Morning update

Good morning Middle East Eye readers,

The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said that its forces are "maintaining peak readiness" in the Middle East, as it continues the blockade against Iranian ports. 

Meanwhile, Iran and Oman - a US ally - have held talks over partnering in a system charging fees for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, despite protests by President Donald Trump's administration.

Here are some of the other latest developments from across the region:

• The US military used more of its advanced missile defence interceptors to defend Israel from Iranian attacks than its ally spent defending its own homeland, according to a report by The Washington Post published on Thursday.

• The UK’s Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) organisation classified the threat level in the Strait of Hormuz as "critical", warning that there is a risk of "attack or miscalculation" in the waterway.  UKMTO also found that the threat of piracy in the region also remains “severe”, however, no security-related incidents were reported in the last 48 hours.

• An Israeli air strike targeting an emergency response centre in the town of Hanouiyeh, south Lebanon, killed four. Another overnight attack struck the Lebanese town of Shawkin near an orphanage.

• The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on nine people from Lebanon accused of “obstructing the peace process in Lebanon and impeding the disarmament of Hezbollah”. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement that “Hezbollah is a terrorist organization and must be fully disarmed".

• The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that Israeli forces shelled an area located between the villages of Maariya and Abdeen in the Yarmouk Basin, located in Syria’s Deraa province.