Middle East Today | The National

US President Donald Trump said that three US destroyers came under fire in the Strait of Hormuz and that "great damage" was done to the Iranian attackers. The US ⁠military earlier confirmed it had carried out strikes on Iranian sites after an "unprovoked" attack. Mr Trump said the ceasefire announced on April 7 remains in effect despite the strikes, but warned “we’ll knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently” if Iran doesn’t sign a deal soon. Why it matters: Iran has yet to finalise its response to a US proposal to end the war, and Washington appears to still be leaving room for diplomacy. Iranian state media said the situation has since stabilised after exchanges of fire in and around the vital waterway. Follow our live updates here.
The UAE's Ministry of Defence said the country's air defence systems were engaging with drone and missile threats from Iran this morning. The UAE has sustained more incoming fire from Iran than any other country in the past two months. The Emirates has set up a committee to document Iran's acts of aggression and crimes against it. It described the committee as an institutional mechanism that consolidates documentation efforts, turning collected records into a structured legal archive.
Saudi Arabia and ⁠Kuwait ⁠have lifted restrictions on the ⁠US military’s use of their ⁠bases and airspace, which ⁠were ‌imposed after the launch of US operation “Project Freedom” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, The Wall Street Journal ‌reported, quoting US and ‌Saudi officials.
Oil climbed as renewed clashes between US and Iranian forces clouded the outlook for a deal to end the Iran war. Brent rose as much as 2.9 per cent toward $103 a barrel before paring gains, while West Texas Intermediate was near $95.
The US has imposed sanctions on Iraq's deputy oil ⁠minister, Ali Maarij Al Bahadly, and militias over support for Iran, the Treasury Department said. It accused him of abusing "his position to facilitate the diversion of oil ⁠to be sold for the benefit of the Iranian regime and its proxy ⁠militias in Iraq".
Lebanon's Health Ministry reported at least 12 people killed, including two children and a paramedic, in a series of Israeli airstrikes yesterday. Representatives of Israel and Lebanon will ⁠hold their third ⁠round of talks in Washington on May 14 and ⁠15, a US State Department official said.

At least 8,000 bodies are still trapped under rubble in Gaza, the civil defence says, with the lack of proper equipment stalling recovery efforts. It comes nearly seven months into a ceasefire that has halted widespread Israeli bombardment of the Palestinian territory.
Bahrain’s parliament has expelled three lawmakers who opposed a royal decree on citizenship cases, after dozens of people were stripped of nationality for allegedly backing Iran during the Middle East war.
Kuwait issued five decrees and two decisions revoking citizenship from 316 individuals and those who acquired nationality through dependency. The measures included the withdrawal of citizenship certificates and affect naturalised citizens as part of ongoing reviews of nationality files.
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed received his Egyptian counterpart, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, in Abu Dhabi. The two leaders exchanged views on the latest regional developments and the implications for regional and international security and stability, according to state news agency Wam.
The Trump administration’s counter-terrorism strategy is set to shrink the space in which the Muslim Brotherhood can operate, a leading expert on the group has said. The strategy was led by Sebastian Gorka, the White House counter-terrorism director, and included on the list of threats is the Brotherhood, the Lebanese, Jordanian and Egyptian chapters of which were designated as terrorist groups this year.

Australian police said they had charged two ⁠women linked to ISIS with slavery offences after they returned overnight from Syria, where they had been detained ⁠in a refugee camp for more than seven years. The women, aged 53 and 31, face crimes against humanity charges including owning and using a slave in Syria, which carry a maximum ⁠penalty of 25 years in prison. They were arrested at Melbourne airport on Thursday on their arrival.
Iraq has announced a major oil discovery in an exploration block in the south, with estimated potential reserves of 8.8 billion barrels.
Shell has reported surging profits in the first quarter, after the Iran war led to a rise in oil prices.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 100th Saudi Pro League goal and Joao Felix bagged a hat-trick as Al Nassr re-established a five-point lead at the top with victory over Al Shabab.