War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Asked if South Korea would join Project Freedom, US War Secretary Pete Hegseth replies, “We hope so”.

“We hope South Korea would step up, just like we hope Japan … Australia … Europe steps up, but we’re not waiting for them to do so; we’re looking to set the conditions to hand to them,” he tells reporters.

He adds that US Central Command is in contact with a South Korean vessel, which caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday.

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine says a decision to restart the Iran war is ultimately a political decision.

The threshold of restarting is a political decision above my pay grade,” the chairman tells reporters. “What I’ll say is it’s below harassing fire right now; it feels like Iran is grasping at straws to try to do something across the southern flank.”

Fielding questions from reporters at the Pentagon, US War Secretary Pete Hegseth says Washington is “overtly and quietly” communicating with Iran to allow this operation to take place.

“There are some actions that the IRGC takes sometimes that are outside the bounds of what maybe Iranian negotiators would like; that’s their job to rein that in, and ultimately create a condition for a deal,” he says.

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasises that Washington’s strategy “remains laser-focused”.

“We’re not allowing ourselves to get distracted, this is a separate and distinct effort, temporary in nature that we intend to hand over to the world,” he tells reporters at the Pentagon.

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine has told reporters that Iran attacked Oman once and the United Arab Emirates three times, including at the Fujairah oil terminal, over the past 24 hours.

“In addition to shipping, Iran has continued to deliberately attack its neighbours,” Gen Caine says.

General Dan Caine, the chairman of the US’ Joint Chiefs of Staff, has outlined the goals of Project Freedom, as well as provided updates on the new operation.

“On Sunday, at the direction of the president, Centcom initiated Project Freedom, with the objective of facilitating the safe passage of international commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” he tells reporters at the Pentagon.

Gen Caine adds that over the past several weeks, Iran has “repeatedly threatened and attacked” commercial vessels in the Strait to “cut off commercial traffic and damage the global economy”.

Highlighting the US presence in those waters on a map, he points out the sites of kinetic attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman.

“Since the ceasefire was announced, Iran has fired at commercial vessels nine times and seized two container ships, and they have attacked US forces more than 10 times, all below the threshold of restarting major combat operations at this time,” Gen Caine says.

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth, addressing reporters at the Pentagon, says that the Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway and not under the control of any one country.

“These international waters belong to all nations, not to Iran to tax and toll, or control,” he says.

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that Washington’s naval blockade remains in force and that six Iranian vessels that tried to run it were turned around.

However, Hegseth warns that if Iran’s forces attack commercial vessels or US forces, they will “face overwhelming and devastating American firepower”.

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth, addressing a press briefing at the Pentagon, says that Washington is promising security for commercial vessels with a “red, white and blue dome” over the Strait of Hormuz, as part of the recently launched Project Freedom.

“Two US commercial ships, along with American destroyers, have already transited the Strait, showing the lane is clear,” Hegseth adds, noting that Iran is “embarrassed”.

He adds that hundreds of ships from across the world are lining up to transit the Strait of Hormuz, with US Central Command in contact with vessels and shipping companies.

“As a direct gift from the United States to the world, we have established a powerful red, white and blue dome over the Strait,” Hegseth says, noting that US destroyers are on station providing overwatch for commercial shipping, in conjunction with combat and surveillance aircraft.

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth, flanked by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, has outlined the objectives of the recently launched Project Freedom.

“To be clear, this operation is separate and distinct from Operation Epic Fury. Project Freedom is defensive in nature, focused in scope and temporary in duration, with one mission: protecting innocent commercial shipping from Iranian aggression,” Hegseth says.

The secretary adds that American forces will not need to enter Iranian waters or airspace.

“We’re not looking for a fight, but Iran also cannot be allowed to block innocent countries and their goods from an international waterway,” he says.

French President Emmanuel Macron will speak with his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, later today, as he pushes for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, AFP reports.

“I will be speaking with the Iranian president shortly,” Macron tells reporters at a press conference in Yerevan, adding that France has long advocated for “the restoration of freedom of navigation” in the vital waterway.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has called on Gulf states to stop trying to borrow security from extra-regional powers, warning that the US military presence in the Middle East “serves only as a source of instability and endangers the very countries hosting those bases”.

Baghaei, in an interview on Press TV’s ‘Unscripted’ programme, reaffirms Tehran’s longstanding position that genuine and lasting security in the region can “only be secured through indigenous cooperation among the regional states themselves, without any outside interference”.

“The US military presence in the region is a liability and brings nothing but insecurity,” the spokesman stated, pointing out how Washington’s military bases have repeatedly exposed host nations to unnecessary risks rather than providing real protection.

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According to Al Jazeera, there have been reports of two Israeli military raids in Tebnine, southern Lebanon.

Israeli forces remain stationed in the south despite an October ceasefire between the two countries, which called for a full withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which runs between Iran and Oman, has caused a spike in worldwide fuel prices and rattled the global economy, Al Jazeera reports.

The US-led Joint Maritime Information Centre is advising stranded ships to cross the Hormuz Strait in Oman’s waters, saying it has set up an “enhanced security area”.

However, the semi-official Fars news agency reports that two commercial vessels attempting to traverse the sea route are now stuck.

“The waters near the coast of Oman are rocky, and the vessels are unable to leave or return from this part,” Fars quoted an unnamed “informed source” as saying.

“The southern coast of the Strait of Hormuz — near the two islands of Musandam and al-Khail — does not have the geographical ability to become a maritime corridor, and the passage of vessels through the rocky and shallow southern areas is very risky,” Fars reports.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares Bueno says Spain will not participate in military action against Iran, Fars news agency reports.

An Israeli air strike has targeted the town of Zrarieh al-Sharqiya in southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reports.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Beijing for talks, the foreign ministry said, amid stalled negotiations with the United States to end the Middle East war, AFP reports.

“During the visit, he will meet his Chinese counterpart (Wang Yi) to discuss bilateral ties and regional and international developments,” the ministry said in a brief statement.

Espressing concern over the current military escalation, Saudi Arabia says it supports Pakistan’s “mediation and diplomatic efforts to reach a political solution that prevents the region from sliding into further tension and instability, which would not serve the interests of the region and the world”.

The kingdom also stressed the “importance of restoring freedom of international maritime navigation” in the Strait of Hormuz to its pre-war state, and called for ensuring the safe passage of vessels without restriction.

Iraq has offered term buyers May-loading Basrah crude at steep discounts for loading inside the Strait of Hormuz, which has been largely blocked since the Iran conflict began, Reuters reports.

The OPEC producer is offering its flagship Basrah Medium crude at discounts of $33.40, or $26 a barrel to its May official selling price, for loading on May 1 to May 10 or May 11 to May 31, respectively, according to a May 3 notice from state oil marketer SOMO seen by Reuters.

The US dollar has changed little as markets weighed developments in the Iran war, while the yen steadied in muted trade after suspected intervention by Tokyo last week sparked sharp gains, Reuters reports.

The dollar index, which measures the US currency against six units, was steady at 98.44 after rising 0.3pc yesterday. The euro last fetched $1.1691, while sterling was at $1.3538.

“The market, I think, is very, very aware that the news flow can change very quickly and this could go either way. And I think that’s why the market is in this sort of holding pattern,” Jane Foley, head of FX strategy at Rabobank, said.

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Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli soldiers and vehicles in the strategic coastal area of Biyyada, while also striking a tank with a drone in the town of al-Qaouzah, Al Jazeera reports.

In a further update, the group said it struck Israeli bulldozers in the towns of Deir Siryan and Rashaf.

Gold prices rose from a five-week low hit in the previous session, although gains were limited as elevated crude oil prices kept inflation fears alive and clouded the US interest rate outlook, Reuters reports.

Spot gold rose 0.5 per cent to $4,543.87 per ounce by 0757 GMT, after a more than 2pc drop on Monday. US gold futures for June delivery were up 0.5pc at $4,554.10.

“Prices seem to be digesting a bit after the return of the ‘war trade’ across markets sent gold lower Monday,” said Ilya Spivak, head of global macro at Tastylive.

Iranian state media IRIB, citing maritime tracking data, has claimed that “at least three Iran-linked vessels” have crossed the Strait of Hormuz since the US’s “Operation Freedom” began in the key waterway.

IRIB listed the vessels as Darya, NOOH GAS, and XAVIA.