congressional approval for military action after Trump notified lawmakers in early March of strikes against Iran. They say that Trump is now operating in clear violation of the law. The administration disputes that interpretation, arguing that the clock was paused by a ceasefire announced more than a month ago.

Kuwait arrests four men it accuses of being in Revolutionary Guard and conducting failed infiltration of Bubiyan Island. The ministry identified the group members as Colonels Amir Hussein Abd Mohammed Zara’i and Abdulsamad Yadallah Qanwati, Captain Ahmed Jamshid Gholam Reza Zulfiqari and First Lieutenant Mohammed Hussein Sehrab Faroughi Rad.

During a confrontation with Kuwaiti forces on the island, gunfire wounded one Kuwaiti service member, the ministry said. Two other members of the group – navy Captain Mansour Qambari and the boat’s captain, Abdulali Kazem Siamari – escaped during the clash.

South Korea is set to join a high-level multinational defence ministerial meeting later today to discuss the security of the Strait of Hormuz. The move comes as Seoul evaluates its strategic response following a recent attack on a South Korean-operated cargo vessel in the vital waterway. The virtual conference, co-chaired by the UK and France, will be attended by South Korea’s Army Major-General Woo Kyung-suk

Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, stated that his country’s “armed forces are ready to deliver a well-deserved response to any aggression”. His comments come after US President Trump said the ceasefire with Iran is on “life support”, again threatening the country.

“Mistaken strategy and mistaken decisions will always lead to mistaken results, the whole world has already figured this out. We are prepared for all options; they will be surprised”, he said.

Israel’s civil aviation chief said that Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv has effectively become a “US military base,” disrupting civilian flights and threatening Israeli airlines. Shmuel Zakay told Transportation Minister Miri Regev and ministry Director General Moshe Ben Zaken that military activity at Israel’s main international airport is delaying the return of foreign carriers and increasing ticket prices ahead of the summer tourism season.

“Turning Ben Gurion International Airport into a military base harms the return of foreign airlines and threatens the financial stability of Israeli airlines”. Zakay said the Israeli military establishment does not fully understand the damage caused to civilian aviation or the impact on ticket prices and the public.

“Ben Gurion Airport has become a military base with limited civilian activity,” he said. He called for moving US aircraft from Ben Gurion Airport to military bases, saying the current situation harms not only airlines but also “all citizens of the country”.

Iranian army spokesperson said today that, in case they are targeted again, Iran’s enemies will be surprised by new weapons, new methods of warfare, and new arenas of war. He also said countries that follow the US in imposing sanctions against Iran are going to face difficulties when it comes to transiting through the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the national security and foreign policy committee of the Iranian parliament saying Iran’s restraint is over and that any attack on their vessels will be met with a heavy and decisive response.

According to Reuters, the latest peace efforts between Tehran and Washington aim to reach a memorandum of understanding to halt the war and restore traffic through the Strait of Hormuz while both sides negotiate a broader deal. The proposed framework would unfold in three stages: formally ending the war, resolving the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, and launching a 30-day window for wider negotiations.

The US media have also reported that under a 14-point plan proposed by Washington, Iran would be required to pledge not to develop nuclear weapons and to halt all uranium enrichment for at least 12 years. Iran would also need to surrender an estimated 440kg (970lb) of uranium enriched to 60 percent.

In return, the US would gradually lift sanctions, release billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets, and withdraw its naval blockade of Iranian ports. Both sides would additionally reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days of signing.

Pakistan’s military chief has reiterated that Islamabad will continue its mediation efforts between the US and Iran. “We will do all our efforts to succeed in the mediation, and we will continue to do so,” Asim Munir said in a public address. He added that Islamabad is aiming to achieve permanent peace in the war that erupted on February 28 and has embroiled much of the region.

A spokesperson for Iran’s military has warned that any country enforcing US sanctions against Tehran will “definitely face difficulties passing through the Strait of Hormuz”, according to the Tasnim news agency. Akrami Nia also said “none of the enemy’s objectives were achieved” in the war and that the political balance of the Iranian system had not been disturbed. “Rather, unity and cohesion inside were strengthened, which we still witness with the presence of people in the streets,” he added. “The enemy saw that it truly could not break this resistance and ultimately was forced to accept a ceasefire.”

Nia added that, during the ongoing ceasefire, Iran had strengthened its forces and capabilities, updated its target bank, and corrected its defensive and offensive positions.

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) says it has received a report of an incident 23 nautical miles (43km) northeast of the Qatari capital, Doha. It said a bulk carrier reported being struck by an “unknown projectile” and a small fire had been extinguished.

There were no casualties from the incident, and the UKMTO reported no environmental impact.

• 15 May: UAE announces accelerated pipeline construction to bypass Strait of Hormuz

• 14 May: US places $15M bounty on IRGC drone makers

• 14 May: US admiral says Iran threat to neighbours dramatically ‘degraded’

• 14 May: Rubio claims Iran developed missile arsenal to shield nuclear program

• 13 May: US Senate backs Trump on war despite deadline lapse

• 12 May: Kuwait says it foils infiltration operation by Iran’s IRGC

• 12 May: South Korea joins multinational talks on Strait of Hormuz security operation

• 11 May: Iran’s Parliament speaker says ready to deliver response to any aggression

• 11 May: Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport becomes ‘US military base’

• 10 May: Iran warns of retaliation amid renewed Strait of Hormuz threats

• 10 May: Pakistan promises to continue mediation efforts

• 10 May: Iran says countries that enforce US sanctions will ‘face difficulties’ in Strait of Hormuz

• 10 May: Bulk carrier hit by ‘unknown projectile’ in the Gulf

• 08 May: Iran unlikely to accept US’s latest proposal:

• 08 May: Tehran gives supreme leader update - as Trump claims war will 'be over quickly'

• 08 May: US military fires at Iran-flagged ship in Gulf of Oman

• 08 May: GCC secretary-general condemns Iran’s ‘baseless allegations’ against UAE

• 08 May: Iran says its ports can provide maritime services, support to commercial vessels in Hormuz

• 07 May: Iran unlikely to accept US’s latest proposal

• 07 May: Tehran gives supreme leader update - as Trump claims war will 'be over quickly'

• 06 May: US military fires at Iran-flagged ship in Gulf of Oman

• 06 May: GCC secretary-general condemns Iran’s ‘baseless allegations’ against UAE

• 05 May: Iran says its ports can provide maritime services, support to commercial vessels in Hormuz