Iran Inflation Hits Unprecedented Levels Amid US, Iran, Israel Uranium Dispute

Inflation and staple food prices in Iran were described by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty as hitting "Unprecedented Levels," as the diplomatic track for ending the war in Iran continued alongside military pressure in the Persian Gulf.

“World The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) released footage of its attack on three American destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz, claiming to have inflicted losses on the enemy and that the attacking ships fled”

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Russian President Vladimir Putin repeated the Kremlin’s offer to transport and store enriched uranium from Iran, saying Moscow was ready "to repeat this experience" after transporting enriched uranium from Iran once before in 2015.

Daily Beirut

Putin said Iran, the US, and Israel had agreed to the transporting the uranium out of Iran, but that "the United States hardened its position" and demanded the uranium be transported exclusively to US territory.

As Washington awaited a response from Tehran for its latest peace proposal, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister Muhammad bin Abdulrahman al-Thani on May 9, and State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the secretary expressed appreciation for Qatar’s partnership on a range of issues.

On May 10, Xinhua reported that the Navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that any "aggression" against Iranian oil tankers and commercial vessels would result in a heavy attack against one of the U.S. military centers in the region.

Xinhua said the remarks were released after sporadic clashes between Iran and the United States in and around the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday and Friday, and it described Iran tightening control over the Strait of Hormuz beginning Feb. 28.

DW

Press TV said senior Iranian military and political officials warned that any further acts of aggression in the Persian Gulf would trigger direct and decisive strikes against American bases and warships across the region.

Press TV quoted IRGC Aerospace commander Sayyed Majid Mousavi saying Iranian missiles and drones are "already locked onto enemy targets" awaiting launch orders, as it framed the warnings around Washington’s 39-day bombing campaign and Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref’s claim that the US and Israel were unable to hurt Iran’s petrochemical or steel sectors.

The New York Post described a fragile cease-fire while the US held to a maritime blockade, saying US forces are currently preventing more than 70 tankers from entering or leaving Iranian ports and that the blockade took effect April 13.

The Post reported that on Friday the US launched airstrikes targeting three empty Iranian-linked tankers, and it quoted US Central Command that a US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet disabled two tankers "after firing precision munitions into their smokestacks."

In parallel, the Post said Iran attacked a Chinese-owned oil products tanker near the Strait of Hormuz off the United Arab Emirates coast, and it quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian saying, "China is deeply concerned that a large number of vessels along with their crew have been caught in the conflict and stranded in the strait."

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty also tied the Strait of Hormuz to peace negotiations, saying control over the waterway has become central and that the opening of the strait was reportedly included in the latest US peace proposal to Iran, while Iranian leaders said they were reviewing the proposal.