Saudi Arabia and UAE made first direct strikes on Iran during recent war, NYT reports; US House deadlocks 212-212 on resolution to end the conflict

The New York Times reported on May 15 that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates carried out their first direct strikes on Iran during the recent war, in retaliation for Iranian attacks on their territory. The newspaper cited current and former senior US officials and gave no details on timing or targets; neither Riyadh nor Abu Dhabi confirmed the operations. Iran had repeatedly attacked sites in both Gulf states during the war with the United States and Israel, causing significant damage. The US military maintains bases in both countries, and the UAE — a key US partner that has normalised relations with Israel — and Saudi Arabia remain longstanding rivals of Iran in regional and confessional terms.

On Capitol Hill, the House of Representatives narrowly rejected a Democratic resolution to halt President Donald Trump's military campaign against Iran until Congress authorised it. The measure failed on a 212-212 tie, falling short of a simple majority; it was the third vote of the year on such a resolution, with margins tightening each time. The Senate had killed a similar measure 50-49 on Wednesday. Republicans hold only a thin majority in both chambers.

At a Senate hearing the same week, Centcom commander Admiral Brad Cooper rejected media reports, citing unnamed sources, that Iran retains roughly 70 to 75 percent of its mobile launchers and 70 percent of its missile arsenal. Cooper said he could not disclose intelligence but called the public figures 'wrong' from his perspective, arguing that judgement of Iran's strike capability had to account for command-and-control structures that had been 'shattered' and the absence of any way to manufacture missiles or drones in the background. Defense Intelligence Agency director James Adams had earlier acknowledged that Tehran 'still has thousands of missiles and one-way attack drones that pose a threat to us and to our allies across the region.'

Trump, returning from China aboard Air Force One, said he and Xi Jinping had agreed that Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons and that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open for energy shipping. The White House said Xi rejected militarisation of the strait and opposed transit fees; Trump added that Beijing had also expressed interest in buying more American oil. Trump said he was considering lifting sanctions on Chinese firms that purchase Iranian crude and would decide in coming days. China's foreign ministry called for a 'comprehensive and lasting' ceasefire 'as soon as possible' and said shipping lanes should be reopened to meet international demand. Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said about 30 ships had passed through the strait overnight; the Iranian agency Tasnim said the convoy included Chinese vessels that had crossed after coordination with Tehran. The IRGC commander stressed no ship 'of an enemy state' would be allowed through.

In a Fox News interview, Trump warned that 'I will not be patient much longer,' urging Iran to strike a deal and saying its enriched uranium could 'be securely stored,' preferably in the United States, 'though that is more for public relations than anything.' He described the Iranian leaders his administration was negotiating with as 'reasonable.'

Around the strait, the British maritime security firm Vanguard reported that the Honduras-flagged fisheries research vessel Hui Chuan was seized by Iranian personnel while anchored off the UAE coast and was being moved into Iranian waters with its tracking system switched off; Tehran has detained at least two other ships since the war began in late February. India protested an attack on an Indian-flagged ship off Oman on Wednesday, calling the targeting of merchant shipping 'unacceptable'; the entire crew was reported safe and responsibility was not identified. Pakistan, mediating between the warring parties, repatriated 20 Iranian and 11 Pakistani sailors who had been on board ships seized by US forces on the high seas, foreign minister Ishaq Dar wrote on X.

Hezbollah used a fibre-optic-guided explosive drone to strike a parking lot in the northern Israeli coastal town of Rosh Hanikra, on the Lebanese border. The Israeli military said three civilians were wounded — two seriously — and called the attack a 'serious breach' of the ceasefire that took effect on April 17 and is due to expire Sunday. The Israeli research centre Alma said Hezbollah is increasingly relying on fibre-optic drones, which cannot be defeated by jamming. The third round of US-mediated Israel-Lebanon talks in Washington was reported by US officials to be 'productive', with another meeting planned for Friday.

Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi called on the BRICS group — which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, the UAE, Indonesia and Iran — to condemn the United States and Israel for what he called violations of international law, and warned against the politicisation of international institutions. The 'false sense of Western superiority and immunity,' Araghchi said in a statement on his Telegram channel, 'must be shattered by all of us.'