Trump says Iran Peace Deal could be a Week away as Tehran Reviews Latest US Offer
By Anders Hagstrom, Emma Bussey and Efrat Lachter
President Donald Trump ordered a temporary pause in “Project Freedom” in the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. sent its latest draft of a peace proposal to Iran.
WHAT TO KNOW
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President Donald Trump ordered a pause on “Project Freedom” after less than 24 hours, citing progress on a peace deal.
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U.S. Central Command said American forces successfully intercepted multiple Iranian cruise missiles and drones targeting commercial ships earlier this week, but reported zero damage to U.S. flagged vessels.
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A U.S. military blockade on Iranian ports remains in effect.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet with Pope Leo on Thursday after tension between Trump and the Vatican.
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Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has full oversight over all matters and issues in Iran.
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President Donald Trump said the U.S. and EU are united against Iran developing a nuclear weapon after a call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
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Officials said U.S. strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Port, Bandar Abbas, and Bandar Kargan did not signal a restart of the war or the end of the ceasefire.
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Iranian forces launched missiles, drones and small boats at the USS Truxtun, USS Rafael Peralta and USS Mason in the Strait of Hormuz, CENTCOM confirmed.
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President Donald Trump said Iran will see ‘a lot of pain’ if a nuclear deal isn’t signed after the clash in the Strait of Hormuz.
5 hours ago
Trump calls US strikes on Iran a ‘love tap’ after destroyers targeted in Hormuz Strait
President Donald Trump
President Donald Trump said Thursday that U.S. retaliatory strikes against Iranian targets were “just a love tap” and confirmed a ceasefire is in effect.
Speaking to ABC News, Trump also said “the ceasefire is going” before adding, “It’s in effect.”
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Thursday that American forces “responded with self-defense strikes” on Iranian targets after three Navy destroyers came under missile and drone fire from Iranian forces but were not struck.
The U.S. targeted three Iranian ports along the Strait of Hormuz: Bandar Abbas, Qeshm and Bandar Kargan.
The destroyers targeted by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz were the USS Truxtun, USS Mason and USS Rafael Peralta.
2 hours ago
Iran internet shutdown drives millions onto distrusted domestic apps: report
Iran Blackout / Ajid Asgaripour/WANA / West Asia News Agency via Rruters
Iranians are turning to distrusted domestic apps amid the national internet shutdown which means users are managing slow speeds, censorship and surveillance fears, Iran International reported Thursday.
Businesses are the most impacted because they rely on Instagram and other global services, while users on domestic platforms are managing outages, poor functionality and censorship on apps including Rubika, Bale and Shad.
One Iranian told the outlet that Rubika often fails to send photos and videos and claimed the platform allegedly checks users’ phone galleries, while another said uploading a single image can take an hour.
People also raised concerns about domestic apps exposing their data and devices to state monitoring.
2 hours ago
Iran will see ‘a lot of pain’ if nuclear deal isn’t signed after Strait clash: Trump
President Donald Trump said Thursday that U.S. forces “blew Iran away” after an exchange of fire in the Persian Gulf, accusing Tehran of provoking the clash.
The president was referring to Iran’s attacks on three U.S. Navy destroyers, which prompted an American counterstrike.
“They trifled with us today. We blew them away,” Trump told reporters before shifting to questions about the ceasefire.
“I’ll let you know when there’s no ceasefire. Otherwise, you’d be seeing a big glow coming out of Iran,” Trump said.
Speaking at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Trump also urged Iran to sign the new U.S. proposal.
“The talks are going very well, but they have to understand—if it doesn’t get signed, they’re going to have a lot of pain,” he said.
“It could happen any day—it might not—but I believe they want the deal more than I do,” Trump added.
3 hours ago
Harris claims Russia is ‘big winner’ in Iran war, cites oil profits, lifted sanctions
Kamala Harris
Former Vice President Kamala Harris claimed Thursday that Russia was the biggest beneficiary of the war with Iran.
Speaking at a fireside chat with the Nevada State Democratic Party, Harris argued that Russia’s gains center on oil profits and Washington lifting sanctions.
“You want to know who’s the big winner on the Iranian war? Russia,” Harris said.
“Because of the oil issue.”
Referring to President Donald Trump, Harris said, “He’s lifted sanctions on Russia. You know what that means?” she asked.
“They’re making money to sell oil that otherwise they were prevented from selling. What else does it mean?” she added.
“We’re sending artillery ammunition, air defense that otherwise would be going to Ukraine,” Harris said.
Brittany Miller contributed to this report.
3 hours ago
Iran using decades-old supertanker to store 2M barrels of oil as US blocks ports
Kharg Island / Morteza Nikoubazl / NurPhoto via Getty Images
A nearly 30-year-old tanker is being used by Iran to store as much as 2 million barrels of oil off Kharg Island as the U.S. naval blockade enters its fourth week, according to United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI).
Satellite imagery and tracking data show the Iranian-flagged supertanker Nasha has been redeployed for offshore storage in the Persian Gulf.
Bloomberg analysis also suggests that reactivating the vessel shows growing strain on Iran’s energy sector and oil storage capacity.
With onshore storage reportedly nearing capacity, Iran has turned to storage tankers to keep wells and pipelines running, the Jerusalem Post reported.
3 hours ago
Rubio approves $25.8B weapons sales to Middle East partners in emergency move: report
Marco Rubio / AP / Mark Schiefelbein
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has approved the sale of hundreds of air-defense interceptors and other weapons to Middle East partners in deals worth $25.8 billion, according to reports.
Citing a State Department spokesperson, Bloomberg reported that Rubio made an emergency approval for the sales on May 1 to Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
The report said a congressional aide confirmed lawmakers had been notified of the department’s action.
5 hours ago
US downed Iranian drones in Strait clash ‘like a butterfly dropping to its grave’: Trump
CENTCOM
President Donald Trump said Thursday that U.S. forces ‘incinerated’ Iranian drones during a dramatic clash in the Strait of Hormuz, as U.S. warships came under fire.
The U.S. Navy had carried out self-defense strikes on Iranian targets Thursday after three destroyers were attacked while transiting the strait, according to U.S. Central Command.
“Three World Class American Destroyers just transited, very successfully, out of the Strait of Hormuz, under fire,” Trump said in a post shared on Truth Social.
“There was no damage done to the three Destroyers, but great damage was done to the Iranian attackers,” he said.
“They were completely destroyed along with numerous small boats, which are being used to take the place of their fully decapitated Navy. These boats went to the bottom of the Sea, quickly and efficiently. Missiles were shot at our Destroyers, and were easily knocked down. Likewise, drones came, and were incinerated while in the air,” he said.
“They dropped ever so beautifully down to the Ocean, very much like a butterfly dropping to its grave!” Trump said before adding that a “normal Country would have allowed these Destroyers to pass, but Iran is not a normal Country. They are led by LUNATICS, and if they had the chance to use a Nuclear Weapon, they would do it, without question,” Trump said.
“But they’ll never have that opportunity and, just like we knocked them out again today, we’ll knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently, in the future, if they don’t get their Deal signed, FAST! Our three Destroyers, with their wonderful Crews, will now rejoin our Naval Blockade, which is truly a ‘Wall of Steel,’” he added.
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Original source: https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/trump-iran-project-freedom-hormuz-war-may-7