President Donald Trump on Sunday said the U.S. will “guide” ships out of the Strait of Hormuz amid a maritime standoff between Washington and Iran that has choked off commercial traffic along the critical trade route.
Trump said the effort, dubbed “Project Freedom,” would free up “neutral” vessels stranded in the shipping lane and called the effort a “humanitarian gesture.” The president said the operation is set to begin Monday morning and that any interference will be “dealt with forcefully.”
The announcement comes after a merchant ship on Sunday reported being attacked by multiple “small” boats off the coast of Sirik, Iran, near the strait, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. No injuries were reported in the incident.
Meanwhile, Iran said it was reviewing a U.S. response to its proposal for peace talks, but added that negotiations would not immediately involve discussions about its nuclear program. The White House did not confirm whether it had responded to Iran’s latest proposal.
A day earlier, Trump said he had not yet reviewed the proposition but said he would likely reject it, writing in a social media post that the Middle Eastern country has “not yet paid a big enough price.” When asked by reporters if he’s considering resuming strikes on Iran, Trump said there’s a “possibility that could happen,” if they “misbehave.”
Christopher Cann
Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security commission in Iran’s parliament, said that “any American interference in the new maritime regime of the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire.”
The statement comes after Trump announced the United States would “guide” ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz out of the critical trade route.
“The Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf would not be managed by Trump’s delusional posts! No one would believe Blame Game scenarios!” Azizi added.
Christopher Cann
A tanker reported being hit by “unknown projectiles” while transiting near the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported Sunday.
The incident occurred off the coast of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, the UKMTO said, adding that the ship’s entire crew has been reported safe.
Hours earlier, a vessel near the strait reported being attacked by several small boats. No one has claimed responsibility for the two attacks, which occurred amid a maritime standoff between the United States and Iran.
Christopher Cann
U.S. Central Command said a maritime blockade on Iranian ports and ships will remain in place as its forces begin guiding commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.
Guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, and 15,000 service members will “support” the effort to open up the critical trade route, U.S. Central Command said in a post on X.
“The mission, directed by the President, will support merchant vessels seeking to freely transit through the essential international trade corridor,” Central Command said.
Christopher Cann
Oil prices fell by more than a $1 per gallon on Sunday, after Trump announced the United States will guide ships out of the Strait of Hormuz beginning Monday morning.
Brent crude futures fell $1.83 to $106.34 shortly after Trump’s social media post announcing the effort. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was at $100.22 a barrel, down $1.72.
The move comes as gas prices in the United States reached their highest level since 2022. The average cost of a gallon of gas was $4.44 on Sunday, according to AAA.
In California, the average price was $6.10.
Contributing: Reuters
Christopher Cann
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Sunday said there’s “no connection” between the Pentagon’s decision to withdraw thousands of troops from his country and his ongoing spat with President Donald Trump.
In an interview with public broadcaster ARD, Merz said that while he and Trump have a “different view on these issues,” the U.S. remains “important partners” with Germany.
“I have to accept that the American president has a different view on these issues than we do. But that does not change the fact that I remain convinced that the Americans are important partners for us,” he told the outlet.
The comments come after Pentagon officials announced the U.S. will withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany, a major logistical hub for American troop movements around the world, including the Middle East. The move followed comments from Merz in which he said Iran had “humiliated” the U.S. over the course of the ongoing war.
Christopher Cann
President Donald Trump on Sunday said the U.S. would begin guiding commercial ships out of the Strait of Hormuz in what he described as a move “meant to free up people, companies, and Countries that have done absolutely nothing wrong.”
Trump, in a post on social media, said countries “from all over the world” asked for help from the U.S. to free their ships that are stuck in the Strait of Hormuz amid a maritime standoff between Washington and Tehran.
“For the good of Iran, the Middle East, and the United States, we have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business,” Trump said on Truth Social. “Again, these are Ships from areas of the World that are not in any way involved with that which is currently taking place in the Middle East.”
He said the operation, called “Project Freedom,” would begin Monday morning. He described it as a “humanitarian gesture on behalf of the United States, Middle Eastern Countries but, in particular, the Country of Iran.”
Trump added that any interference will “have to be dealt with forcefully.”
Christopher Cann
Iran on Sunday said it is reviewing the U.S. response to its latest proposal for peace talks, but made clear that negotiations would not immediately involve discussions of its nuclear program.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said his country received a response from the U.S. to its 14-point proposal sent through Pakistani mediators, according to Iranian state media. The White House did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment.
Baghaei is quoted as saying, “we do not have nuclear negotiations.”
A day earlier, President Donald Trump said he had not reviewed Iran’s latest proposal but would likely reject it.
“I will soon be reviewing the plan that Iran has just sent to us, but can’t imagine that it would be acceptable in that they have not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to Humanity, and the World, over the last 47 years,” Trump wrote on social media.
Christopher Cann
A commercial vessel on Sunday reported being attacked by multiple “small” boats near the Strait of Hormuz, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported.
The incident occurred off the coast of Sirik, Iran, UKMTO said in an operation summary, adding that “all crew are reported safe.”
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the reported attack. It was the first such incident in more than a week, and comes amid a tense maritime standoff between Washington and Tehran.
Iran has warned that ships associated with the U.S. or Israel will be attacked if they attempt to cross the critical trade route where one-fifth of the world’s oil exports flow. The U.S. military’s weekslong blockade on Iranian ports and ships remains in place, and Trump has suggested it could go on for months.
Reuters
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari said Sunday that the longer the Iran war goes on, the greater the risks of higher inflation and economic damage, all of which limit how much guidance the central bank should provide on rate policy right now.
In an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation” television program, Kashkari said he was “very focused” on the Iran war and its impact on inflation and economic demand amid the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for 20% of global oil and gas supplies.
The war has led to a massive surge in energy prices around the globe and worsened a bad inflation environment in the U.S. Given the risks and the uncertainty around all aspects of the war, Kashkari said the Fed may even have to raise rates.
“I don’t feel comfortable signaling that a rate cut is in the cards. You know, we might be in worse scenarios, we might have to go the other direction,” he said.
Kathryn Palmer
President Donald Trump‘s disapproval numbers hit a record high in a new poll, the latest in a series of surveys painting a gloomy picture for the president six months out from the November midterm elections.
In the latest Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll, Trump’s disapproval rating hit 62%, an all-time high from the survey’s history throughout both terms in office.
The high disapproval rate came alongside souring opinions on Trump’s handling of the Iran war, the economy and cost of living, issues that the president has consistently been polling poorly on over the last few months.
On the Iran war, 66% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s actions, according to the poll. Another 33% said they approve of his approach to the war.
Read the full story here.
Reuters
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to the Vatican and Italy for meetings this week, two Italian newspapers reported on Sunday, weeks after President Donald Trump drew criticism from Christians across the political spectrum by attacking Pope Leo on social media.
Reports in national dailies La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera did not indicate whether Rubio, a Catholic, would meet personally with Leo. Still, they said he was expected to meet with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s lead diplomatic official.
Rubio last met Leo, the first U.S. pope, in May 2025, alongside Vice President JD Vance. The two U.S. officials attended the new pope’s inaugural Mass in St. Peter’s Square and had a private meeting with the pontiff the next day.
The pope, who maintained a relatively low profile on the global stage in the first months of his papacy, emerged in recent weeks as an outspoken critic of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran and sharply criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
Trump criticized Leo on social media several times in April, at one point calling the pontiff “terrible.”
The State Department, Vatican press office and an Italian government spokesperson did not immediately respond to Reuters’ questions about the reports.
Kathryn Palmer
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that energy prices should decline later this year, after the joint U.S-Israeli war ends. It’s an assurance he’s now said multiple times as the ongoing conflict continues to wreak havoc on global markets and energy prices and push the president’s polling numbers into record lows.
Appearing on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” Bessent said he is optimistic that “oil prices on the other side of this conflict are going to be much lower,” pointing to the United Arab Emirates’ decision to leave OPEC and the ongoing U.S. Navy’s blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz.
Bessent said prices could drop lower than they were at the beginning of the war, which launched Feb. 28, or drop lower than “at any point” throughout 2025.
The war, which the president initially projected would “take four weeks or less,” has surpassed the nine-week mark. Negotiations between Iran and the United States have stalled, though a ceasefire remains in place.
Experts told USA TODAY it could take months or years for oil infrastructure in the Gulf region to bounce back once the war ends, likely impacting energy prices for a considerable time.
Kathryn Palmer
As of Sunday, the national average price per gallon of regular gas is $4.45, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).
Some states like California have been seeing prices as high as $6 per gallon over the past several days, while Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Alaska contend with average prices topping $5 per gallon.
About a month ago, the average price was $3.99, and around this time in 2025, it was $3.18, USA TODAY reported. Two days prior to the beginning of the Iran war, AAA recorded the national average price as $2.98 per gallon.
See USA TODAY’s updated daily gas price average and state-by-state map, here.
Kathryn Palmer
The Israeli military issued an urgent warning on Sunday, urging residents in southern Lebanon to evacuate as it conducts operations against Hezbollah.
The warning applies to residents of 11 towns and villages in southern Lebanon, according to Reuters, telling them to evacuate their homes and move at least 3,300 feet away to open areas.
The Israeli military said it was conducting operations against Hezbollah following what it described as a violation of their ceasefire agreement. They warned that anyone near Hezbollah fighters or facilities could be at risk.
Israel has continued to carry out strikes across southern Lebanon, and its troops are occupying a strip of the country’s south, destroying homes they describe as infrastructure being used by Hezbollah.
The Iran-backed militant group has continued its attacks against Israeli troops in Lebanon and on northern Israel, launched in early March in response to the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran that killed the country’s supreme leader and began the war.