USS Truxtun, a destroyer deployed in the Strait of Hormuz during the US-Israel War on Iran (File)

EA-CEO Retort VideoCast: The Disorder of the “Global Royal Rumble”

EA-Times Radio VideoCast: Cornered in US-Israel War on Iran, “Crazy Uncle Donald” Faces Political Suicide

UPDATE 0800 GMT:

Three people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon this morning.

One person was killed in a strike targeting a car near Maifadoun, and two others were killed in a strike targeting a pickup truck near Habboush.

Israel is also attacking the town of Nabatieh for the first time in several weeks.

UPDATE 0719 GMT:

During the US-Israel War, Iran’s retaliatory airstrikes have damaged or destroyed at least 228 structures or pieces of equipment at American military sites across the Middle East, satellite images indicate.

Iran has struck hangars, barracks, fuel depots, aircraft and key radar, communications and air defense equipment, The Washington Post concludes in its analysis.

CNN reported last week that the Iranians had damaged 16 US military complex, more than half of the American positions in the Middle East.

The threat of air attacks has rendered some bases too dangerous to staff at normal levels, with commanders moving most of the personnel out of the range of Iranian fire.

Six service members in Kuwait and one in Saudi Arabia have been killed and more than 400 troops injured by the strikes. At least 12 were seriously wounded.

“The Iranian attacks were precise. There are no random craters indicating misses,” assessed Mark Cancian, a senior advisor with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

UPDATE 0454 GMT:

A US warplane damaged an Iranian-flagged oil tanker on Wednesday, soon after Donald Trump threatened Tehran to accept his “deal” or face a new wave of US bombing “at a much higher level and intensity than it was before”.

The US fighter jet fired several rounds and “disabled the tanker’s rudder” as it attempted to breach the American blockade of Iranian ports, posted US Central Command.

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf pushed back against Trump’s threats: “The enemy, in its new design, is seeking, through a naval blockade, economic pressure and media manipulation, to destroy the country’s cohesion in order to force us to surrender.”

UPDATE 0447 GMT:

After a call with Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron posted, “All parties must lift the blockade of the Strait [of Hormuz], without delay and without conditions. We must durably return to the regime of full freedom of navigation that prevailed before the conflict.”

Macron said that “recent events clearly demonstrate the usefulness” of a mission led by France and the UK to oversee the resumption of movement, following a lasting ceasefire. He plans to discuss the issue with Donald Trump, saying, “The return of calm in the Strait will help advance negotiations on the nuclear issue, the ballistic issue, and the regional situation.”

Macron also condemned Iran’s “unjustified strikes against [UAE] civilian infrastructure and several ships”.

UPDATE 0439 GMT:

Israel reportedly killed a senior commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force in attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs late Wednesday.

A “source close to Hezbollah” Malek Ballout, Radwan’s operations commander, was slain.

The Israeli military also claimed the killing Muhammad Ali Bazzi, head of the intelligence department of the Nasser Unit, and Hussein Hassan Romani, Hezbollah’s aerial defense observation officer.

A Lebanese security source said the Israeli strike hit an apartment in which Radwan leaders were holding a meeting.

At least 11 other people were killed in strikes across the south and east of the country.

UPDATE, MAY 7:

The Trump Administration abruptly halted “Project Freedom”, guiding ships through the Strait of Hormuz, after Saudi Arabia suspended the US military’s ability to use its airspace and a base to carry out the operation, confirm two US officials.

The officials said Trump’s announcement of Project Freedom via social media on Sunday surprised Gulf allies and angered the Saudi leadership.

The Kingdom told Washington that it would not allow the US military to fly aircraft from Prince Sultan Airbase, southeast of Riyadh, or fly through Saudi airspace. A call between Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not resolve the issue.

UPDATE 1341 GMT:

Iran has pushed back the US claim that a deal is close over a one-page memorandum about future negotiations.

Ebrahim Rezaei, the spokesperson of Parliament’s Sational Security and Foreign Policy Commission said the claim was an “American wish list [and] not a reality”.

Americans will not gain in a lost war what they failed to achieve in face-to-face negotiations. Iran has its finger on the trigger and is ready; if they do not surrender and grant the necessary concessions, or if they or their lapdogs attempt any mischief, we will respond with a harsh and regrettable response.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei Tehran is still reviewing the US proposal.

He added, referring to an International Court of Justice decision:

UPDATE 1333 GMT:

The Brent crude oil price has fallen almost 6% today to $103.43 per barrel.

The price dipped as low as $99.79 before rising amid questions about the prospects for further US-Iran talks.

UPDATE 1330 GMT:

An Israeli strike killed four people, including two women and an elderly man, in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon.

The attack struck the house of the mayor of Zellaya, killing him and three members of his family.

Hezbollah claimed it hit multiple groups of Israeli soldiers and military vehicles in towns and villages across southern Lebanon since dawn. The group said the strikes are in retaliation for the killing and injuring of civilians in “violation of the ceasefire”.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed that one soldier was severely wounded by a Hezbollah drone attack.

UPDATE 1326 GMT:

France has moved its Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier group into the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, preparing for a future mission to help freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

The group crossed the Suez Canal on Wednesday.

UPDATE 1232 GMT:

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say the Strait of Hormuz may reopen following the end of “threats from aggressors”.

The statement did not specify the new procedures for passage. The Guards thanked owners and captains of ships for respecting Iranian regulations when moving through the waterway.

UPDATE 0956 GMT:

American and Pakistani officials say Iran and the US are close to agreeing a one-page memorandum to advance negotiations for an end to the US-Israel War.

The memorandum is based on a 14-point Iranian proposal passed to the Trump camp via Pakistan last week. The first stage of talks would be covered by a 30-day ceasefire.

Key points are unclear, however. The Iranian proposal focuses in the first stage on an arrangement for the Strait of Hormuz and a lasting ceasefire. Only then would a second stage consider Tehran’s nuclear program.

The Trump camp has insisted that the nuclear issue be part of the initial stage, before confirmation of a long-term ceasefire.

UPDATE 0807 GMT:

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is conferring with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing.

Araghchi hailed China as a close ally and said bilateral cooperation “will become stronger under current circumstances”.

We will do our best to protect our legitimate rights and interests in the negotiations….We only accept a fair and comprehensive agreement.

Wang said China, a reliable strategic partner for Iran, is “deeply distressed” over the US-Israel war.

He continued, “We believe that a comprehensive ceasefire is urgently needed, that a resumption of hostilities is not acceptable, and that it is particularly important to remain committed to dialogue and negotiations.”

Araghchi also spoke by phone with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. A statement summarized:

The parties in this conversation, whilst reviewing the latest regional developments, stressed the continuation of the path of diplomacy and cooperation between regional countries to prevent the emergence and escalation of tension.

UPDATE 0727 GMT:

A French-owned vessel, the San Antonio, was attacked on Tuesday as it tried to transit the Strait of Hormuz.

The owner, the shipping and logistics company CMA CGM confirmed that crew had been injured and the vessel damaged.

The wounded have been evacuated and are being treated.

UPDATE 0623 GMT:

The Israel Defense Forces have issued evacuation warnings for 12 villages in southern Lebanon ahead of airstrikes.

Israel is continuing attacks across the south despite a ceasefire, claiming that it is targeting Hezbollah.

Residents of Kaouthariyet al-Saiyad, Ghassaniyeh, Mazraat al-Daoudiyeh, Bedias, Rihan, Zellaya, Bazouriye, Harouf, Habboush, Ansariyeh, Qalaouiyeh, and Deir ez-Zahrani were instructed this morning to evacuate at least a kilometer away.

Most of the villages are located north of the Litani River, 30 km (19 miles) inside Lebanon.

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported Israeli airstrikes on the towns of Reshknanay and Safad al-Battikh. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Israel said Hezbollah launched several rockets, mortars, and explosive drones at Israeli troops. The projectiles struck near the forces, but did not cause any injuries.

UPDATE 0539 GMT:

The US price of regular unleaded gasoline passed $4.50 a gallon for the first time since July 2022.

The price is up more than 50% from its level of $2.98 when the US-Israel War on Iran started on February 28.

The cost of premium unleaded $5.34 a gallon.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Donald Trump has halted “Project Freedom”, seeking to break Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz amid the US-Israel War, after only 36 hours.

In a social media post, Trump abruptly paused the operation, which would guide vessels out of the waterway, for “a short period…on the request of Pakistan and other Countries”. He claimed, without evidence, “Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran.”

Hours earlier, both Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that Project Freedom was rapidly developing.

Hegseth claimed hundreds of commercial ships were lining up for passage. Rubio said the US was carrying out the operation as a “favor to the world … because we’re the only ones that can”.

In fact, only two American-flagged vessels was confirmed to have transited the Strait under US guidance. Iran struck several, including a cargo ship as Rubio was speaking.

More than 800 vessels have been bottled up in the Strait and Persian Gulf since the US-Israel War started February 28. Iran declared its closure of the waterway, through which around 20% of the world’s maritime oil and gas passes, four days later.

The Secretary of State turned to China for assistance, asking it to press Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during his visit to Beijing on Wednesday.

“It is in China’s interest that Iran stop closing the strait,” Rubio said.