As per reports, following are the updates on tensions in the Middle East due to Israel-US airstrikes on Iran as of Sunday (10 May):
• As of Saturday (09 May), Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian urged citizens to reduce electricity and gas consumption amid supply disruptions linked to the ongoing US blockade affecting shipments into Iran.
• As per reports, Israel established a covert military outpost in the Iraqi desert, with US awareness, to support air operations against Iran and allegedly carried out airstrikes against Iraqi forces that came close to discovering the installation on Saturday (09 May).
• A period of relative calm was reported around the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday (09 May) as US awaited Iran’s response to proposals aimed at ending more than two months of conflict and initiating peace negotiations, including discussions related to Iran’s nuclear program.
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House envoy Steve Witkoff met Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Miami on Saturday (09 May) to discuss efforts to end the conflict, while a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker reportedly sailed toward the Strait of Hormuz en route to Pakistan in what sources described as an Iran-approved confidence-building measure.
• On Saturday (09 May), UK announced the deployment of the air defence destroyer HMS Dragon to the Middle East in preparation for a possible multinational mission to help protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, following France’s deployment of a carrier strike group to the southern Red Sea as part of coordinated efforts to support regional maritime security.
• Qatari LNG tanker Al Kharaitiyat was reported sailing toward the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday (09 May) en route from Ras Laffan to Port Qasim in Pakistan.
• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated on Saturday (09 May) that Europe remains committed to maintaining the functionality of the NATO alliance despite growing disagreements with US, with tensions increasing following differing positions over the Iran conflict and broader defence and policy issues.
• An Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese town of Saksakiyeh killed at least seven people, including a child, and injured 15 others on Saturday (09 May), according to Lebanon’s health ministry, while the Israeli military stated it had targeted Hezbollah militants allegedly planning attacks against Israeli forces and said reports of civilian harm were under review.
