US fires on Iranian oil tanker as Trump pressures Tehran for deal to end
war
[May 07, 2026]
By JOSHUA BOAK, BEN FINLEY and RUSS BYNUM
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military fired on an Iranian oil tanker
Wednesday as President Donald Trump sought to pressure Tehran into
reaching a deal to end the war. The Islamic Republic said it was
reviewing the latest American proposals.
A fighter jet shot out the rudder of the tanker in the Gulf of Oman as
it tried to breach the American blockade of Iran’s ports, U.S. Central
Command said in a social media post.
The attack occurred as Iran and the U.S. are officially in a ceasefire.
Trump threatened Tehran with a new wave of bombing if a deal is not
reached that includes opening the critical Strait of Hormuz.
Trump posted on social media that the two-month war could soon end and
that oil and natural gas shipments disrupted by the conflict could
restart. But he said that depends on Iran accepting a reported agreement
that the president did not detail.
“If they don’t agree, the bombing starts,” Trump wrote.
Israel hits Beirut for first time since last month's ceasefire
Meanwhile, Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs for the first time
since a ceasefire between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah
militant group was announced April 17. Fighting has continued since then
in southern Lebanon.
The last strikes in Beirut were on April 8, when a series of massive
Israeli attacks killed more than 350 people. More than 2,500 have died
in Lebanon since fighting began March 2, two days after Israel and the
U.S. launched the war on Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Wednesday’s
strike, which came without warning, targeted a commander in Hezbollah’s
Radwan Force. Hezbollah did not immediately comment.
Trump suggests U.S. might force a deal with Tehran
Trump insisted Wednesday that Iranian officials want to end the war.
“We’re dealing with people that want to make a deal very much, and we’ll
see whether or not they can make a deal that’s satisfactory to us,” the
president said.
He suggested that the U.S. could ultimately force a settlement.
“If they don’t agree, the bombing starts,” Trump said on social media,
“and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was
before.”
The White House believes it is near an agreement with Iran on a one-page
memorandum to end the war, according to reporting by Axios. There is no
deal yet, but provisions include a moratorium on Iranian uranium
enrichment, lifting of U.S. sanctions, distribution of frozen Iranian
funds and opening the strait for ships.
The White House did not immediately respond to questions about the
possible agreement.
A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei, told
state TV that Tehran had “strongly rejected” U.S. proposals reported by
Axios, but that it was still examining the latest U.S. proposal.
A shaky ceasefire between the U.S. and Tehran has largely held since
April 8. Pakistan hosted in-person talks last month between the two
countries, but they failed to reach an agreement.
Trump suspends short-lived effort to force open safe passage
Trump sought to increase pressure on Tehran the day after he suspended a
short-lived U.S. effort to force open a safe passage for commercial
ships through the strait. The waterway was a vital passage for oil and
gas supplies, fertilizer and other petroleum products before the war.
Only two American-flagged merchant ships are known to have passed
through the U.S.-guarded route after it opened Monday. The U.S. military
said it sank six Iranian small boats threatening civilian ships.
Iran’s effective closure of the strait has sent fuel prices
skyrocketing, rattled the global economy and put enormous economic
pressure on countries, including major powers such as China.
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Oil tankers sit at anchor offshore in the Strait of Hormuz off
Bandar Abbas, Iran, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA
via AP)
China's foreign minister called for a comprehensive ceasefire
Wednesday after meeting in Beijing with Iran's top envoy. Wang Yi
said his country was “deeply distressed” by the conflict, which
began Feb. 28 when the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against
Iran.
China’s close economic and political ties to Tehran give it a unique
position of influence. The Trump administration is pressing China to
use that relationship to urge the Islamic Republic to open the
strait.
Iranian envoy visits China ahead of Trump
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's visit to China came ahead
of a planned trip by Trump to Beijing.
Trump is scheduled to attend a high-profile summit on May 14-15 with
Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump was the last U.S. president to
visit China in 2017.
“We believe that a comprehensive ceasefire is urgently needed, that
a resumption of hostilities is not acceptable,” Wang said in a video
of the meeting.
The Chinese foreign minister said the conflict “has not only caused
serious losses to the Iranian people, but also had a severe impact
on regional and global peace.”
Araghchi told Iranian state TV that his visit included discussions
about the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's nuclear program and sanctions
imposed on Tehran.
Trump has demanded a major rollback of Tehran's disputed nuclear
program.
A statement published on the Chinese Foreign Ministry's website said
China values Iran’s pledge not to pursue nuclear weapons while
affirming its “legitimate right to the peaceful use of nuclear
energy.”
Shipper says strait shutdown costing $60M per week
Hundreds of merchant ships remain bottled up in the Persian Gulf,
unable to reach the open sea without passing through the Strait of
Hormuz.
A cargo container ship operated by the CMA CGM Group was damaged,
and multiple crew members were wounded when it came under attack
while transiting the strait Tuesday, the French shipping company
said. It said the injured crew members were taken off the ship and
received medical treatment.
Oil prices and shipping will not likely return to normal until the
risk of attacks in the strait has receded, said Kaho Yu, head of
energy and resources at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft.
“Refiners, shippers and commodity traders will remain cautious until
there is clearer evidence that Hormuz disruptions will not
re-escalate,” he said.
Hapag-Lloyd, one of the world's largest shipping companies, said in
a statement that the strait's shutdown is costing it around $60
million per week, with rising fuel and insurance costs hitting
particularly hard. The company said alternate routes to other
harbors or over land are limited.
The spot price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, fell
to around $100 per barrel Wednesday, easing significantly from big
price jumps earlier in the week. Crude sold for roughly $70 a barrel
before the war began.
___
Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. Associated Press writers E.
Eduardo Castillo in Beijing; Elena Becatoros in Athens, Greece;
Munir Ahmed in Islamabad; Toqa Ezzidin in Cairo; David McHugh in
Frankfurt, Germany; Adam Schreck in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and
Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed to this report.
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