Iran warns US against attacks on its oil tankers, other ships but ceasefire appears to hold

Dubai, May 10 (AP) Iran's Revolutionary Guard navy has warned that any attack on Iranian oil tankers or commercial vessels would be met with a "heavy assault" on one of the US bases in the region and enemy ships.

Iranian state TV reported the warning on Saturday, a day after the United States struck two Iranian oil tankers, while a tenuous ceasefire appeared to be holding.

Meanwhile Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy's regional headquarters, said it arrested dozens of people it alleged had links to Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

Friday's attacks cast doubt on the month-old ceasefire that the US has insisted is still in effect. Washington awaits Iran's response to its latest proposal for a deal to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping and roll back Tehran's disputed nuclear program.

The US military said Friday its forces disabled two Iranian tankers that were trying to breach its blockade of Iran's ports. Hours earlier, the military said it thwarted attacks on three Navy ships and struck Iranian military facilities in the strait.

Bahrain said it had arrested 41 people it said are part of a group affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard. The interior ministry said investigations confirmed they were in contact with the Guard and collected funds "with the aim of sending them to Iran" to support its "terrorist operations".

The small Persian Gulf island is led by a Sunni Muslim monarchy but, like Iran, has a majority Shiite population. Rights groups have said the kingdom has used the war between Iran and the US, which bases its Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, as an excuse to crack down on dissent.

Iran issued a warning to Bahrain.

"Siding with the US-backed resolution will bring severe consequences. The Strait of Hormuz is a vital lifeline; do not risk closing it on yourselves FOREVER," Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security commission of Iran's parliament, said on social media.

Iran has mostly blocked the critical waterway for global energy since the US and Israel launched the war on February 28, causing a global spike in fuel prices and rattling world markets.

The US has imposed its own blockade of Iran's ports. US Central Command said on Saturday its forces had turned back 58 commercial ships and "disabled" four since the blockade began April 13.

Britain's defence ministry said it was deploying a warship to the Middle East to join a potential mission to protect commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz once hostilities end.

The ministry said the HMS Dragon will "preposition" in the region, ready to join a UK- and French-led security plan. France announced this week it was moving its aircraft carrier strike group into the Red Sea in preparation.

Britain and France have led meetings involving several dozen countries on a coalition to re-establish freedom of navigation in the strait. But they stress it won't start until there is a sustainable ceasefire and the maritime industry is reassured ships can go through the strait safely.

US President Donald Trump has reiterated threats to resume full-scale bombing if Iran doesn't accept an agreement to reopen the strait and roll back its nuclear program. On Friday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the country was not paying attention to "deadlines", according to state-run IRNA.

Diplomacy continues. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country has been in contact with the US and Iran "day and night" in an effort to extend the ceasefire and reach a peace deal.

Russia's foreign ministry said Saturday that it, as well as Saudi Arabia, was calling for diplomatic efforts to reach a "sustainable, long-term agreement" to end the war.

Egyptian and Qatari top diplomats reiterated that diplomacy is the sole path to a solution, according to a readout of a Saturday phone call between the two foreign ministers.

On Friday, a top Iranian official said Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was in "complete health" and eventually would appear in public. Khamenei hasn't been seen or heard in public since the war began, fueling speculation about his status.

Mazaher Hosseini, affiliated with the office of Iran's late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was Mojtaba's father and who was killed at the start of the war, made the comment at a pro-government gathering. Hosseini said Mojtaba had suffered knee and back injuries in the war's opening attacks but they've largely healed. (AP)