Migrant workers from India, Bangladesh, and elsewhere are taking up manual labor jobs inside the warring countries as Moscow and Kyiv struggle to offset shortages in their labor forces.

Iranian outlets with ties to the IRGC have floated the idea that Tehran assert control over undersea fiber-optic cables running under the Strait of Hormuz. Experts say the proposal has little legal merit but warn that Iranian sabotage remains a threat.

Former senior US diplomat Gordon Gray, who served as deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs under President George W. Bush, says indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran are likely to continue despite what he described as significant pain and pressure on both sides.

US President Donald Trump described the cease-fire with Iran as being on "life support," adding he is considering restarting naval escorts -- dubbed Operation Enduring Freedom -- through the Strait of Hormuz amid a continuing a deadlock over how to bring the conflict to an end.

After Russia and Ukraine agreed to pause hostilities for three days starting on May 9, both sides said there had been attacks on their territory in violation of the deal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia is "not even trying" to observe the cease-fire along the front lines.

A Russian drone hit a high-rise residential building in Ukraine's second-largest city, authorities said, injuring at least five people and straining a three-day cease-fire timed for Victory Day celebrations.

Iranian media said Tehran has sent its response to the latest US peace proposal, but the country's officials have maintained belligerent stance toward the United States.

Russian forces marched in Moscow's Red Square during May 9 Victory Day events, commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. One day earlier, US President Donald Trump announced that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a three-day cease-fire starting on May 9.

Iran blamed the United States for a recent escalation of skirmishes in the Persian Gulf as Washington awaits a response from Tehran over the latest proposal to end their war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he thought the conflict with Ukraine is "coming to an end," but stressed that he would meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy only once a final peace deal has been agreed.

In an online post, US President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a three-day cease-fire deal starting on May 9. The date coincides with Victory Day celebrations in Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there would be no attacks on the site of the celebrations.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to steady ties with Italy and the Vatican during a visit to Rome shaped by disputes over Iran, NATO, and migration. He also defended Washington’s military posture in the Middle East and warned Tehran against trying to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz.