The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it was working to verify the circumstances surrounding the reported sinkings but had not yet confirmed how many people were aboard either vessel or where the incidents occurred.

“We are deeply concerned by the potential loss of life and are working to verify further details,” the agency said in a statement.

UNHCR declined to provide additional information while its investigation continues.

The reported maritime disaster comes as growing numbers of Rohingya attempt dangerous sea journeys in search of safety and better living conditions, driven by conflict, persecution and deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Myanmar and refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh.

Around 1.2 million stateless Rohingya, most of them Muslims, remain in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh after fleeing successive waves of violence by Myanmar’s security forces. The United States has described the military’s 2017 campaign against the minority as genocide.

The military continues to rule Myanmar, leaving few prospects for the voluntary return of Rohingya refugees. Those who remain in Rakhine State face severe movement restrictions, while many continue to live in internment camps.

Humanitarian conditions have worsened in recent months as reductions in foreign assistance from the United States and other donor countries have led to cuts in food rations for refugees in Bangladesh. At the same time, fighting between Myanmar’s military and an ethnic armed organization in Rakhine has added to instability in the region.

Those pressures have prompted more Rohingya to board overcrowded and often unseaworthy vessels in an attempt to reach Malaysia across the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.

The UN refugee agency said thousands of Rohingya have died during such crossings over the years, including women, children and infants. It also noted that boats carrying Rohingya have frequently remained without timely rescue despite reports of distress at sea.

Calling for greater regional cooperation, UNHCR said saving lives at sea remains both a humanitarian obligation and a longstanding responsibility under international maritime law. The agency urged governments to strengthen search-and-rescue operations and called on regional authorities and the broader international community to increase support for people undertaking perilous maritime journeys.

According to UNHCR, more than 6,500 Rohingya fled by boat in 2025, with nearly 900 reported dead or missing, making it the deadliest year on record for Rohingya attempting sea crossings and the world’s highest mortality rate among major refugee and migrant maritime routes.

The agency said more than 5,400 Rohingya have attempted similar journeys so far in 2026, with 540 people reported dead or missing.

The incident occurred in Kohat district, where prolonged rainfall weakened the structure of the home before the roof gave way, according to Bilal Faizi, a spokesperson for the provincial emergency service.

Rescue teams recovered the bodies of 11 victims from the debris and handed them over to their families for burial, Faizi said. Authorities did not immediately provide further details about the identities of those killed.

The fatal collapse came as seasonal monsoon rains continued to affect several parts of Pakistan, bringing widespread disruption and increasing the risk of floods and landslides.

In the mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan region, heavy rainfall on Monday triggered multiple landslides that blocked key roads and damaged homes, according to regional emergency services.

The government has advised tourists to avoid travel to northern Pakistan because of the heightened threat of landslides, flash floods and other weather-related hazards during the ongoing monsoon season.

Pakistan experiences intense monsoon rainfall each year, with flooding and landslides regularly causing casualties, displacement and extensive damage to infrastructure and property.

The country’s vulnerability to extreme weather was highlighted in 2022, when unprecedented monsoon rains and catastrophic flooding submerged nearly one-third of Pakistan. According to official figures cited in the report, the disaster claimed 1,739 lives and caused an estimated $30 billion in economic losses.

Emergency authorities continue to monitor weather conditions as forecasts indicate further rainfall in several parts of the country, raising concerns about additional flooding and landslides in vulnerable areas.

More than 70 people were injured in the fire at the Rong Beer Na Ladprao bar, with 24 remaining in critical condition, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. The blaze broke out late Sunday in northern Bangkok and took firefighters about 30 minutes to bring under control.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said most of the victims died from smoke inhalation. Emergency officials said dozens of survivors remained hospitalized as medical teams continued to treat those with severe injuries.

Police and forensic investigators spent Monday examining the single-story building, which was cordoned off while authorities searched for evidence. The venue’s windows had been blown out, and investigators inspected debris scattered throughout the premises as they worked to determine how the fire began.

The bar, which describes itself as a brewery or beer hall, says it can accommodate up to 600 customers. Authorities have not said how many people were inside when the fire started.

National Police Chief Kittharath Punpetch said most of the victims were found trapped in windowless bathrooms near one of the building’s rear exits, where they may have sought refuge from the flames.

He said investigators were examining whether access to the exit had been obstructed by a table placed in a hallway or whether darkness caused by the power outage prevented people from locating the escape route. He added that another exit near the kitchen may also have been partially blocked by shelving and lockers, while there were indications that some exit doors might have been locked.

Investigators are also focusing on the ceiling above the performance stage, where decorative materials were installed. Police are examining whether flammable materials were used in the interior and whether the building’s electrical wiring complied with safety standards.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said a musician performing at the venue told him smoke was seen emerging from a circuit breaker near the stage before the electricity failed. According to the musician’s account, an explosion followed, after which thick smoke rapidly filled the building.

Video shared on social media showed flames engulfing the structure as patrons fled through smoke-filled exits.

Buddhist monks visited the site on Monday to offer prayers for the victims, while health workers distributed face masks to protect people from lingering smoke. Authorities also established a registration center to help families locate relatives who had been inside the bar.

Singer Sukanya Wongwongwai said she rushed to the scene after learning several members of her band were performing at the venue. She said one band member died and three others were hospitalized. Another musician initially reported missing was later found receiving treatment in hospital.

The bar issued a statement expressing condolences to the victims’ families and said it was cooperating fully with investigators. It added that the owner had suffered serious injuries and remained in intensive care.

Relatives gathered at Bangkok’s Institute of Forensic Medicine to identify those killed. Among them was Keo Oudone Poungpany, whose younger brother, a migrant worker from neighboring Laos employed at the bar, died in the fire. Poungpany said he had been outside the building when the blaze erupted and was unable to re-enter because of the intense heat.

The tragedy is the latest in a series of deadly entertainment venue fires in Thailand. Fourteen people were killed in a music bar fire in eastern Thailand in 2022, while a New Year’s Eve fire at Bangkok’s Santika nightclub in 2009 claimed 67 lives and injured more than 200 others.

Youlin Chen, 54, a U.S. citizen who lives in Boston, Massachusetts, was arrested by Chinese state security officers on Nov. 5, 2024, at Beijing International Airport as he prepared to return to the United States after visiting family and delivering lectures at two Chinese universities, according to his wife, Yufang Rong, and hostage advocate Eric Lebson.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated Chen as “wrongfully detained” on March 19, elevating his release as a priority for the U.S. government. Rong said the Trump administration has not publicly announced the designation in order to preserve space for diplomatic efforts aimed at securing her husband’s release.

A U.S. official familiar with the matter said the administration remained focused on obtaining Chen’s release from what it described as an unjustified detention but declined to discuss sensitive diplomatic exchanges.

According to Rong, President Donald Trump raised Chen’s detention during a state visit to Beijing in May, where Chinese President Xi Jinping said he would look into the case. Reuters could not independently confirm that account, although the U.S. source said Chen’s detention was among numerous issues in the broader U.S.-China relationship and that no single issue defined bilateral ties.

Chen is currently the only American in China formally designated by Washington as wrongfully detained, according to his wife and hostage advocacy groups. The Foley Foundation, which tracks Americans held abroad, believes at least 12 U.S. citizens are being unjustly held in China, including individuals subject to exit bans.

Rong said she fears Chinese authorities have already decided the outcome of her husband’s case before trial. She believes proceedings will be conducted behind closed doors, noting that espionage convictions in China can carry sentences ranging from lengthy imprisonment to life in prison or, in especially serious cases, the death penalty.

According to Rong, Chinese investigators have questioned Chen more than 100 times about his research into the seismic signatures of North Korean nuclear tests.

Eric Lebson, whose organization Global Reach is assisting Chen’s family, said he believes Chinese authorities are interested in Chen’s scientific expertise regarding techniques used to detect underground nuclear tests. Lebson said Chen’s work relied on publicly available data, was conducted in collaboration with Chinese academics, and never involved classified information.

Chen is employed by a U.S. government contractor but has never held a U.S. security clearance or performed classified work, Lebson said. His research received funding from the U.S. State Department and the Air Force Research Laboratory.

A 2020 paper reviewed by Reuters analyzed seismic data from North Korea’s six known nuclear tests and methods for distinguishing nuclear explosions from earthquakes. The document stated that it had been prepared for the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Arms Control and was approved for public release.

Human rights organizations have argued that China’s state-secrets legislation gives authorities broad powers to retroactively classify previously public information as national security secrets, potentially exposing researchers who relied on open-source material to criminal prosecution.

Rong said her husband initially endured harsh detention conditions, including prolonged periods of forced sitting without access to reading materials or exercise. She said he was also denied medication for diabetes and other health conditions during the early months of his detention.

She added that Chen has since lost between 30 and 40 pounds while in custody and receives inadequate food and poor-quality medication. U.S. embassy officials have visited him several times, she said, but Chinese officials have always been present, preventing private conversations. His Chinese lawyer was permitted to meet him only after more than 13 months in detention.

Chen was formally charged with espionage on May 1, 2025, but has not yet been brought to trial. U.S. Senator Ed Markey, who led a bipartisan appeal urging the State Department to designate Chen as wrongfully detained, said he remained deeply concerned about the scientist’s safety and wellbeing and expressed hope that increased international attention would lead to his release.

Forensic investigators examined the heavily damaged Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao bar and restaurant as officials sought to determine how the fire started and why it spread so rapidly. Windows at the venue had been blown out, while emergency crews continued documenting the scene following Sunday’s disaster.

The fire broke out at around 11:00 p.m. local time on Sunday, sending patrons fleeing as flames engulfed the entrance. Witnesses described scenes of panic as people struggled to escape, with several suffering severe burns.

Athipat “Ice” Wijarn, whose band was performing when the fire erupted, said the lights suddenly went out before smoke appeared from an electrical circuit behind the stage. As he crawled toward an exit, he said an explosion knocked him from behind and he felt intense heat and burns.

Two members of the band, keyboardist Kwang and singer Breeze, were killed in the fire. Athipat said Breeze appeared to have died without suffering burn injuries.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the fire spread rapidly to the ceiling and suggested smoke inhalation was likely the leading cause of death.

According to the Erawan Emergency Center, 27 people were killed and 73 injured. Forty-one victims remained hospitalized on Monday, including 25 receiving treatment in intensive care units.

National Police Chief Kitrat Panphet said investigators planned to question the owner of the establishment once his condition improved. The owner was being treated in an intensive care unit following the incident.

Kitrat said many victims were found inside the venue’s toilets, where they had apparently sought refuge after the electricity failed. Investigators are examining whether emergency exits were accessible, noting that one exit was partially blocked by shelving, limiting evacuation.

Police are also inspecting the building’s electrical wiring and assessing whether interior decorations may have accelerated the spread of the flames. Kitrat said investigators were working on the assumption that negligence may have contributed to the disaster.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who visited the site, said preliminary findings pointed to “blind spots” where fire escape routes were not clearly visible. He urged the public to await the outcome of the official investigation and said any violations of safety regulations would be dealt with firmly.

Authorities have identified 10 of the victims so far, including nine Thai nationals and one citizen of Laos. Foreign authorities have not reported additional overseas casualties.

Witnesses described chaotic scenes as people attempted to flee the burning building. Laotian tourist Kan Kutirat said he heard loud screams from inside the venue as panic spread, while motorcycle taxi driver Surin Jaiharn said he helped several victims escape with severe burns before watching others carry the injured to safety.

The Thai government said families of those killed would receive compensation of 300,000 baht ($9,000), while injured victims would be eligible for reimbursement of medical expenses of up to 80,000 baht.

The tragedy has renewed scrutiny of fire safety standards in Thailand’s entertainment venues. In 2022, a fire at the Mountain B nightclub in Chonburi province killed 25 people, while the 2009 Santika Club fire in Bangkok claimed 67 lives and injured more than 200.

The speedboat overturned near the shore on Saturday afternoon shortly after departing Hon May Rut Ngoai island, close to Phu Quoc, Vietnam’s largest island, according to Vietnamese authorities. The vessel was carrying 32 Indian tourists and four Vietnamese crew members.

Vietnamese authorities have opened an investigation into the incident. State media reported that the boat’s captain, Nguyen Hong Hai, 57, is being investigated for alleged violations of inland waterway transport safety regulations.

The Indian Embassy in Hanoi said on social media that a flight carrying the remains departed Ho Chi Minh City and was expected to arrive in Mumbai late on Monday. The embassy added that authorities in the victims’ home states had been asked to coordinate onward transportation.

According to the embassy, 10 of those killed were from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, while three were from Andhra Pradesh and two from Kerala.

The victims were part of a company-sponsored trip organized by Lava International, an Indian smartphone and consumer electronics manufacturer. The company said the group included its employees, distributors and retail partners.

The embassy had earlier said that 16 survivors had been discharged from hospital and were returning to India. One injured passenger remained in critical condition at a hospital in Vietnam.

The accident occurred near Hon May Rut Ngoai island, located about 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of Phu Quoc, a major tourist destination known for its beaches and clear waters that attracts millions of domestic and international visitors each year.

India has become one of Vietnam’s fastest-growing tourism markets in recent years, with increasing numbers of Indian travelers visiting the Southeast Asian nation for leisure and corporate travel.

The crash occurred on Sunday afternoon along the northern coastal highway near Kiajaran Kulon village in Indramayu regency. According to local traffic police, the passengers were returning home after attending a wedding in the neighboring village of Parean.

Undang Syarif Hidayat, the local traffic police chief, said the victims were traveling in the open cargo bed of a pickup truck when the vehicle slowed and stopped near a median opening in preparation for a U-turn.

A wing-box truck traveling in the same direction struck the pickup from behind, Hidayat said. The impact pushed the pickup into the opposite lane, where it was hit by another truck traveling from the opposite direction.

“The impact pushed the pickup into the opposite lane where it was hit again by another truck,” Hidayat said, adding that the force of the collision threw more than a dozen passengers from the pickup truck onto the roadway.

Police said 13 people died in the crash, while five survivors were taken to hospital with injuries ranging from minor to serious.

Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the collision, including the sequence of events that led to the fatal crash. No further details about the drivers involved or potential charges were immediately released.

Road accidents remain a major public safety challenge in Indonesia, where traffic fatalities are frequently linked to overloaded vehicles, inadequate road safety infrastructure and poor compliance with traffic regulations.

The latest incident is one of several deadly crashes reported in Indonesia in recent years, underscoring continuing concerns over highway safety on the country’s heavily traveled roads.

Since the launch of the Three-North Protective Forest Program in 1978, commonly known as the “Green Great Wall,” millions of workers have planted trees and stabilized sand dunes using a technique known as straw checkerboards. The method involves arranging straw in grid patterns across shifting sand before planting saplings within each square, helping reduce wind erosion and improve conditions for vegetation to grow.

The project was introduced to combat decades of land degradation caused by drought, overgrazing and unsustainable farming, which stripped vegetation, weakened soils and accelerated the spread of deserts across northern China.

According to Chinese government data, the area affected by desertification reached its peak around 2000 and has since been shrinking by more than 1,000 square kilometers annually. Authorities say forests established under the program now cover a cumulative 500,000 square kilometers, transforming vast areas once threatened by advancing deserts.

Scientists say the progress reflects decades of sustained government commitment alongside the work of millions of rural residents. Zhu Jiaojun, a researcher at the Institute of Applied Ecology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said long-term monitoring indicates China’s desertified land has declined by about 10 percent since 2000, while areas classified as severely or extremely desertified have fallen by more than 40 percent.

Zhu said forest cover across the program area increased from roughly 5 percent in 1978 to 14 percent by 2022. He attributed the progress to extensive restoration efforts as well as increased rainfall in some regions, describing the achievements as the result of both sustained human effort and favorable climatic conditions.

The scale of the program has relied heavily on local participation. Zhu estimated that more than 300 million rural laborers have contributed to the initiative over the decades, largely through paid, part-time work involving tree planting, maintaining vegetation and repairing straw checkerboards.

Among them is Yin Yuzhen, a desert control worker who has spent four decades restoring degraded land near the Mu Us Desert in Inner Mongolia. Speaking during a government-organized media visit to the Kubuqi Desert, she recalled working in landscapes where blowing sand severely limited visibility and wildlife was scarce.

Today, she said, the landscape has changed dramatically, with visible vegetation, improved roads and clearer skies replacing the barren conditions she experienced when she began her work. She continues maintaining trees and sand barriers alongside her family and local volunteers.

While acknowledging China’s progress, international experts caution that ecological restoration remains a long-term undertaking. Barron Joseph Orr, chief scientist at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, said the program demonstrates that reversing desertification is achievable when restoration forms part of sustained national development policy.

Orr noted that restored dryland ecosystems can gradually become self-sustaining but still require long-term monitoring and careful management, with success depending on factors including water availability and soil health.

Environmental organizations have also emphasized the importance of linking restoration projects to local economic opportunities. Zhao Zhong, founder of the environmental group Green Camel Bell in Gansu province, said communities are more likely to support conservation when ecological protection also contributes to livelihoods.

Scientists say one of the project’s greatest future challenges will be determining whether restored ecosystems can remain healthy if government investment and direct human intervention are gradually reduced. Maintaining those gains, they say, will require balancing environmental protection with sustainable economic development for the communities that live alongside China’s expanding green belt.

At the same time, negative narratives surrounding the Rafale and India’s BrahMos missile system gained traction across social media.

A new open-source intelligence (OSINT) report by ThinkFi claims that coordinated online campaigns linked to pro-China and pro-Pakistan networks attempted to shape public opinion around Indonesia’s fighter aircraft procurement between 2025 and 2026.

According to the report, Indonesia became a major target after the May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict. Researchers say online networks worked to undermine confidence in France’s Rafale fighter jets while simultaneously promoting Chinese and Pakistan-backed alternatives such as the J-10C and the JF-17 Thunder.

Rather than relying on isolated posts, the campaign combined synchronized social media activity, bot networks and repeated amplification through state-linked media outlets to influence conversations around one of Southeast Asia’s largest defence modernization programmes.

The study suggests that cognitive warfare is no longer confined to politics or diplomacy. It is increasingly extending into commercial sectors, including the global arms market, where shaping public perception can become part of a country’s broader strategic competition.

Rafale Procurement Became the Primary Target

The report says the campaign gained momentum after the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, when Chinese defence platforms were widely promoted across social media alongside claims questioning the combat performance of Western military equipment.

Indonesia naturally became a focal point because of its Rafale acquisition programme with France and its wider efforts to modernize its air force. Researchers identified the Indonesian hashtag #HentikanRafaleDeal (“Stop the Rafale Deal”) as one of the central themes used to spread criticism of the aircraft.

One of the strongest indicators of coordinated activity, according to the study, came on June 11, 2025, when almost 93 percent of all posts carrying the hashtag appeared within a single hour. Such concentrated activity, the researchers argue, is highly unusual for a genuine public conversation and instead points towards organized amplification.

The timing also stood out. Just weeks earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron had visited Jakarta, where France and Indonesia signed a letter of intent to deepen defence cooperation, further strengthening the Rafale programme. The report argues that the online campaign appeared designed to influence public debate precisely when the procurement was attracting significant political attention.

Researchers also link the broader narrative to China’s efforts to market its own defence industry following the India-Pakistan conflict. During the same period, Chinese-built platforms such as the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation’s J-10C and the Shenyang Aircraft Corporation’s J-35 were promoted online as affordable and technologically advanced alternatives.

At the same time, negative narratives surrounding the Rafale and India’s BrahMos missile system gained traction across social media. While the report notes that these developments coincided with increased investor interest in Chinese defence companies, it does not claim that the online campaigns directly influenced stock market activity.

A Fresh Wave of Narratives Ahead of Rafale Deliveries

According to ThinkFi, similar patterns emerged again in May 2026 as Indonesia prepared to receive another batch of Rafale aircraft under its existing contract.

Researchers observed a sudden spike in Indonesian-language posts beginning on May 1 and peaking a day later. Many claimed that Jakarta had already signed a deal to purchase 42 Chinese J-10C fighter jets, despite there being no official announcement confirming any such agreement.

The report says many of the accounts driving these claims displayed characteristics commonly associated with automated networks. Some reportedly posted more than 500 times a day, while many accounts were created around the same period and amplified identical messages in a synchronized manner. The researchers identified a significant number of these accounts as originating from China and Pakistan.

According to the study, the messaging closely mirrored the online narratives seen during the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, where pro-China and pro-Pakistan accounts promoted the J-10 while simultaneously questioning the Rafale’s operational effectiveness.

Indonesia has acknowledged that it continues to evaluate multiple fighter aircraft as part of its long-term modernization plans. Although Indonesian officials indicated in late 2025 that the J-10C remained one of several options under consideration, no procurement agreement has been signed. Indonesian media, including Tempo, has reported that discussions remain at the evaluation stage.

The JF-17 Narrative and the Wider Information Campaign

The report identifies January 2026 as another key phase of the campaign, this time focusing on Pakistan’s JF-17 Thunder after defence discussions between Jakarta and Islamabad.

Researchers highlight a Reuters report published on January 12, 2026, which discussed possible defence cooperation and mentioned reported interest in more than 40 JF-17 aircraft, even though neither government officially announced such a purchase. According to the study, similar claims quickly spread across social media, where they were amplified by accounts that had previously participated in coordinated messaging.

The report also points to subsequent coverage by The Telegraph, which revisited the same claims while discussing the JF-17’s reported performance during the India-Pakistan conflict. Researchers say both reports were later cited by China’s state-run Global Times, after which similar stories appeared across several Chinese media outlets over the next two days.

According to ThinkFi, this reflects a familiar information strategy in which speculative or unverified reporting gains credibility through repeated references across multiple media platforms before becoming widely accepted in online discussions. At the same time, the report acknowledges that the Reuters article itself did not claim that any procurement agreement had been finalized and attributed its reporting to discussions surrounding defence cooperation.

The broader conclusion of the study is that Indonesia’s case demonstrates how defence procurement is becoming increasingly vulnerable to coordinated information campaigns operating across national boundaries. While China has previously been associated with influence operations in geopolitical contexts, the researchers argue that the apparent involvement of Pakistan-linked online networks in amplifying narratives favourable to Chinese defence exports represents a notable evolution.

As Indonesia continues expanding and diversifying its defence partnerships, the report suggests governments may increasingly face the challenge of separating genuine public opinion from coordinated digital influence campaigns. In an era where defence competition extends well beyond military capability, controlling the narrative may prove almost as important as securing the contract itself.

The Navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said a vessel that had endangered maritime security by switching off its tracking systems was struck and brought to a halt. The statement did not identify the ship but said several vessels had ignored warnings and attempted to transit the strait using what it described as an unauthorized route.

The IRGC said the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until further notice and until what it called “the end of U.S. interference in this region.” It also warned that any further military action against Iran would be met with a severe response and that additional enemy bases in the region could become targets.

The announcement came as Washington pressed Tehran to publicly commit to ending attacks on commercial shipping and to guarantee unrestricted navigation through the waterway without imposing tolls, according to senior U.S. officials.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States and Iran had agreed to continue talks despite an escalation in hostilities, while also declaring that an interim ceasefire was over.

A senior Iranian source told Reuters that Iran, the United States, Qatar and Pakistan had agreed to pursue negotiations through mediation efforts that were expected to coincide with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi’s visit to Oman. It was not immediately clear whether those discussions had produced any breakthrough.

Araqchi met Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi to discuss what the Iranian Foreign Ministry described as appropriate mechanisms for ensuring the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Oman’s state news agency later said negotiations would continue at both the technical and political levels.

Oman has been mediating efforts to end the conflict that has destabilized the Gulf since U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran began on Feb. 28.

Before the conflict, roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz, making it one of the most strategically important maritime chokepoints. Iran’s effective blockade of the waterway has driven energy prices higher and increased concerns over global inflation.

CNN reported on Saturday that Oman had drafted a proposal under which ships could freely navigate through the southern shipping corridor in Omani territorial waters, while vessels using the northern corridor through Iranian territorial waters would require prior Iranian approval without being charged transit fees. The White House and U.S. State Department did not immediately comment on the report.

The latest tensions followed attacks earlier in the week on commercial tankers from Qatar and Saudi Arabia, incidents that prompted U.S. strikes on Iranian targets and subsequent Iranian attacks on U.S. military facilities in Gulf states.

Araqchi accused Washington of violating the ceasefire arrangement after the United States revoked waivers allowing Iran to sell crude oil in U.S. dollars following the tanker attacks. In a social media post, he said compliance with any agreement must be mutual.

Although Iran has not claimed responsibility for attacks on commercial shipping, analysts have long said Tehran has used such actions to strengthen its negotiating position during periods of heightened regional tension.

The confrontation has further undermined confidence in the interim agreement intended to halt the conflict and has pushed oil prices higher, adding pressure on global energy markets.

In a statement released on Saturday, Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to avenge the death of his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on Feb. 28. The statement said Iran remained committed to avenging those killed regardless of future developments.

Trump said on Friday he had instructed the U.S. military to be prepared to launch a massive response if Iran attempted to assassinate him, following U.S. media reports that Israel had shared intelligence with Washington regarding an alleged Iranian plot.