Middle East & Arab World / US-Iran May – 27 July 2026

The Abraham Accords
Middle East & Arab World / US-Iran May 2024-April 2026
How the Strait of Hormuz Has Become a Weapon of War

Anders Puck Nielsen: Why is it so difficult to open the Strait of Hormuz? (video)
It will be dangerous to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and Trump is visibly frustrated about the situation. He can’t end the war before the strait is opened, and he can’t open it without a major escalation.
Paul Krugman: The Logic of NACHO [Not a Chance Hormuz Opens]
Realistically, the only way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is for both sides to stand down — for Iran to lift its de facto embargo on shipping through the Strait, while the U.S. lifts its blockade on Iranian shipping.
Such a mutual stand-down wouldn’t require negotiating a formal deal, nor would it require that either regime trust the other. All it need involve is for both sides to stop doing what they are doing.
12 Weeks of Crisis: A Full Recap of the Strait of Hormuz Blockade
In this episode [24 May] of What’s Going on With Shipping, host Sal Mercogliano recaps the first 12 weeks of the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz blockade. As we reach the three-month mark, we look back at how the situation evolved from initial disruptions and insurance cancellations to a full-blown “Schrödinger’s Strait” scenario with competing blockades and a global supply chain in disarray.
Has the global shipping industry reached a breaking point, or is a resolution finally in sight?

27 July
Trump Backs New Talks but It’s Unclear What He Hopes to Achieve This Time
Iran denied President Trump’s claim that it wants to talk, and gave no sign that it would make concessions or speak directly with U.S. officials.
President Trump said on Monday that there was “a good chance” a new round of diplomacy with Iran could yield a breakthrough, but warned that he would quickly resume the airstrikes he paused over the weekend if that did not happen.
“We’re talking right now,” Mr. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “Iran took a beating over the last 14 days, and they asked us very nicely, ‘please stop, let’s meet,’” he said, an assertion that Iran quickly denied.
(NYT) During a news conference on Monday, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, denied that Iran had offered to negotiate in return for a U.S. bombing pause. Tehran will communicate with Washington only through intermediaries, he said.
Having failed to achieve his goals through two weeks of renewed attacks on Iran, it is unclear whether Mr. Trump can expect better results through more negotiations, including on his crucial objective of restoring free navigation to the Strait of Hormuz.
Former U.S. officials said that a defiant Iran probably sees Mr. Trump’s leverage waning fast as the November midterm elections approach. Some top Republican officials are already urging him to finish the conflict.
Yet Mr. Trump will face a crosswind on Tuesday when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel visits the White House. Mr. Netanyahu favors continuing the war and is likely to make that case to Mr. Trump, analysts said.

24 July
US missiles hit Iran as path towards de-escalation uncertain
U.S. missiles struck targets across Iran on Friday and President Donald Trump vowed “major military punishment” for Tehran and its Houthi allies in Yemen, though he once again left open the door to a diplomatic deal with Iran.

19-22 July
Trump threatens to bomb Iranian bridges, power plants over ship attacks
Iranian official says Tehran would respond to US attacks by sparking power outages in countries hosting US troops.
If the warning, issued on Wednesday, materialises, it would represent a major escalation in the conflict, which is already spiralling across the region.
Trump has previously said the US would bomb Iran’s bridges and power stations, going as far as threatening to wipe out the country’s civilisation, but Wednesday’s statement is more specific than his previous threats.
US launches more airstrikes against Iran after announcing another death of a service member
(AP) — The United States conducted a new round of airstrikes early Monday targeting Iran after announcing the death of another American service member, and Iran fired missiles toward Jordan that risked widening the conflict into neighboring Israel.

14-15 July
The Hormuz Effect: Tanker Stocks, Supertankers, and the 2026 Crisis
(What’s Going on With Shipping)  The Strait of Hormuz remains the world’s most critical maritime chokepoint, but the current crisis is doing more than just disrupting routes—it’s reshaping the global financial landscape for energy transport. In this video, we break down why tanker stocks are reacting so sharply to the ongoing tensions and what the 36% drop in supertanker volumes actually means for the industry with returning guest, J. Mintzmyer from Value Investor’s Edge. Market Impact: Analysis of why major tanker stocks are sliding despite high demand for energy. Volume Shifts: Examining the 36% decrease in supertanker traffic through the Strait and where those ships are going instead
US reimposes blockade and steps up strikes as Iran threatens to halt Mideast energy exports
(AP) — The U.S. reimposed a naval blockade on Iran and intensified its airstrike campaign Wednesday in retaliation for Tehran’s attacks on ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The American strikes hit an Iranian army barracks, killed at least seven troops and wounded hundreds of people across the country, Iranian officials said.
Trump threatens to expand strikes on Iran’s civilian infrastructure
US president says he will knock out all power plants and bridges in effort to force Tehran to agree to deal amid impasse over strait
(The Guardian) Donald Trump has threatened to expand US strikes on Iran next week to target power plants and bridges if Tehran does not agree to a deal amid a continuing dispute over the strait of Hormuz. …
Destroying civilian infrastructure such as power and water facilities would be illegal under international humanitarian law and would probably constitute a war crime.
Trump Shelves 20% Fee for Strait of Hormuz Cargo After Blowback
By Jennifer A Dlouhy and Josh Wingrove
(Bloomberg) President Donald Trump backed away from his plan to impose a 20% charge on cargo shipments through the Strait of Hormuz after the proposal was widely panned as impractical.
…Any fees — whether imposed by Iran or the US — would directly affect American allies worldwide, including crude-producing Gulf countries as well as Asian nations dependent on those supplies. They could set a precedent for similar levies in other waterways, even though international law prohibits coastal states from assessing tolls on passing ships.
U.S. Strikes Iran As Conflict Over Strait of Hormuz Intensifies
The two countries reignited the war over the waterway, trading strikes as the United States prepared to restart a blockade of Iran’s ports on Tuesday. Earlier, Iran fired at U.S. military sites in the region.

7-9 July
U.S., Iran Return to the Brink of All-Out War
As both sides intensify strikes, future peace talks appear uncertain.
(Foreign Policy) U.S. and Iranian forces intensified their strikes on Thursday, as both sides exchanged fire for a third consecutive day. With Washington and Tehran expanding the scope and scale of their attacks, experts have suggested that the Middle East may be on the brink of returning to all-out war. On…Wednesday, President Donald Trump… also suggested that he could order bombings on critical civilian infrastructure—such as bridges, electric plants, and desalination facilities—and he threatened to “take over Kharg Island,” a vital hub for Iran’s crude industry.
Are the US and Iran escalating to negotiate?
(Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump declared on Wednesday that the interim agreement to end the war with Iran was “over” after Tehran struck U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait. Yet the bluster came with a caveat — a source familiar with the Ankara talks told Reuters Trump did not repeat his comments about the interim deal being over when NATO leaders met later at the summit, leaving the question open: is this a rupture or another round of pressure ahead ​of a return to the table?
… Our analysis asks whether this week’s broader cycle of U.S.-Iran strikes is positioning ahead of expected talks or the start of an unravelling neither side can fully control. And…we look at whether the war is quietly ushering in a new era of Gulf pipeline diplomacy, as Saudi Arabia, the UAE and even Israel race to plan routes around Hormuz.
Trump Vents Anger With Iran and Warns Ceasefire May Be ‘Over’
Takeaways by Bloomberg AI
…Trump expressed pessimism about the peace negotiations, saying “they can talk, but I think they’re wasting their time”, while Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi vowed “decisive actions” in response to the US actions.
As Iran Cease-Fire Frays, Trump Faces a Muddled War and Unpalatable Options
The president appears to be confronting the consequences of a cease-fire deal cobbled together in haste, with little movement toward resolving the key issues driving the conflict.
David E. Sanger, White House and National Security Correspondent
(NYT) “The problem is that all the options — endure, escalate or agree — are unattractive in different ways,” Richard Fontaine, the chief executive of the Center for a New American Security and a former aide to Senator John McCain, said on Wednesday. “The likeliest outcome is a continuing series of low-level, tit-for-tat attacks, followed by frantic diplomacy by mediators, the emergence of a new and fragile cease-fire, and then probably another round of strikes. Mr. Fontaine added: “It will be a long oscillation between cold war and low-level hot war.”
U.S. Strikes Iran and Reimposes Sanctions in Retaliation for Tanker Attacks
The military operation came hours after the U.S. Treasury revoked a waiver allowing global sales of Iranian oil.
Negotiations between Iran and the United States have been paused until after multi-day funeral ceremonies in Tehran for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
(NYT) The United States carried out airstrikes against several targets in Iran on Tuesday, hours after revoking a waiver allowing the sale of Iranian oil around the world, in a dual response to what the Pentagon said were Iranian attacks on three commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.. …
Earlier on Tuesday, after the ships were attacked but before the American response, Mr. Trump seemed to downplay the conflict with Iran as he met with NATO leaders in Ankara, Turkey.
“The war with Iran — or whatever you call it, it’s not even a war,” Mr. Trump said. “It’s a military operation. It’s a denuclearization, that’s really what it is.”

1 July
After Trading Attacks, U.S. and Iran Edge Back Toward Diplomacy
Negotiators are in Qatar for indirect talks and ship traffic has risen in the Strait of Hormuz, even as Tehran and Washington remain far apart on key issues. 
(NYT) After Iran and the United States traded a series of attacks across the Persian Gulf over the past week, the two sides appear to be turning back to diplomacy to try to stave off further escalation.
Attention has now shifted to Doha, the Qatari capital, where American and Iranian negotiators held indirect talks via mediators on Wednesday. Oil prices have fallen and ship traffic has risen in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for oil exports, on hopes that negotiations could lead to a more enduring cease-fire.
The recent upsurge of violence was the most serious test yet of a preliminary U.S.-Iran agreement signed last month, which halted the war but deferred discussions about many of the thorniest issues.
Diplomacy has resumed — but indirectly.
…the two sides were expected to hold indirect talks via Pakistani and Qatari mediators on Wednesday, according to a U.S. official.
The Iran talks expose the collapse of US diplomacy
In the Trump era, American diplomacy is being led not by impartial diplomats, but by real estate investors.
(Al Jazeera) The purpose of a professional diplomatic corps is to ensure that a nation has negotiators acting on its behalf whose only stake in the outcome of their work is the welfare of their nation. As the United States continues what may be the most critical negotiations of the second Trump administration – those with Iran – its negotiating team is led by the vice president of the US, and by two real estate investors with a side hustle in cryptocurrency.

29-30 June
Witkoff, Kushner Set to Hold Indirect Talks With Iran in Qatar
Takeaways by Bloomberg AI
Qatar said Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff arrived in Doha as part of ongoing peace negotiations between the US and Iran.
The Qatari foreign ministry said the two US officials are not set to meet Iranian counterparts directly and downplayed the prospects of a major breakthrough in talks.
Iran’s foreign ministry said there were “serious challenges” with the implementation of aspects of the memorandum of understanding, including the release of frozen Iranian assets and the future management of the Strait of Hormuz.
US and Iran pause strikes but disagree over next steps on talks
(AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran had requested a meeting with U.S. counterparts, though one of Iran’s top negotiators said no further talks had been scheduled after attacks across the Persian Gulf over the weekend challenged negotiations to end the war. …
Iran attacks Bahrain and Kuwait following US strikes and threatens to halt talks
(AP) — Iran again launched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait on Sunday following new U.S. airstrikes against the Islamic Republic, and threatened a “complete halt” in negotiations to end the war if Washington continues its attacks.
Efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz without Iran’s oversight has sparked days of crossfire. A multinational maritime body overseen by the U.S. Navy said Saturday it would expand a route near Oman for inbound and outbound traffic.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday reiterated the claim that Tehran must govern the strait to the Persian Gulf.

27-28 June
Dispute Over Strait Deepens as U.S. and Iran Trade Attacks
In a fourth day of hostilities, Iran said that it had targeted a U.S. naval base in Bahrain and a Kuwaiti air base with drones and missiles. No major damage or casualties were reported.
(NYT) The U.S. and Iran have agreed to halt attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and allow vessels to move through freely, according to a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing negotiations, as continued hostilities threatened a two-week-old cease-fire. Iran has yet to confirm an agreement.
The agreement would bring calm to the crucial waterway, where renewed skirmishing began last week after an attack on a cargo ship. U.S. officials blamed Iran for the resumption of hostilities, saying it had launched drone attacks on two vessels in the strait in recent days. Iran has not claimed responsibility for those strikes, but on Sunday reiterated its demand that vessels follow its designated routes in the strait.
U.S.-Iran ceasefire could go up in flames
(Axios)… With the situation escalating by the day, it isn’t clear if the next round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iranian technical teams planned for Tuesday in Switzerland will actually take place.
As part of the MOU, Iran committed to make its best efforts to allow safe passage of commercial vessels through the strait. In return, the U.S. lifted its blockade on Iranian ports.
During negotiations in Switzerland last week, the U.S. delegation — headed by Vice President JD Vance — agreed with Iran to establish a “hotline” between the U.S. military and the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), Iran’s military command, to coordinate traffic in the strait.
As of Saturday, the “hotline” still wasn’t operational. The situation has been escalating as Iran started claiming, again, that ships need to coordinate passage.
Iranian state media quoted the IRGC as threatening more forceful attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, raising the prospect of the peace process coming to a halt.
Iranian drones attack Bahrain and a ship is struck in the strait after US airstrikes
The new Persian Gulf strikes show the danger of the war again spinning out of control.
(Politico) … Efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz without Iran’s oversight has sparked days of crossfire. A multinational maritime body overseen by the US Navy said Saturday it would expand a route near Oman for inbound and outbound traffic. … The strait has long been considered an international waterway despite lying within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman.

25 June
Rubio Rejects Hormuz Tolls After Touring Wary Gulf Nations
Takeaways by Bloomberg AI
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US wants to reach a deal with Iran to end the war but won’t do so “at any price,” and reiterated that tolls in the Strait of Hormuz were unacceptable.
A ship was hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, and oil prices turned higher after the incident, with Brent crude touching session highs above $75 a barrel.
Rubio’s comments about tolls came after Iran and Oman said they were working toward an agreement to jointly administer the Strait of Hormuz, which raised concerns about Iran potentially charging fees or tolls in the strategic waterway.

24 June
Thomas L. Friedman on the Clash at the Core of the Iran Deal
How the world views of Jared Kushner and the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran can help explain the issue at the heart of the negotiations.
… In the end, Trump basically calculated that he had to end this war now in order to get oil prices down in time for the midterm elections.
So, what I predicted early on, that oil prices would determine this war as much as events on the battlefield, really played out. He basically sold out the State of Israel and the Arab Gulf states for the swing states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia.
… There’s been a memorandum of understanding signed by the parties to forge a cease-fire in the war that would allow for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and for Iran to sell oil for dollars and begin to repair its economy.
This is a prelude for wider talks on removing Iran’s nuclear near-bomb-grade-ready fissile material.
That is the general headline, I would say. But we know the details are all to be determined.
The Middle East is a funny place. It’s kind of the opposite of Washington. In the Middle East, people lie to you in private and tell the truth in public in their own language. In Washington, people tell the truth in private and lie in public.
We already saw a demonstration of this rule just in the last 48 hours. Vice President Vance came out and said: Hey, the Iranians have promised to let in nuclear observers from the International Atomic Energy Commission. And the Iranians said: No, we’ve offered no such thing. So, I think this is going to be an ongoing problem for the administration. Whether the Iranians did say it in private in English, they’re clearly contradicting it in public in their language.
And there is a bit of divine justice here. I’m thinking about Vance. This is a man who sold his soul, his every principle, to be vice president to Donald Trump, and it’s like the Greek gods have punished him by making him responsible for ending a war that he opposed, started by Donald Trump. That said, Iran needs to be careful not to overplay its hand. …

Israel says IDF is staying in southern Lebanon, undermining Iran peace talks
Defence minister says troops not withdrawing though Tehran sees end to war in Lebanon as part of deal with US
Donald Trump on Wednesday put a positive spin on the talks, saying Iran was “being very nice” and “agreeing to everything that I want”.
But in fact the US and Iran’s interpretation of the MOU has significantly differed, particularly over Lebanon. Iran has insisted that Israel needed to stop its war there and withdraw its troops in the south of the country. Israel has occupied large swathes of south Lebanon in what it calls a “security zone”.

Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American June 22, 2026
Trump administration is mired in its own mistakes.
It appears to be more and more clear that the Trump administration is mired in its own mistakes.
There is no way to spin the memorandum of understanding Trump signed last Friday at Versailles to advance peace talks with Iran as a win. Trump deliberately shut off both Congress and allies from the decision to go to war, making the conflict his own. That means the MOU, which achieves none of the goals Trump claimed while at the same time giving Iran access to hundreds of billions of dollars, belongs to Trump, too.

20-22 June
As Vance Leads Iran Negotiations, Trump Creates Disruptions in His Path
Vice President JD Vance is in a politically precarious spot.
(NYT) As Vice President JD Vance entered the fifth hour of negotiations with Iranian leaders over the weekend, President Trump weighed in with an ill-timed threat to start bombing again.
If the Iranians closed the Strait of Hormuz, Mr. Trump told a Fox News reporter, the negotiators talking to Mr. Vance would never make it back to their country — in fact, they would have no country to return to at all.
For Mr. Vance, this was the latest example of his increasingly tricky role as the frontman in the U.S. negotiations with Iran, as Mr. Trump repeatedly creates disruptions in his path.
On Monday, Mr. Vance said the first round of talks had laid “a successful foundation” for peace. But now, Mr. Vance will have to find a way to end a war that he opposed at the start, while navigating his boss’s whims and an adversary that has proved itself, at least in part, immune to Mr. Trump’s threats.

Vance Heads to Talks as Strait of Hormuz Re-emerges as Point of Tension
Vice President JD Vance said he would prioritize nuclear issues and renewed fighting in Lebanon in talks with an Iranian delegation in Switzerland.
Shipping in the Strait of Hormuz faced new disruption after Iran’s military said it was closing the waterway.
President Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are already in Switzerland, and an Iranian delegation has also arrived, according to Mr. Vance. Pakistan, which has served as an intermediary in talks, said on Saturday that “technical talks” would begin Sunday in Switzerland.
Over the last 48 hours, the fragile cease-fire had seemed at risk: Iran first postponed the next round of talks, initially scheduled for Friday, then claimed it was closing the Strait of Hormuz, over the continued fighting in Lebanon between Israel, a U.S. ally, and Hezbollah, an Iranian one.
The Iranian military, justifying the announced closure of the strategic waterway, said the United States had committed a “clear breach” of its commitments in the initial agreement by failing to rein in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, which exchanged fire again on Saturday.

19 June
Iran says US responsible for ending all fronts of war
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says the US has the “commitment and responsibility towards ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon”.
(Al Jazeera) In a call with his Pakistani counterpart, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, the Iranian foreign ministry said Araghchi emphasised that any violations of the MoU would be directed at the US, and “warned of the consequences and repercussions of such an action”.
US-Iran agreement could hinge on Israeli actions in Lebanon
Rania Khalek, a US journalist and political commentator, says the future of the US-Iran agreement may hinge on whether the Trump administration is willing to ensure that Israel complies with the ceasefire.
“The first point in the memorandum of understanding is a cessation of hostilities,” Khalek said. “From Iran’s perspective, continued Israeli strikes would be a violation of that understanding.”
Khalek said that much of the discussion around the agreement has so far remained “just rhetoric”, with questions remaining over how the ceasefire will be enforced on the ground.
She also challenged suggestions that attacks on Israeli troops in southern Lebanon necessarily indicate the ceasefire is failing.
“If Hezbollah attacks Israeli troops who are occupying Lebanese land, that’s not really evidence of the ceasefire not working,” she said. “It’s evidence that the withdrawal component of the ceasefire is not being implemented.” …

18 June
Trump’s Iran Deal Kicks In as Focus Shifts to Hormuz Flows
Takeaways by Bloomberg AI
– US President Donald Trump signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran, starting to take effect with a focus on resuming shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and negotiating Tehran’s nuclear program.
– The agreement sparked a flurry of activity in the region, with ships carrying oil making their way out of the Strait of Hormuz and Kuwait ramping up production, as Iran said commercial vessel traffic at southern ports had returned to normal.
– The US and Iran will engage in a 60-day negotiating period to agree on restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear program and potentially unfreeze tens of billions of dollars of funds, with the possibility of extending the timeframe.
Trump signed the so-called memorandum of understanding at the Palace of Versailles near Paris on Wednesday evening, at the end of a Group of Seven summit.

17 June
Iran’s Victory Is More Pyrrhic Than It Looks
The Islamic Republic has survived. Now comes the hard part.
By Menahem Merhavy, research fellow at the Harry S. Truman Institute, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
(Foreign Policy) ,,, Mojtaba Khamenei had long been regarded as a likely successor and had built close relations with the Revolutionary Guards, who reportedly pushed wavering clerics to endorse him after his father’s death. It is therefore misleading to present his elevation as the product of the war or as proof that military pressure suddenly radicalized an otherwise more flexible regime. The war accelerated the succession; it did not invent the successor. More broadly, it did not hand power to Iran’s hard-liners. It exposed how decisively they had already held it.
This is why claims that the war radicalized Iran are unconvincing. The supposed moderates of the Islamic Republic had ceased to command its strategic direction long before the first strike. Iran’s confrontation with Israel and the United States did not result from the sudden ascent of some previously excluded extremist faction. It was the culmination of decisions made by the core of the system: the supreme leader’s office, the Revolutionary Guards, and the broader security network. Those officials usually described as pragmatic could warn against reckless policies, negotiate tactical retreats, or manage their consequences. They could no longer prevent them. …
During an external attack, many Iranians who despise the Islamic Republic will hesitate to rise against it. War produces fear, patriotism, and a natural refusal to be seen as assisting foreign bombardment. It also gives the security apparatus a pretext to arrest opponents and hunt for alleged spies. But that enforced silence should not be mistaken for renewed legitimacy. Once the bombs stop falling, once the patriotic emergency fades and economic promises encounter the realities of a corrupt political order, the old grievances can return with greater force.
Iran has therefore emerged from the war with neither victory nor defeat. It lost its old leader, its claim to strategic immunity, and much of the credibility of its proxy doctrine. It retained control of the country, preserved the regime, and demonstrated enough coercive and economic leverage to compel negotiations.
But survival has only postponed the deeper reckoning. The Islamic Republic’s next challenge is no longer merely to withstand U.S. and Israeli pressure. It is to persuade its own citizens that, after all the bloodshed, sacrifice, and promised relief, the same system that led Iran into disaster can somehow be trusted to rebuild it. That may prove harder than surviving the war itself.

15 June
Iran War Live Updates: U.S. and Iran Sign Preliminary Deal, but Its Terms Remain Secret
(NYT) President Trump and Iran’s lead negotiator have signed an agreement that was expected to open the Strait of Hormuz. But the deal’s specific terms have not been released, and the countries have pushed their biggest disagreements to later talks.

The true test of Trump’s Iran agreement will come only if the fighting stops
the Middle East stalemate between the US superpower and its weaker rival lacks the clarity of knockout blows landed in the octagon on the South Lawn.
(CNN) …The understanding would halt fighting for 60 days, release Iran’s stranglehold on oil shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz and end the US naval blockade. It’s due to come into force after a formal signing ceremony in Switzerland on Friday.
Vice President JD Vance told Fox News the agreement contains an assurance that Iran will never produce, procure or buy a nuclear weapon. And he told ABC News on Monday that the memo had already been signed electronically. …
But a dearth of details and the terms that are known left Trump facing three immediate questions that will dictate the future strategic balance of the Middle East; the war’s place in history; and how all of this affects Trump’s presidential legacy:
► Do the opening of the strait and the end of the blockade signal only a return to the pre-war status quo, since the critical nuclear question is still undecided?
► Is Trump any nearer to securing a nuclear deal superior to the internationally backed and monitored pact negotiated by the Obama administration, with which Iran was complying until Trump tore it up in his first term?
► And most fundamentally, beyond a downgrading of Iran’s conventional military capacity, did a war that a majority of Americans didn’t want and that triggered huge global hardship achieve any results that justify its cost?
Longer-term implications also loom — should the memo hold — including over how Iran will use its demonstrated leverage over the strait in the future and whether it will seek to monetize that leverage.
The failure of the US and Israel, after killing Iran’s previous Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, to destroy the Iranian regime — which defines itself by hostility to the US and wants to eradicate the Jewish state — also seems to augur future tensions that could restart the war.
Inside Iran, if wartime conditions ease, attention will turn to whether the remnant regime has been critically weakened by the war and the US blockade or has been bolstered by its survival and is primed for a new era of repression. …
There was little mention from the US side about curtailing Iran’s support for terrorist proxies such as Hezbollah or restraining its missile programs and efforts to restock an arsenal depleted by war. Both are huge issues for Israel and, left unresolved, could tear the understanding apart.
Gaps are already forming between the US and Iran on memo’s meaning
Differing perceptions of the meaning of the memo are already emerging. The US insists any release of Iranian assets or lifting of sanctions will be tightly tied to Iranian compliance. Tehran said the 60-day clock will only start if Washington starts disbursing billions of dollars of its frozen funds. Such is the mistrust between the US and Iran, and so high are the tensions between Israel and Tehran, that it will be a major achievement if the agreement lasts until a deal is signed.

13-14 June
Trump Celebrates While America Capitulates
The peace deal with Tehran is an Iranian victory.
By Tom Nichols
(The Atlantic) Trump and his team, in record time, just lost a war to a militarily mediocre—but nonetheless extremely dangerous—adversary.
The details of the agreement remain unconfirmed, but the president, of course, is eager to spin the outcome as a victory. (Trump was in a hurry to sign the deal on his birthday; the Iranians, who now seem to be in charge of this whole business, instead said they will send someone to a meeting in Switzerland on Friday.) But even before we have the details, it is clear that Trump has failed to achieve every one of the goals he put forward for this war of choice, and now he is determined to sign, seal, and deliver America’s capitulation as quickly as possible. … Indeed, the United States has perhaps done worse than gaining nothing. Iran, while temporarily weakened, is now an even more powerful political actor: The regime in Tehran stood up to a massive U.S. onslaught, survived, and then inflicted pain on various states in the Gulf as punishment for going along with Trump’s war.

Deal is reached to end Iran war and Trump orders stop to US naval blockade
(AP) — The United States and Iran have reached an agreement to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, offering relief to the global economy more than three months since fighting began.
Full details of the deal were not immediately available. The signing will be Friday in Switzerland.
Iranian state media reported key mediator Pakistan’s announcement of the deal, after a day in which Israel, sidelined from the negotiations, attacked Beirut’s southern suburbs while pursuing the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and posed a threat to the discussions nearing an end.
“Both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” Pakistan said, adding that mediators this week will facilitate meetings to “lay the foundation for the technical talks.”
The deal came under criticism even in the final hours
The deal likely returns to a status that existed before the war, but with thousands of people dead and Iran wielding a new source of negotiating pressure with its ability to influence transits of the strait. The waterway is crucial to significant shipments of oil, natural gas and related products like fertilizer, and its effective closure rocked the global economy.
Of the stated targets by the U.S. and Israel when they launched the war on Feb. 28 with strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Tehran still has a missile program, support for armed proxies in the region like Hezbollah and a stockpile of highly enriched uranium for its nuclear program.
Khamenei’s son is now supreme leader, though he has not been seen in the public since the war began. His approval was needed for Iran to sign off on the deal.

Trump Announces Cease-Fire Agreement
Iran confirmed the arrangement, with its deputy foreign minister saying that the two countries would sign it on Friday in Geneva.
(NYT) The text of the agreement was not immediately released. But Mr. Trump’s post aligned with what American and Iranian officials had previously said an initial agreement might contain. The deal would include a 60-day cease-fire, the officials said.
Both sides have sought to portray an agreement as a diplomatic victory after nearly four months of war. But some of the thorniest issues — including the fate of Iran’s nuclear program, and sanctions relief for Tehran — remain unresolved and have been pushed to a further round of negotiations.
Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, which had been a key mediator in the peace talks, said on social media that an “official signing ceremony will be on Friday, June 19, in Switzerland.” He did not say whether the agreement had been electronically signed, as expected.
The signing — which Mr. Trump had once said would happen on Sunday, his 80th birthday — appeared at risk earlier in the day. Israel bombed the southern suburbs of Beirut in retaliation for rocket fire from Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group, angering Mr. Trump. He said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel had shown “no judgment” in carrying out the strikes.
U.S., Iran expected to “electronically” sign agreement to end war Sunday
(Axios) The U.S. and Iran, together with Pakistani and Qatari mediators, are expected to hold a virtual meeting on Sunday and electronically sign a memorandum of understanding that will extend the ceasefire by 60 days, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and launch negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
Why it matters: The pending remote signing is a result of almost three months of negotiations between the U.S. and the Iranian regime, mediated by Pakistan, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey. .
The MOU is expected to end the war in the region and potentially stabilize global energy markets.
What they’re saying: “We are closer to a peace deal than ever before. With finalization likely expected in the next 24 hours, Pakistan is preparing for the electronic signing of the peace deal immediately after, followed by technical level talks next week,” Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote on X on Saturday.
Shortly after, the Pakistani foreign ministry confirmed that the virtual signing ceremony has been scheduled for Sunday.
Zoom in: “The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL. Our relationship with Iran is a much different and better one than previous Administrations have had,” President Trump posted on Truth Social.
What to watch: On Tuesday President Trump will hold a meeting in France with G7 leaders, together with the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, U.S. officials said in a briefing with reporters.
A U.S. official said the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed Bin Salman has been invited too, but couldn’t join for scheduling reasons. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also not expected to attend, the U.S. official said.

12 June
Iranian foreign minister says deal with U.S. “never been closer”
(Axios) Two sources told Axios that as of Thursday evening, the deal had been approved on the Iranian side at high levels but likely not by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
What’s in the Iran deal Trump says he’s ready to sign
(Axios) The U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding President Trump claims will soon be signed calls for the Strait of Hormuz to reopen immediately without tolls and for Iran to receive sanctions relief based on compliance, according to a diplomat from one of the mediating countries and a U.S. official.
Why it matters: The MOU would extend the ceasefire for 60 days, including in Lebanon, during which time nuclear negotiations would be held. The text includes a framework for addressing Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, though any action on Iran’s nuclear program would depend on a second, more detailed accord.
State of play: The diplomat from one of the mediating countries, who walked Axios through the latest text, said “the U.S. and Iran have agreed on the text of a deal,” but acknowledged the deal still needed final sign-off.
As of Thursday evening, the deal had been approved on the Iranian side at high levels but likely not by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, two sources with knowledge said.
Trump said he expected a signing ceremony over the weekend. A spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry said Tehran had “not yet reached a final decision.”
Trump’s announcement that a deal had been finalized came as a surprise to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In recent days, Netanyahu found himself in the dark, calling allies close to the Trump administration to try and gather information, according to a U.S. source with direct knowledge.
Trump calls off latest threats to strike Iran, citing a breakthrough in talks to end the war
(AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he had called off new military strikes on Iran, claiming a breakthrough in negotiations to end the war just hours after the American leader threatened to escalate the conflict by seizing control of Iran’s oil industry.
Trump has said multiple times in recent weeks that the warring parties have been on the cusp of a deal without anything coming to fruition. A spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a live phone call on state television that mediators were active and nothing had been finalized to end the conflict that began Feb. 28 when the U.S. and Israel jointly attacked Iran.
Trump opened an Oval Office event Thursday afternoon saying: “We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran.” He offered scant details, other than to say he expects an agreement to extend a fragile ceasefire that started in April to be finalized “over the next few days.”

10 June
The United States launched a new wave of airstrikes on Iran early Thursday morning local time, hours after President Trump vowed to keep up military pressure on Tehran because Iranian leaders were taking “too long to negotiate.”
U.S. Central Command said the attack began at 5:15 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, which was 12:45 a.m. Thursday in Iran. Explosions were heard in Qeshm and Kish Islands near the Strait of Hormuz, as well as the southern cities of Bandar Abbas, Minab and Sirik, according to Iranian news outlets.
A Day After Predicting Peace, Trump Says U.S. Will Strike Iran Again
For weeks, the president has swung between predicting peace and threatening a return to full-scale war, leaving it unclear when or how the fight with Iran might end.
Just a day ago, President Trump said that a peace deal with Iran was imminent. Hours later, the United States and Iran launched new attacks on each other. On Wednesday, Mr. Trump said Iran was taking “too long to negotiate” peace, and later said, “We’re going to hit them hard again today.”
As Mr. Trump alternates between promising peace and threatening to return to full-scale war, neither is happening. Instead, the situation is as bewildering as ever, the two sides seeming to agree on nothing, prolonging the turmoil in the Middle East and leaving it unclear how or when the war will end.
Trump the unreliable narrator fails to force reality to match his story on Iran
A cycle of threat, detente and deadlock repeats itself wearisomely as the president’s war in Iran drags on
Andrew Roth
(The Guardian) Since the war began, Trump has again and again threatened Iran with fearsome consequences if Tehran doesn’t come to the table and sign a peace deal that the US president said was imminent weeks ago. And he has also repeatedly claimed that an Iran deal is “close” – without any result. (A CNN tally put the number of times he’s claimed it at 38.)
Never mind that the US has already claimed “complete victory” in the conflict and Trump has attacked reporters who have questioned the wisdom of the intervention, particularly as the strait of Hormuz remains closed to more than 20% of global oil traffic.
Even so, he continues to seek to have it both ways: both declaring Iran vanquished and painting the country’s stubbornness as the reason why he can’t sign a peace deal and end the conflict.
“The Bully of the Middle East is DEAD!!!” he wrote in a missive on Monday. “They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!”
The US president was posting after a US Apache helicopter was downed off the coast of Oman by an Iranian drone, despite claims from both Trump and the Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, that Iran “[doesn’t] have anti-aircraft, they don’t have radar”. …

2 June
Iran fires missiles and US strikes Iran facility after reports of faltering peace talks
(AP) — The U.S. military said Tuesday that Iran fired missiles at Kuwait and Bahrain that failed or were shot down, and that the U.S. launched strikes on an Iranian facility in response.
Iran fired missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain, but failed to hit their targets, the U.S. said. The two fired at Kuwait fell apart en route, while U.S. and Bahraini forces intercepted the missiles aimed at Bahrain.
U.S. Central Command said it responded with strikes on an Iranian military ground control station on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.

29 May
How Does Trump End This? with Jon Allen (video)
As Donald Trump’s war with Iran enters its fourth month, Peter Donolo, Jeremy Kinsman and guest Jon Allen unpack how a conflict once promised to be short and decisive became a global crisis.
The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, energy markets are under pressure and America’s allies are reassessing what American leadership now means.
Allen, Canada’s former Ambassador to Israel, argues the conflict was shaped by the egos of both Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, and by a miscalculation about how Iran would respond once attacked. The conversation turns to possible negotiations, the limits of Israeli and American leverage, the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the wider fallout for NATO, the G7 and countries that once relied on American stability.

28 May
U.S. and Iran reach deal but need Trump’s final approval, officials say
(Axios) Why it matters: The signing of the MOU would be the most significant diplomatic breakthrough since the war started, but a final agreement that tackles Trump’s nuclear demands would still require further intensive negotiations.
Zoom in: The U.S. officials said the 60-day MOU will state that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will be “unrestricted.” A U.S. official said this means no tolls and no harassment and that Iran will have to remove all mines from the strait within 30 days.
The U.S. naval blockade will also be lifted, but that will happen in proportion to the restoration of commercial shipping, a U.S. official said. The the U.S. would also issue some sanctions waivers to allow Iran to sell oil freely.
The MOU will include an Iranian commitment not to pursue a nuclear weapon, the officials said. It will also state that the first issues to be negotiated during the 60-day window will be how to dispose of Iran’s highly enriched uranium and how to address Iranian enrichment.
The U.S. will commit to discuss sanctions relief and the release of frozen Iranian funds as part of the negotiations.
The MOU will also include a discussion of a mechanism to help Iran start receiving goods and humanitarian aid.
The MOU would also state that the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon would end — an issue on which Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have had at least one tense discussion.
Iran War Ceasefire to Be Extended Under New Proposal
(Bloomberg) While it remains unclear whether Iran is onboard, a US source says the two countries have reached a tentative deal to extend a ceasefire as peace negotiations continue.

27 May
Iran and the Forever War Trap
In Trying to Avoid a Quagmire, America Found a Dead End
Lawrence D. Freedman is Emeritus Professor of War Studies at King’s College London.
(Foreign Affairs) Over the weekend, Trump insisted that a deal to end the war with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz was “largely negotiated” and nearly done. Iranian officials also suggested that they were close to agreeing to a memorandum of understanding with the United States that would stop fighting on all fronts and lift a U.S. naval blockade. The terms of this new agreement, however, were unclear and it seemed that the two sides remained far apart on important issues, likely including Iran’s willingness to make immediate concessions about its nuclear program. That uncertainty has now turned into doubt. On May 25, U.S. forces struck targets in the south of Iran, spurring Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to promise retaliation, with future negotiations and the ostensible cease-fire now in the balance.

26 May
Iran War Live Updates: Tensions Rise as Iran Threatens to Retaliate Against U.S. Strikes
(NYT) The threat came hours after American military forces renewed attacks in southern Iran, even as fragile diplomacy efforts to end the war continued.
Tensions remained high between Iran and the United States on Tuesday, threatening to upend fragile diplomacy efforts as Iranian officials warned of retaliation after American strikes overnight.
Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said in a written statement on Tuesday that the war with the United States had shown that American military bases in the Middle East are no longer safe, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said it would respond forcefully to any U.S. strikes.
Marco Rubio, the U.S. secretary of state, said that negotiations could take a few days, with Qatar acting as the most immediate mediator. “We’ll see if we can make progress,” Mr. Rubio said on Tuesday. “I think it’s a lot of talking back and forth going on about specific language in the initial document, so it’ll take a few days.”
On Monday, President Trump said on social media that the agreement would either be “great and meaningful” or “there will be no deal,” after facing criticism from prominent Republicans that the proposal was too soft on Iran.

24 May
12 Weeks of Crisis: A Full Recap of the Strait of Hormuz Blockade
What’s Going on With Shipping host Sal Mercogliano recaps the first 12 weeks of the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz blockade. (video)

20 May
Trump threatens ‘a big hit’ if Tehran does not make deal soon
Renewed threat comes after US president said he was ‘an hour away’ from ordering a strike before pulling back
(The Guardian) Donald Trump has again threatened Iran, saying the US may launch new attacks if Tehran continues to refuse the significant concessions he wants before a deal can be struck to end the Middle East war.
The US president said he had called off a fresh wave of strikes, which would have broken the ceasefire in place since early last month. “I was an hour away from making the decision to go today,” Trump said on Tuesday.
The decision apparently followed a further peace proposal submitted by Tehran via Pakistan, which has mediated, and may have been motivated by the reluctance of allies, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, to see hostilities resume.

10 May
Trump Rejects New Iran Peace Offer as ‘Totally Unacceptable’
(Bloomberg) President Donald Trump and Iran rejected each other’s latest peace proposals to end the 10-week conflict as the two sides struggle to maintain a fragile ceasefire.
Iran offered to transfer some of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to a third country, but rejected the idea of dismantling its nuclear facilities, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier. Iran disputed the report, according to the country’s semi-official news agency Tasnim.
It was unclear whether the exchange of proposals would offer a path to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Under its latest proposal, Iran would dilute some of its highly enriched uranium and have the rest sent to a third country, the WSJ said, citing people familiar with the response, but it also called for guarantees the transferred uranium would be returned if talks fail and ruled out dismantling its facilities.
Trump had proposed that Iran permit passage through the Strait of Hormuz and Washington end its blockade on Iranian ports in the next month, with nuclear talks to follow.

8 May
US awaiting response from Iran over proposals for ceasefire deal, says Rubio
Diplomatic efforts continuing despite fighting in and around contested strait of Hormuz in recent days
(The Guardian) During a visit to Rome, Rubio said: “We’re expecting a response from them today at some point … I hope it’s a serious offer, I really do … The hope is it’s something that can put us into a serious process of negotiation.”
There have been wild swings from hope to despair in recent days, as the US and Iran test each other’s resilience and will, seeking leverage in any talks through belligerent rhetoric, defiance and sporadic violence.
US Expects Iranian Response Soon Amid Clashes in Hormuz
By Courtney Subramanian, Courtney McBride, and Jen Judson
Takeaways by Bloomberg AI
The US expects Iran to respond to its latest proposal to end their war, which proposes that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the US end a blockade on Iranian ports.
Iran’s response is “under review”, according to Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei, and President Donald Trump said he is still expecting a response.
Clashes in the Strait of Hormuz have threatened to further fracture a month-long ceasefire, with the US carrying out airstrikes on two empty Iranian oil tankers and Iran saying the action had violated the ceasefire agreement.
The US said it expects Iran to respond to its latest proposal to end their war imminently, as clashes in the Strait of Hormuz threatened to further fracture a month-long ceasefire.
Iran has still given no indication whether it will accept President Donald Trump’s plan, sent on Wednesday, which proposes that the Islamic Republic reopen the strait and the US end a blockade on Iranian ports over the next month.
Burst of violence tests Iran ceasefire
(GZERO media) Both the United States and Iran accused the other of violating the truce on Thursday. The US said it thwarted attacks on three Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran accused the US of firing on an oil tanker attempting to pass a US blockade. But US President Donald Trump dismissed the exchanges as a “trifle,” and Iran’s foreign minister suggested today that Tehran does not believe the ceasefire is dead. The two sides are still debating a proposal to reopen the waterway and negotiate a longer-term deal. Will diplomacy work? …both Washington and Tehran have strong incentives to negotiate. The war is unpopular for Trump at home, while Iran’s economy is in shambles, and the country is eager to move toward a new status quo.
Trump suspends “Project Freedom” as Iran reviews new peace proposal
The United States has paused its 72-hour old mission to “guide” ships through the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran reviews a US-proposal under which Iran would accept some limits on uranium enrichment, the US would lift sanctions, and both sides would agree to reopen the waterway. … Both sides seem confident they have the upper hand, while also facing constraints. … Trump can maintain that blockade on Iran for a long period of time, but having so far failed to achieve the various stated objectives of the campaign, he appears reluctant to resume a war that is deeply unpopular at home.

7 May
U.S. intelligence says Iran can outlast Trump’s Hormuz blockade for months
A confidential intelligence community assessment delivered to the White House also finds that Iran retains a substantial missile and drone arsenal.
By Warren P. Strobel, John Hudson and Ellen Nakashima
(WaPo) A confidential CIA analysis delivered to administration policymakers this week concludes that Iran can survive the U.S. naval blockade for at least three to four months before facing more severe economic hardship, four people familiar with the document said, a finding that appears to raise new questions about President Donald Trump’s optimism on ending the war.
The analysis by the U.S. intelligence community, whose secret assessments on Iran have often been more sober than the administration’s public statements, also found that Tehran retains significant ballistic missile capabilities despite weeks of intense U.S. and Israeli bombardment, three of the people familiar with it said.
Iran retains about 75 percent of its prewar inventories of mobile launchers and about 70 percent of its prewar stockpiles of missiles, a U.S. official said. The official said there is evidence that the regime has been able to recover and reopen almost all of its underground storage facilities, repair some damaged missiles and even assemble some new missiles that were nearly complete when the war began.
Trump painted a rosier picture in Oval Office remarks on Wednesday, saying of Iran: “Their missiles are mostly decimated, they have probably 18, 19 percent, but not a lot by comparison to what they had.”
Three current and one former U.S. official confirmed the outlines of the intelligence analysis, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.
Tehran could withstand blockade for four months, CIA report shows, as fighting flares (paywall)
By Idrees Ali, Erin Banco and Hatem Maher

Trump shelved ‘Project Freedom’ after Saudis refused use of bases and airspace
Riyadh told White House it would deny access for operation to provide tankers military escort through strait of Hormuz

6 May
The real cost of the Iran War: $72 billion for the first 60 days
Popular Information crunches the numbers. The official accounting is at least $47 billion too low.

China is stepping up its Iran war diplomacy ahead of Trump’s summit with Xi
(AP) China’s diplomatic role in the Iran war has come into sharper focus following talks between Chinese and Iranian foreign ministers on Wednesday….all parties — including Washington and Tehran — say it has played an important role in efforts to de-escalate the conflict. The Trump administration is pressing China to use its influence with Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz.
China’s top envoy meets with Iran’s in Beijing as Trump pauses US effort in the Strait
(AP) — Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing on Wednesday morning, the official Xinhua news agency
Trump says Hormuz operation paused amid US, Tehran talks
(Al Jazeera) US President Donald Trump has paused the US military’s “Project Freedom” operation to open the Strait of Hormuz, due to “great progress” being made towards a “complete and final agreement with the representatives of Iran”. Trump said the operation will be paused for “a short period” to see if an agreement with Tehran can be finalised.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the US is pursuing “a policy of maximum pressure” and “expects Iran to submit to their unilateral demands”, which is “impossible” for Tehran.
The United Arab Emirates has said it came under a second day of missile and drone attacks from Iran, while Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) denied responsibility.
Iran has accused US forces of killing five civilians in an attack on passenger boats in the Strait of Hormuz, as opposed to fast boats operated by the IRGC.

2-4 May
US and Iran Trade Fire in Gulf, Jolting Four-Week-Old Ceasefire
(Bloomberg) The US and Iran exchanged fire in the Persian Gulf in a flareup of violence on Monday that also drew in the United Arab Emirates, prompting calls for renewed strikes on Iranian targets and casting doubt on the fate of a four-week ceasefire.
The American military fought off attacks from Iranian drones, missiles and armed small boats as it facilitated the passage of two US-flagged vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper told reporters in a briefing on Monday.
Adding to the tension, the UAE said it intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and blamed an Iranian drone strike for a large fire at its Fujairah port that hospitalized three people.  The strikes came as the US military said it helped two American-flagged ships go through the strait as part of a new effort announced by President Donald Trump to open a lane through the waterway. The US said it fought off attacks from Iranian drones, missiles and armed small boats. While one shipping company appeared to confirm the American operation, saying its ship was escorted from the area, the broader details of the plan remain unclear.
Two U.S. Flagged- Commercial Ships Sail Through the Strait | How Does the Military Convoy Ships?
(WGOWS) …the recent escort of two U.S.-flagged commercial vessels out of the Persian Gulf by the U.S. Military.
As tensions continue to fluctuate in the region, the protection of commercial shipping lanes remains a top priority. We’ll analyze the strategic importance of this escort, the specific vessels involved, and what this signal from the U.S. military means for the broader maritime industry and global trade routes.
President Trump says he is reviewing a new Iranian proposal to end the war
(AP) President Donald Trump said on Saturday [2 May] that he was reviewing a new Iranian proposal to end the war but also expressed skepticism it would lead to a deal.
Shortly after speaking to reporters, Trump posted on social media about the new proposal, saying he “can’t imagine that it would be acceptable in that they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to Humanity, and the World, over the last 47 years.”
Two semiofficial Iranian news outlets, Tasnim and Fars, believed to be close to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, said Iran has sent a 14-point proposal via Pakistan in response to a nine-point U.S. proposal. Iran’s state-run media have not reported on the new proposal.