Skirmishes threw into question the viability of shaky ceasefire that had largely held for previous month – key US politics stories from 7 May at a glance
The US and Iran were supposedly close to a peace deal on Thursday, according to Pakistani officials. That was before the US military and Iranian forces exchanged fire in the strait of Hormuz.
Each side claimed the other shot first, with US Central Command saying its forces intercepted “unprovoked Iranian attacks” and responded with “self-defense strikes”. Iranian officials said the US vessels were attacked after the US “violated” the ceasefire by targeting two ships at the strait of Hormuz and attacking civilian areas.
In an interview with ABC News, Trump referred to the US strikes as “just a love tap” and said the ceasefire remained in effect.
Trump later acknowledged the incident in a Truth Social post, claiming “no damage done to the three Destroyers, but great damage done to the Iranian attackers”. There was also this bit of presidential prose as he described the downing of Iranian drones:
“They dropped ever so beautifully down to the Ocean, very much like a butterfly dropping to its grave!”
Trump capped his post with another warning to Iran, vowing that “just like we knocked them out again today, we’ll knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently, in the future, if they don’t get their Deal signed, FAST!”
The United States and Iran exchanged fire late on Thursday in the most serious test yet of their month-long ceasefire.
Iran accused the US of violating the ceasefire by targeting two ships at the strait of Hormuz and attacking civilian areas, as the US insisted it struck in retaliation.
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The billions in profits big oil is reaping due to the Iran war may stymie the energy transition, experts and advocates fear, incentivizing oil and gas expansion and boosting the sector’s funds for political lobbying.
“Windfall profits from Trump’s war will allow big oil to build a wall of money around its Trump-era political victories,” said Lukas Shankar-Ross, a deputy director at the green group Friends of the Earth.
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The Vatican has said it raised the “need to work tirelessly in favour of peace” in talks with the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, who is in Rome on a trip widely regarded as an effort to ease tensions after Donald Trump’s repeated criticisms of Pope Leo.
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Donald Trump has questioned the value of four-figure World Cup tickets for matches involving the US, telling the New York Post: “I wouldn’t pay it either, to be honest.” The remark came in a phone interview with the Post, with Trump claiming he “did not know that number” for the US men’s national team’s opening match against Paraguay.
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The chief justice of the United States, John Roberts, has insisted supreme court judges are not “political actors” amid outrage over its recent decision undermining the Voting Right Act, and other moves that have benefited Donald Trump and his allies.
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A refusal by Saudi Arabia to allow the US to use its bases and airspace to provide a military escort for oil tankers passing through the strait of Hormuz lay behind Donald Trump’s decision to shelve the plan days after it had been launched.
Riyadh told the White House it would not allow its Prince Sultan airbase to be used to mount the operation billed as Project Freedom, which the US presented as the successor to the bombing campaign called Operation Epic Fury.
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The US trade court on Thursday ruled against Donald Trump’s latest 10% global tariffs, finding across-the-board tariffs were not justified under a 1970s trade law.
The US court of international trade ruled in favor of small businesses that challenged the tariffs, which took effect on 24 February. The ruling was 2-1, with one judge saying it was premature to grant victory to the small-business plaintiffs.
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Marco Rubio, the top US diplomat, has stoked speculation about a potential run for president in 2028 by releasing a campaign-style video that articulates a hopeful vision of the US.
Authorities around the world are racing to trace dozens of passengers who disembarked from the cruise ship at the center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak before isolation measures were implemented.
The FBI said that agency director Kash Patel “followed all applicable ethical guidelines” after a report in the Atlantic alleged that he distributed customized bourbon whiskey bottles as gifts.
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) pleaded not guilty on Thursday to charges related to allegations the organization committed fraud and conspired to money-launder.
Atlanta’s Emory University is facing a lawsuit from three tenured professors over its handling of 2024 protests against Israel’s assault on Gaza, capping off a tumultuous end to the spring semester.
Catching up? Here’s what happened on Thursday, 6 May 2026.