‘We will never bow down to the enemy’: Iran responds to US peace proposal as drones hit Gulf

AFP

10 May, 2026 08:46 PM2 mins to read

The USS Rafael Peralta implementing a maritime blockade against the Iran-flagged crude oil tanker vessel Herby. Photo US Navy / AFP

Iran responded to Washington’s latest peace proposal on Sunday, after drones threatened several Gulf region targets and Tehran warned it would not hold back from retaliating against any new US strikes.

According to state broadcaster IRIB, Tehran’s response, passed to Pakistani mediators, focuses on ending the war “on all fronts, especially Lebanon” - where Israel has kept up its fight with Iran-backed Hezbollah - as well as on “ensuring shipping security”.

US President Donald Trump had said he was expecting Iran’s reply by Friday but, as the wait dragged on, the ceasefire in the Gulf came under increasing strain – including from Sunday’s drone strikes, one of which hit and damaged a freighter sailing towards a port in Qatar.

The United Arab Emirates accused Iran of being behind another attack that targeted its territory in what would be, if confirmed, only the second alleged strike on a Gulf country since the start of the month-old truce.