The United States has imposed sanctions on several Chinese satellite companies for transmitting images of US military installations in the Middle East to Iran, according to the US State Department. The data was reportedly transmitted not only to Iran, but also to the Yemeni Houthis.
President Donald Trump said on May 10, after receiving the Iranian proposal: “I just read the response from the Iranian representatives. I don’t like it; it’s totally unacceptable!” According to US President Donald Trump: “We’ve hit 70 percent of the targets in Iran and can continue for another two weeks. Even if we didn’t attack, it would take many years for them to regain their capabilities.”
The Wall Street Journal, citing informed sources, reports that Iran has sent a several-page response to the US proposal. Iran’s response fails to meet American demands regarding its nuclear program and enriched uranium. Iran has proposed diluting its enriched uranium and transferring some of it to a third country other than the United States. Iran has agreed to halt uranium enrichment, but for a period of less than 20 years, and has refused to dismantle its nuclear facilities. Iran demands the return of the enriched uranium if negotiations fail or if the United States withdraws from the agreement at a later stage.
President Trump told Axios that he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on May 10 to discuss, among other things, Iran’s reaction to the latest US proposal. Trump described the conversation as a “very pleasant phone call” and said he has a “good relationship” with Netanyahu, but emphasized that negotiations with Iran are “my issue, not everyone else’s.” Trump did not specify whether he intends to continue negotiations with Iran or consider military action.
Netanyahu responded by saying that the war with Iran “is not over.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also hopes to free Israel from US military support within a decade, while his country is committed to strengthening ties with the Gulf states, he said in an interview aired Sunday. “I want to reduce American financial support to zero, the financial component of the military cooperation we have,” Netanyahu told CBS News’ “60 Minutes.”
Furthermore, following the Wall Street Journal article, Osinters discovered satellite images overnight revealing a secret Israeli base in Iraq, about 180 kilometers west of the city of Najaf, south of the capital Baghdad, in the heart of the Iraqi desert. The images show a makeshift 1.5-kilometer-long airstrip, built in a riverbed. Trenches have been dug near the runway, indicating a troop concentration area. A check by the Kan TV channel revealed that the airstrip was built at the end of February, on the 26th, before the start of Operation Lion’s Roar in Iran, and that there is currently no trace of the improvised runway: it was destroyed or damaged by floods. The improvised airport was built north of the border with Saudi Arabia, in a hot, arid desert area with relatively little rainfall.
Bahrain’s Interior Ministry announced the arrest of 41 people linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
An analysis of Automatic Identification System (AIS) data from MarineTraffic.com over the past 24 hours shows that no commercial vessels have passed through the Sea of Hormuz. The strait is one of the most strategically important maritime hubs in the world. Before the launch of Operation Epic Wrath on February 28, the average number of ships transiting the Strait was 130. Only one oil tanker bound for South Korea successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz and has now reached the country’s shores. The vessel, the Maltese-flagged Odessa, carrying approximately 1 million barrels of crude oil, reportedly left the Strait of Hormuz during a brief period of easing tensions. Previously, the United Nations reported that approximately 1,500 ships and 20,000 crew members were still stranded in the Persian Gulf.
Iran has been without internet for 74 days. The New York Times reported that an Iranian tech industry official estimated the internet shutdown is causing Iran direct and indirect losses of up to $80 million per day.
The IRCG Navy warns: “Any attack on Iranian oil tankers and merchant ships will result in a severe blow to one of the American centers in the region and to enemy ships.” Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi, in response to US intelligence assessments of the Islamic Republic’s missile capabilities: “The CIA is wrong. Our missile arsenal and launch capacity are not at 75% of those of February 28. The correct figure is 120%. And our readiness to defend our people is 1000%.”
Iran has made it clear that the May 10 response to the United States is Iran’s response to negotiations and concerns ending the war and ensuring the safety of shipping in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. In other words, as Iran has previously stated, ending the war first, then discussing the nuclear program. This contradicts American media reports.
An Iranian official told Al Jazeera: “Tehran’s response to the American proposal was positive and realistic. Our response focuses on ending the war across the region, particularly in Lebanon, and resolving differences with Washington. Iran’s response includes negotiations on the Strait of Hormuz, its nuclear program, and the complete lifting of sanctions. Our response focuses on the need for a clear and guaranteed mechanism for the lifting of all sanctions, as well as international guarantees for the implementation of any agreement signed with Washington. Washington’s positive response to our proposal will accelerate negotiations. The choice now lies with Washington.”
Iranian news agency Tasnim: “We just saw the reaction of the ‘so-called US president’ to Iran’s response. It doesn’t matter; no one in Iran cares whether Trump likes it or not. The negotiating team should only develop plans to protect the rights of the Iranian people, and if Trump doesn’t like them, of course, that’s better. Trump simply doesn’t like reality; that’s why he keeps losing to Iran.”
Iranian TV channel PRESSTV in English: “Iran rejected an offer aimed at subjecting it to Trump’s excessive demands.”
And now a look at the ongoing military scenarios in the Middle East and Western Asia, updated at 3:30 PM on May 11. The British destroyer D35 Dragon will be redeployed to the Middle East for possible participation in a future maritime traffic protection mission in the Strait of Hormuz. The Dragon was previously deployed in Cyprus to protect Royal Air Force bases. US Central Command has confirmed that the naval blockade remains in place.
An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) attack on Hamas-controlled territory in the Gaza Strip, targeting an explosive device manufacturing facility and an Islamic Jihad weapons depot in the Shati refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, was destroyed. The IDF: “The facility was recently used by the Islamic Jihad and Hamas production network to manufacture explosive devices designed to target Israeli forces.”
The situation in Lebanon is very critical. Hezbollah FPV Drone in Metula. Since May 9, several drones launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon have been intercepted by air defense systems, according to the Israeli military. “Suspicious aerial targets” have triggered sirens in several towns in the Western Galilee. Hezbollah struck a Merkava tank and a member of its crew with an FPV drone. Israeli attacks against farms, water systems, and livestock in southern Lebanon continue, devastating the backbone of Lebanon’s food security, turning entire rural communities uninhabitable.
An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reservist was killed in a Hezbollah drone attack in northern Israel. An Israeli tank was hit by Hezbollah and was seen burning in Shama’a, southern Lebanon. Three Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers were slightly injured in a Hezbollah drone attack in southern Lebanon on the morning of May 11th. The incident occurred in Taybeh. The Israeli army is now deploying dummies in southern Lebanon to deceive Hezbollah drone attacks.
Israel attacked several Lebanese towns on the morning of May 11th, including: Kfartebnit, Touline, Yahmar Al-Shaqif, Choukine, Aabba, and Toul. Artillery shelling targeted the towns of Zoutar Al-Sharqiyeh, Arnoun, Kfartebnit, and Yahmar Al-Shaqif, Nabatieh.
High-resolution satellite images of the secret Israeli base in the western desert of Karbala (Iraq) have sparked controversy. The base was active at least until March 2. Helicopters, equipment, and tents were located there.
On the morning of May 10, the Kuwaiti Army announced: “Early this morning, we intercepted several hostile drones over our territory.”
It emerged that, at the end of March, French Rafale fighter jets in the United Arab Emirates fired 87 Mica air-to-air missiles against Iranian missiles and drones. Meanwhile, the Rafale M fighter jets of the air group aboard the R91 Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier did not launch a single one. This single figure highlights two clear points: the interceptions were carried out primarily by pilots stationed directly in the Persian Gulf, and the cost: €700,000 per missile. Hence the need for alternative weapons. The British have also shot down several dozen drones, but with machine guns (several RAF gunners have achieved ace status, meaning they each have at least five kills) and Thales laser-guided missiles, which are significantly cheaper.
Informed sources told Reuters that the Iranian government has granted permission for a ship carrying liquefied natural gas from Qatar to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The passage of this cargo will mark the first time a Qatari ship has passed through the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war against Iran. This gas is supplied by Qatar to Pakistan. A US Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter transmitted a distress alert code over the Gulf of Oman. A state of general emergency has been declared. The cause is still unknown.
On the night of May 9-10, the British Maritime Trade Centre received reports of an attack on a bulk carrier in the Persian Gulf, 23 nautical miles from Doha, Qatar, with an unidentified projectile. There were no casualties, but a small fire broke out.
According to a statement from the United States Central Command, since the start of the US naval blockade against ships transiting to and from Iranian ports, 61 vessels have been diverted to Iranian ports or diverted from transiting the Strait of Hormuz, and four vessels “have been disabled to ensure compliance.” According to the Tasnim News Agency, “An oil tanker from Iraq bound for Vietnam passed through the Strait of Hormuz after navigating the Iranian route in coordination with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”
Iran has confirmed the destruction of several of its front-line Su-24MK bombers. These aircraft participated in the attacks against Qatar, but were shot down. The crews are missing. According to the Iranian news agency Fars, Ali Abdullai, commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces, met with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and presented him with a report on the operational readiness of the Iranian armed forces, including the army, the Revolutionary Guard Corps, the police force, the security and border troops, the Ministry of Defense, and the Basij.
According to the report, Khamenei conveyed to Abdullai “new instructions aimed at ensuring the continuity of operations and a decisive fight against the enemies.”
The United States Air Mobility Command (AMC) has been engaged in intense operations since the morning of Monday, with 13 C-17As and two C-5M military transport aircraft of the US Air Force engaged in missions in Europe and the Middle East.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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