Bahrain detains 41 suspected of links to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard

A tenuous ceasefire appeared to be holding Saturday after the US struck two Iranian oil tankers.

In the small Gulf island of Bahrain, the nation’s Ministry of Interior on Saturday, May 9, said it had arrested 41 people it alleges are part of a group affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. It said investigations are ongoing to take further action against anyone affiliated with the group, but did not provide further details.

Bahrain is led by a Sunni Muslim monarchy, but like Iran, its population is majority Shiite. Rights groups have said that the kingdom has used the war between Iran and the United States, which bases its Fifth Fleet in the country, as an excuse to crack down on dissent at home.

A tenuous ceasefire appeared to be holding Saturday after the US struck two Iranian oil tankers, while the country that hosts the US Navy’s regional headquarters said it arrested dozens of people it alleged were linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

Attacks on Friday cast doubt on the tenuous month-old ceasefire that the United States has insisted is still in effect. Washington is awaiting an Iranian response to its latest proposal for a deal to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and roll back Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.

The US military said Friday that its forces had disabled two Iranian tankers that were trying to breach an American blockade of Iran’s ports. Hours earlier, the military said it thwarted attacks on three Navy ships and struck Iranian military facilities in the strait.

US says it responded to an attack in the Strait of Hormuz

Iran has mostly blocked the critical waterway for global energy since the US and Israel launched the war on February 28, causing a global spike in fuel prices and rattling world markets. The US has imposed its own blockade of Iran’s ports.

The US military posted video of the two Iranian tankers as their smokestacks were struck by an American fighter jet on Friday. Earlier in the week, an American military jet shot out the rudder of a tanker the US military said was attempting to breach its blockade.

A US strike overnight killed at least one sailor and injured 10 others aboard a cargo vessel that caught fire, a news agency affiliated with Iran’s judiciary reported. It was not clear if the ship was one of the two tankers the US acknowledged striking.

Despite the attacks, US President Donald Trump has insisted the ceasefire is holding. He also has reiterated threats to resume full-scale bombing if Iran doesn’t accept an agreement to reopen the strait and roll back its nuclear program.

Indian sailor killed in dhow fire near Strait of Hormuz

An Indian sailor was killed and several others injured after their wooden dhow caught fire near the Strait of Hormuz, government sources said on Saturday.

Seventeen other Indian crew members were rescued following the incident on Friday, May 8, they said, noting that the exact cause of the blaze is still being ascertained.

The crew members were rescued by a vessel that was passing by in the area, the sources said.

The incident came amid increasing hostilities between Iran and the US in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime chokepoint between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman through which a significant portion of the world’s oil supply passes.

“A wooden Dhow, carrying general cargo, with 18 Indian crew capsized yesterday close to the Strait of Hormuz after it caught fire,” said a source.

“In this incident, one Indian on the dhow died while four received burn injuries. The injured are receiving medical treatment in Dubai and are safe,” the source said.

Officials from the Indian Consulate in Dubai met the rescued Indian nationals last night, said another source.

The consulate is also in touch with the dhow owner and is extending all possible assistance, the sources said.

European official calls for probe into Iran’s Minab school attack

The attack in Iran killing dozens of children must be investigated, as there are chances it could have been a deliberate strike, a member of the European Parliament (MEP), Milan Uhrik, said.

Uhrik, speaking at a Brussels memorial gathering outside the Iranian embassy, said military actions against civilians, as well as women and the elderly in Gaza, Lebanon, and Beirut, suggest a capacity to target non-combatants to strike fear and panic for gains, Iranian media said.

30,000 cars damaged: Iranian insurance company

The Central Insurance of Iran has stated that resources to provide the amount for vehicles damaged in the US-Israel war on Iran will be released soon. Officials at the Central Insurance Company and Iran Insurance gauged that about 30,000 cars have been damaged.

The officials observed that 30 million tomans (Rs 36,480) have been paid out recently.

Iran targets several pockets of Lebanon

Israeli attacks have targeted the outskirts of Nabatieh and other towns of Aroun and Kfar Tibnit, Al Jazeera reported. Israeli drones have also hit the towns of al-Mansouri, Burj Rahhal, and Nabatieh al-Fawqa.

Calls for calm

As tensions escalate, there’s been a flurry of diplomacy across the globe.

Russia’s foreign ministry said Saturday that it, as well as Saudi Arabia, is calling for continued diplomatic efforts to reach a “sustainable, long-term agreement” to end the war, according to Russia’s foreign ministry.

Egyptian and Qatari top diplomats have also reiterated that diplomacy is the sole path to finding a solution, according to a readout of a Saturday phone call between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country has been in contact with the US and Iran “day and night” in an effort to extend the ceasefire and reach a peace deal.

(With inputs from agencies)