Middle East crisis live: Trump changes strait of Hormuz plan again as Rubio says US offensive is ‘over’ | US-Israel war on Iran
Welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.
Donald Trump said efforts to remove ships from the Strait of Hormuz were paused as the United States aims to reach a deal with Iran. The president announced the decision in a social media post Tuesday evening, saying he was briefly pausing efforts to make room for U.S. efforts to reach a deal with Iran to end the war.
Trump said he made the move based on “the request of Pakistan and other countries, the tremendous Military Success we have achieved during the Operation Against the Country of Iran, as well as the Fact that Great Progress Has Been Made Toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran.”
He added that the US blockade of ships leaving Iranian ports will continue.
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the military objectives of the so-called “Operation Epic Rage” had been completed and the offensive phase of the war with Iran was “over”. Speaking at a White House press conference, Rubio insisted that the ongoing US military campaign in the Strait of Hormuz is “defensive” in nature and a separate operation, consistent with the Trump administration’s assertion that it does not need approval from Congress to continue the war against Iran. “There is no shooting unless it is hit first,” he told reporters and called on Iran to “make a rational choice” and reach an agreement.
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With the status of the ceasefire in doubt, Donald Trump refused to say what would constitute a violation, telling reporters only that Iran knew “what not to do.” This comes amid rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz after both sides exchanged fire on Monday. “Well, you’ll find out because I’ll let you know,” the US president said. “They know what they should do, or more importantly, what they should not do.”
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Before Trump’s announcement on Tuesday evening, defense secretary Pete Hegseth insisted that “Project Freedom” had allowed the US to take control of the straitThousands of cargo ships remain stranded there despite Iran claiming it has strengthened its control over the waterway.
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Rubio described the US operation in the Strait of Hormuz as a rescue effort and said that Iran left thousands of sailors “to death”.. He said the US was trying to reopen the strait “as a favorite to the world”, neglecting to mention that its closure is the result of the war the US started.
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Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on Wednesday morning.The official Xinhua news agency reported, without providing further details. this was that For the first time since the start of the war, Araghchi traveled to China, whose close economic and political ties with Tehran gave him a unique position of influence.
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Meanwhile, The UK maritime authority reported A cargo ship hit by an “unknown projectile” in the critical waterway.
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For the second day in a row, the United Arab Emirates announced that its air defenses shot down missiles and drones from Iran. Tehran did not immediately comment. This came a day after the UAE announced it had seized 15 Iranian missiles and four UAVs.
important events
Speaking of fuel prices: The price of jet fuel has doubled since the start of the war against Iran. The Guardian Zoe Williams takes a look How bad could the outage be? and if the route jet will accelerate to zero.
We wrote about this in our previous blog, but it is worth repeating here. The U.S. national average retail price of gasoline exceeded $4.50 per gallon on Tuesday for the first time since July 2022.Data from GasBuddy showed.
As the U.S. Memorial Day weekend approaches and with it the busy summer driving season, rising pump prices pose a major political risk for the United States. President Donald Trump and its republican party While campaigning for the midterm elections in November.
Analysts say that if tensions in the Middle East ease, motor fuel prices in the United States could exceed previous records.
Iranian Foreign Minister flew to China for talks
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi He met with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi According to China’s Xinhua news agency, the talks to be held in Beijing on Wednesday were reported without providing details.
Iran’s Fars news agency had previously said Araghchi would “discuss bilateral relations and regional and international developments with his Chinese counterpart.”
On Tuesday, the US Secretary of State said, Marco RubioHe expressed hope that Beijing would reiterate to Tehran that it should lift its pressure on the strait.
Normally, China buys more than 80 percent of Iranian oil. Imports from Iran account for about 12% of China’s oil supply.
Welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.
Donald Trump said efforts to remove ships from the Strait of Hormuz were paused as the United States aims to reach a deal with Iran. The president announced the decision in a social media post Tuesday evening, saying he was briefly pausing efforts to make room for U.S. efforts to reach a deal with Iran to end the war.
Trump said he made the move based on “the request of Pakistan and other countries, the tremendous Military Success we have achieved during the Operation Against the Country of Iran, as well as the Fact that Great Progress Has Been Made Toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran.”
He added that the US blockade of ships leaving Iranian ports will continue.
-
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the military objectives of the so-called “Operation Epic Rage” had been completed and the offensive phase of the war with Iran was “over”. Speaking at a White House press conference, Rubio insisted that the ongoing US military campaign in the Strait of Hormuz is “defensive” in nature and a separate operation, consistent with the Trump administration’s assertion that it does not need approval from Congress to continue the war against Iran. “There is no shooting unless it is hit first,” he told reporters and called on Iran to “make a rational choice” and reach an agreement.
-
With the status of the ceasefire in doubt, Donald Trump refused to say what would constitute a violation, telling reporters only that Iran knew “what not to do.” This comes amid rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz after both sides exchanged fire on Monday. “Well, you’ll find out because I’ll let you know,” the US president said. “They know what they should do, or more importantly, what they should not do.”
-
Before Trump’s announcement on Tuesday evening, defense secretary Pete Hegseth insisted that “Project Freedom” had allowed the US to take control of the straitThousands of cargo ships remain stranded there despite Iran claiming it has strengthened its control over the waterway.
-
Rubio described the US operation in the Strait of Hormuz as a rescue effort and said that Iran left thousands of sailors “to death”.. He said the US was trying to reopen the strait “as a favorite to the world”, neglecting to mention that its closure is the result of the war the US started.
-
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on Wednesday morning.The official Xinhua news agency reported, without providing further details. this was that For the first time since the start of the war, Araghchi traveled to China, whose close economic and political ties with Tehran gave him a unique position of influence.
-
Meanwhile, The UK maritime authority reported A cargo ship hit by an “unknown projectile” in the critical waterway.
-
For the second day in a row, the United Arab Emirates announced that its air defenses shot down missiles and drones from Iran. Tehran did not immediately comment. This came a day after the UAE announced it had seized 15 Iranian missiles and four UAVs.
