Trump Expects Iran Letter Tonight After U.S. Strikes Iranian Tankers in Gulf of Oman

President Donald Trump said he was expecting a letter from Iran “supposedly tonight” after the U.S. sent a peace proposal to end the war, with Trump telling reporters outside the White House on May 8, “I'm getting a letter supposedly tonight, so we'll see how that goes.”

“Iran has said it is reviewing a United States peace proposal that seeks to end the war, even as the two sides exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday”

Al Jazeera

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was “expecting a response from them today at some point,” adding, “I hope it's a serious offer, I really do,” during a visit to Rome on May 8.

Al Jazeera

The U.S. Central Command said on May 7 that it intercepted and “eliminated inbound threats” and struck unspecified Iranian military sites after Iranian forces launched missiles, drones, and small boats at U.S. Navy vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

In parallel, the U.S. said it disabled two more Iranian-flagged tankers in the Gulf of Oman on May 8 while enforcing its blockade on vessels entering or leaving Iran, and the United Arab Emirates said its air defense systems intercepted two ballistic missiles and three drones launched from Iran, leaving three people moderately injured.

CBS News reported that the U.S. military says its forces fired on two Iran-flagged oil tankers to stop them from docking at an Iranian port Friday in violation of the U.S. blockade in the area, while Rubio said the U.S. was expecting a response on a peace proposal and added, “we'll see what the response entails.”

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern at the reported exchange of fire between Iran and the United States in the Strait of Hormuz, with his spokesperson saying, “He underscores that this is a critical moment for de-escalation and urges all sides to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further escalation.”

Al-Quds al-Arabi

The U.S. Treasury announced sanctions on 10 individuals and companies on May 8 for aiding efforts by the Iranian military to secure weapons and materials used to build Shahed drones, and the sanctions included entities in China and Hong Kong.

In Washington, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the department was prepared to take financial actions against those providing weapons to Iran’s military, and the Guardian reported that Bessent’s comments came after the Treasury announced sanctions against 10 individuals and companies, including many based in China and Hong Kong.

The U.S. proposal described in Al Jazeera’s account would require Iran to agree not to develop a nuclear weapon and halt all enrichment of uranium for at least 12 years, while the U.S. would gradually lift sanctions and release billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets and withdraw its naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Al Jazeera also reported that both sides would reopen the critical waterway within 30 days of signing, and it said Iran has yet to formally respond while an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson told Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar Atas that his side is still reviewing the U.S. proposal.

In the same reporting stream, Al Jazeera said Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei described the text as “more of an American wish-list than a reality,” while Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf mocked U.S. reports of closeness to a deal by writing on social media in English, “Operation Trust Me Bro failed”.

Meanwhile, the Guardian reported that the U.S. will hold two days of “intensive talks” between Israel and Lebanon on 14-15 May to establish long-term border security and reach a lasting peace agreement to prevent further conflict, as fighting continued in the Strait of Hormuz.