Iran on Thursday denied attacking a Panama-flagged South Korean cargo ship, the HMM Namu, which caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz on May 4, 2026, while carrying 24 crew members. The Iranian embassy in Seoul said it 'firmly rejects and categorically denies' allegations that its forces were responsible for the blast, as U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Iran had 'taken some shots' at the vessel and urged Seoul to join a U.S.-led effort to secure shipping in the waterway. The Strait has been a flashpoint since the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran in late February, prompting Tehran to impose a chokehold on the strategic oil transit route.

Trump said Wednesday that 'very good talks' over the previous 24 hours made a deal 'very possible,' but warned that bombing would resume 'at a much higher level and intensity' if Iran failed to honor any agreement. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei stated the U.S. proposal was 'under review,' with Tehran set to relay its position to mediator Pakistan after finalizing its stance. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused the U.S. of seeking to force Iran's 'surrender' through naval blockades, economic pressure, and media manipulation. U.S. outlet Axios reported both sides were nearing a one-page memorandum to end the war and set the stage for nuclear negotiations.

French President Emmanuel Macron, in a call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, condemned attacks on UAE civilian infrastructure and ships near the strait as 'unjustified' and urged an immediate, unconditional end to the dual blockade. Pezeshkian countered that the U.S. naval blockade must end before the Strait could fully reopen, blaming Washington's 'excessive demands' and 'threatening statements' for undermining diplomacy. France's aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is en route to the southern Red Sea to support a multinational mission led by Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, involving over 40 countries in military planning to restore navigation.

In Lebanon, Israel conducted strikes in Beirut's southern suburbs on May 6, killing a senior Hezbollah Radwan force commander and at least 11 others in southern and eastern regions, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. The Israeli military confirmed one of its soldiers was severely wounded by an explosive drone in southern Lebanon the same day. The attacks mark the first Israeli strike on Beirut in nearly a month, signaling a potential escalation along the Israel-Lebanon front.