Tensions spike in the Strait of Hormuz
5/4/202647 min
There's been an escalation of the conflict in the Gulf after the US said it had sailed two destroyers through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said it had fired warning shots at one warship and denied US claims that two US-flagged merchant ships had transited the waterway. Iran has retaliated. The UAE says four cruise missiles were fired towards its territory and a drone hit the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone.
Also, Cape Verde has refused docking permission to a cruise ship with a suspected outbreak of hantavirus; and Samsung pays a massive inheritance tax bill in South Korea - but do some super-rich companies dodge tax bills?
(Photo: Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near Bandar Abbas, Iran, 4th May, 2026. Credit: Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA/WANA via Reuters)
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First 90 secondsRebecca Kesby· Host0:00
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Rebecca Kesby· Host1:07
[upbeat music] Hello and welcome to News Hour live from the BBC World Service in London. I'm Rebecca Kesby and we begin the program in the Gulf and the ongoing standoff between the United States and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz. On Sunday, Mr. Trump said the US would start to help stranded vessels through the strait. He's calling it Project