United States President Donald Trump warned in an interview with Fox News on Monday that Iranians will “be blown off the face of the earth” if they attack US vessels escorting other ships through the Strait of Hormuz. The US head of state previously announced Project Freedom, an operation aimed at guiding stranded vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said that Washington launched the mission to assist more than 200 vessels and 20,000 sailors trapped in the Persian Gulf, and described the operation as humanitarian. He stressed that the US blockade of Iranian ports is “the greatest military maneuver in history.” Trump further claimed that Tehran is now “far more malleable” in ongoing negotiations. The US president also ensured that the US bases are “loaded” with gear and ammunition, adding that the US has more ammunition than before.
Iran said to hit US warship with two missiles in Hormuz
A United States Navy frigate was hit by two missiles while it was sailing through the Strait of Hormuz after it ignored the warnings from Iran’s Navy, Iranian semi-official news outlet Fars News Agency reported on Monday. The report claimed that the frigate was forced to retreat and flee from the area after being hit, although the extent of the damage was not clear. The missile strikes follow the warnings from Tehran that any attempt by the United States to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz would be seen as ceasefire violations, after US President Donald Trump previously announced that his country will escort vessels stuck in the Persian Gulf. Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy revealed a new map showing the area of the critical Middle Eastern waterway that is under Iranian military control.
Shortly after, a senior US official denied that a US ship was hit by Iranian missiles, according to Axios.
Trump Vows to Maintain Pressure on Iran Through Naval Blockade
US President Donald Trump vowed to maintain a naval blockade on Iran and was briefed by commanders on further military options, according to a report, underscoring the fragility of the ceasefire between the warring countries Trump reiterated that the blockade of Iranian ports is depriving the Islamic Republic of much-needed oil revenue, claiming the pressure would force Tehran back to the negotiating table. “Good luck blockading a country with those borders,” Iran’s speaker of parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said on X, referring to his country’s large size. He and other Iranian officials say the blockade, which they insist must be lifted for the sides to go to new talks and for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened, will further push up oil prices. Trump was briefed at the White House on Thursday by the head of US Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East, and Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to Axios, which cited two unnamed US officials. Axios reported earlier that Centcom had prepared a plan for a brief wave of strikes to break the negotiating deadlock. The US is pitching allies on a joint naval force to secure the Strait of Hormuz. New Zealand said it had received the proposal but would only support a US-led coalition if a sustainable ceasefire was in place. The effort, called the “Maritime Freedom Construct,” was spelled out in a State Department cable to US embassies on Tuesday that called on diplomats to press foreign governments into signing up, the Wall Street Journal reported. On Thursday, Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, cast doubt on the likelihood of a deal. He gave a rare statement in which he vowed not to give up the country’s nuclear or missile technologies. He also signaled Tehran would keep control of the Hormuz strait.
NN: Technically its no longer a war since their is a cease fire. Its now a naval blockade. Not covered under the war powers act. Forget the politics, Of the last 5 wars the US fought, only one was declared WWII. Is there any doubt that Iran is a evil empire that must be stopped?
UAE says Iran cannot be trusted over Hormuz, peace efforts at an impasse
A senior United Arab Emirates official said on Friday Tehran could not be trusted over any unilateral arrangements it makes for the Strait of Hormuz, in a sign of deep mistrust on all sides as efforts to end the Iran war remained at an impasse. Two months into the conflict, the vital sea channel is still largely closed because of an Iranian blockade and the U.S. Navy is blocking exports of Iranian crude oil. The blockade has choked off 20% of the world’s oil and gas supplies, pushing up global energy prices and increasing concerns that there will be an economic downturn.
The Reuters Iran Briefing newsletter keeps you informed with the latest developments and analysis of the Iran war. Sign up here. A ceasefire has been in place since April 8 but reports that U.S. President Donald Trump was to be briefed on plans for new military strikes to compel Iran to negotiate pushed global oil prices up to a four-year high at one point on Thursday. Iran has activated air defences and plans a wide response if attacked, having assessed that there will be a short, intensive U.S. strike, possibly followed by an Israeli attack, two senior Iranian sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Underlining the concerns of the Gulf states, UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said the “collective international will and provisions of international law” were the primary guarantors of freedom of navigation through the strait. “And, of course, no unilateral Iranian arrangements can be trusted or relied upon following its treacherous aggression against all its neighbors,” Gargash wrote. Global oil benchmark Brent crude futures rose again on Friday, up slightly at over $111 a barrel and poised for a 5.7% gain over the week after hitting $126 a barrel on Thursday, the highest level since March 2022.
IRAN SAYS NOT TO EXPECT QUICK RESULTS FROM TALKS
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei cautioned on Thursday against expecting quick results from talks.
A senior official of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said any new U.S. attack on Iran, even if limited, would usher in “long and painful strikes” on U.S. regional positions, while Aerospace Force Commander Majid Mousavi was quoted by Iranian media as saying: “We’ve seen what happened to your regional bases, we will see the same thing happen to your warships.”
Trump repeated on Thursday that Iran would not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, and said the price of gasoline – an important concern for his Republican Party before midterm elections in November – would “drop like a rock” as soon as the war ended.
Iran says its nuclear programme is solely for civilian purposes.
Trump said on Thursday that Iran’s economy was “a disaster”, but analysts said that if he expects Iran to blink first in a game of economic chicken, he may be waiting a while.
The conflict has aggravated Iran’s dire economic problems, risking calamity after the war, but it looks able to survive a standoff in the Gulf for now, despite the U.S. blockade that has cut off its energy exports.
Axios news site reported that one plan to be shared with Trump during a briefing by top U.S. military leaders that was scheduled for Thursday involved using ground forces to take over part of the strait to reopen it to commercial shipping. Trump is also considering extending the U.S. blockade or declaring a unilateral victory, officials have said.
Washington did not immediately announce any details of its plans.
In a sign that the U.S. was also envisaging a scenario where hostilities cease, a State Department cable due to be delivered orally to partner nations by May 1 invited them to join a new coalition, called the Maritime Freedom Construct, to enable ships to navigate the strait.
France, Britain and others have held talks on contributing to such a coalition but said they would help to open the Strait only when the conflict ends.
Reporting by Reuters bureaus, Writing by Timothy Heritage, Editing by Gareth Jones
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US seeks international help to reopen Strait of Hormuz as crude prices surge
The U.S. is pushing for other countries to form an international coalition to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a State Department cable, as oil prices surged to their highest in more than four years on fears of longer-term disruptions to global fuel supplies.
Two months into the war that started with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, the vital sea channel remains closed, choking off 20% of the world’s supplies of oil and gas. That has sent global energy prices surging and heightened concerns about the risks of an economic downturn. Efforts to resolve the conflict have hit an impasse, which the United States is trying to unlock with a naval blockade of Iran’s oil exports, the country’s economic lifeline. With talks stalled, U.S. President Donald Trump is slated to receive a briefing on Thursday on plans for a series of fresh military strikes on Iran in hopes it will return to negotiations, according to an Axios report late on Wednesday. That spurred big gains in oil prices, with the benchmark Brent crude contract topping $125 a barrel at one point, partly on technical factors related to the expiry of the contract later on Thursday. Since the start of the year, Brent prices have more than doubled, rising on Thursday to their highest since March 2022, fuelling inflation and sending pump prices to politically painful levels worldwide. Tehran warned on Wednesday of “unprecedented military action” against continued U.S. blockading of Iran-linked vessels. Trump has said Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, while Tehran says its nuclear ambitions are peaceful. “They don’t know how to sign a non-nuclear deal. They’d better get smart soon!” Trump said in a social media post on Wednesday, without explaining what such a deal would entail.
The post featured a mock-up image of him wearing dark glasses and wielding a machine-gun, captioned, “No more Mr. Nice Guy.” With Washington and Tehran trading public threats, mediator Pakistan was trying to avoid escalation while the two sides exchange messages on a potential deal, a Pakistani source said on Wednesday. The State Department cable said the United States was inviting other countries to join a new international coalition that would enable ships to navigate the Strait of Hormuz after traffic through the waterway stalled. The proposed coalition, dubbed the “Maritime Freedom Construct”, would share information, coordinate diplomatically and help enforce sanctions, the cable showed. Tehran has largely blocked all shipping apart from its own from the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, since the U.S. and Israel began airstrikes on Iran on February 28. The U.S. began its blockade this month. Iran no longer has a single, undisputed clerical arbiter at the pinnacle of power since the strikes killed several senior political and military figures, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The elevation of Khamenei’s wounded son, Mojtaba, to replace him has handed more power to hardline commanders of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian officials and analysts say.
NN: It is sick joke as reserves are falling the global “leadership” refuses to force open the straights to free navigation. To allow Iran to hold the world the world hostage clearly show the Europeans have no balls. They will pay a heavy price for this staidness
Trump rejects Iran’s offer, keeps naval blockade
United States President Donald Trump told Axios in a part of an interview published on Wednesday that he has officially rejected Iran’s proposal for a ceasefire deal, insisting that the deal must include an article that would prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Trump told the outlet that the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz proved to be “somewhat more effective than the bombing.” “They are choking like a stuffed pig. And it is going to be worse for them. They can’t have a nuclear weapon,” he remarked. Moreover, Trump insisted that Iran’s oil storage units are “getting close to exploding” because the commodity is not being exported, which is why “they want to settle. They don’t want me to keep the blockade.” “I don’t want to [lift the blockade], because I don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon,” he stressed, adding that airstrikes would resume if necessary.
Brent jumps 7% to highest since June 2022
Oil prices continued to soar on Wednesday, with Brent jumping over 7% to hit the highest price since June 2022, after US President Donald Trump declared that Washington rejected Iran’s latest peace proposal. Instead of lifting the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the American leader claimed that keeping the waterway closed is “somewhat more effective than the bombing,” connecting his refusal to act with claims that Iran must not have a nuclear weapon.
Brent for June’s deliveries advanced by 7.23% at 1:12 pm ET to $119.56 per barrel. A minute later, West Texas Intermediate for the same month’s settlements surged by 7.44% to $107.30.
UAE to leave OPEC, OPEC+ on May 1
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will leave OPEC and OPEC+, with the decision effective May 1, according to a statement from the country’s Energy Ministry posted on Tuesday. The ministry shared that while the country has been a part of the organization for “decades,” and played an “active role” in supporting the stability of the global oil market, it believes that this was the right time to exit the alliance. “While near-term volatility, including disruptions in the Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, continues to affect supply dynamics, underlying trends point to sustained growth in global energy demand over the medium to long term,” the ministry shared. The decision was made after a “comprehensive review” and is based “on our national interest,” the ministry added. The country’s oil production is expected to be raised “gradually.” In February 2026, the UAE was the third-largest OPEC producer, with Saudi Arabia in first and Iraq in second place.
NN: This hasuae move has NO market impact, Reality because of the straights blockade all Gulf OPEC members are producing under their quotes. Oil demand is 101MBPD. Including attempts of all oil producers to increase production reality is the crude oil market is undersupplied, Production is around 90MBPD. For now higher prices and inventory draw down is barely meeting demand. Global reserve supplies are weeks away from running out. EVEN IF GULF PRODUCTION IS RESTORED
Rubio: US can’t tolerate Iran controlling Hormuz
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News on Monday that the United States will not tolerate Iran controlling or establishing a toll system in the Strait of Hormuz. “What they mean by opening the straits is, yes, the straits are open, as long as you coordinate with Iran, get our permission, or we’ll blow you up and you pay us,” Rubio said. “That’s not opening the straits. Those are international waterways. They cannot normalize, nor can we tolerate them trying to normalize, a system in which the Iranians decide who gets to use an international waterway and how much you have to pay them to use it.” Rubio further vowed that the waterway would remain open either through international pressure or a coalition-led effort, following significant disruption to global energy supplies.
NN: In case you haven’t noticed the straights are closed and the storage tanks are being drained dry as the world is in denial!
Trump rushed out of WH dinner after shots fired…. .Trump was target of shooting at Correspondents’
“It does appear that he, he did, in fact, set out to target folks that work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” adding that the suspect likely traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago and then to Washington.
Trump told reporters at a briefing at the White House after the attack that the Secret Service agent was saved by his bulletproof vest and was in “good shape.” U.S. Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi confirmed the officer had been released from hospital. Trump told reporters he believed that he was the target of the attack. The president has survived two previous attempts on his life since 2024, a period of deepening political polarization in the United States.
A law enforcement official identified the suspect as Cole Tomas Allen, a California resident about 31 years old. Little was immediately known about Allen’s background, but social media postings suggested he was a teacher in Torrance, near Los Angeles. Washington interim Police Chief Jeffery Carroll said the suspect was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives. He was taken to a local hospital to be evaluated but it was too soon to say what his motivation was, Carroll said. Based on preliminary information, he was believed to have been a guest at the hotel, Carroll added. The chaotic events from around 8:35 p.m. (0035 GMT on Sunday) raised fresh questions about the security of top U.S. officials, many of whom were gathered in the hotel’s expansive ballroom.
A focus of the investigation is likely to be how the gunman was able to smuggle the shotgun into the hotel, which hosts the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, a marquee fixture of Washington’s social calendar.
The black-tie event was attended by many members of Trump’s cabinet and other senior administration officials amid heavy security. It was the first time Trump attended the event as president, having boycotted it in previous years.
Afterward, Trump addressed reporters, many still in evening attire, in an extraordinary late-night press conference in the White House briefing room, flanked by Vice President JD Vance and other cabinet members. Trump’s wife Melania looked on from the sidelines and demurred when he asked her whether she wanted to talk about the events of the evening.
The venue for the dinner was the scene of an attempt on the life of President Ronald Reagan, who was shot and wounded by a would-be assassin outside the hotel in 1981. Closed-circuit TV footage released by Trump on Truth Social showed the suspect running rapidly through a security checkpoint, momentarily catching security personnel off-guard before they drew their weapons.
No shots were fired at the gunman who got through two checkpoints before being brought down.
Video footage shows Trump and his wife sitting at a banquet table on stage in conversation with someone when a commotion at the rear of the ballroom – caused by the noise of gunshots – triggers a ripple of gasps through the room.
People started screaming “Get down, get down!” Many of the 2,600 attendees dressed in tuxedos and ball gowns took cover under tables as security personnel drew their weapons, with some pushing cabinet secretaries to the floor and covering them with their bodies while others formed a protective cordon.
Security personnel in combat fatigues stormed the stage pointing rifles into the ballroom as Trump, his wife and Vance were evacuated. Cabinet members who had been sitting at tables dotted around the vast room were escorted out by their security details one by one. While most guests huddled under tables, some people began chanting “USA, USA!”
Trump stayed backstage for about an hour after being hustled from the stage, a source told Reuters. He later said he had not wanted to leave the event, a remark that echoed images of him defiantly pumping his fist after narrowly escaping an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024.
In that attempt, Trump was shot and wounded in his upper ear by a 20-year-old gunman, who was shot dead by security personnel.