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President Donald Trump is skeptical of a 14-point peace proposal put forward by Iran this weekend as Pakistan continues to facilitate talks between Tehran and Washington.
Covered by: Anders Hagstrom and Emma Bussey
Any U.S. interference in Tehran’s maritime rules in the Strait of Hormuz would be considered a violation of the current ceasefire, a senior Iranian lawmaker warned Sunday.
Ebrahim Azizi, the head of Iran’s Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, also said the key waterway was not the place for rhetoric.
“Any American interference in the new maritime regime of the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire,” he said in a translated post shared on X.
“The Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf would not be managed by Trump’s delusional posts!” he said.
“No one would believe Blame Game scenarios!” Azizi added.
“The Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf are not a place for rhetoric,” Azizi said in another post.
Azizi’s remarks came after President Donald Trump announced “Project Freedom,” in which the U.S. military would begin guiding ships safely out of the strait starting Monday.
The announcement came after Trump expressed doubt about a 14-point peace plan proposed by Iran over the weekend.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed Sunday that it would be supporting Project Freedom, providing military assets and thousands of service members.
This followed President Donald Trump’s announcement to help free up ships, which are “locked up in the Strait of Hormuz,” and which is set to begin Monday morning, Middle East time.
Providing further details, CENTCOM said “forces will begin supporting Project Freedom May 4 to restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.”
“The mission, directed by the president, will support merchant vessels seeking to freely transit through the essential international trade corridor,” the command said in a post shared on X.
“A quarter of the world’s oil trade at sea and significant volumes of fuel and fertilizer products are transported through the strait,” CENTCOM added.
“Our support for this defensive mission is essential to regional security and the global economy as we also maintain the naval blockade,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander.
Last week, the U.S. Department of State announced a new initiative, in partnership with the Department of Defense, to enhance coordination and information sharing among international partners in support of maritime security in the strait, the command said.
“The Maritime Freedom Construct aims to combine diplomatic action with military coordination, which will be critical during Project Freedom,” it said.
CENTCOM also said that U.S. military support to Project Freedom will include “guided-missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms, and 15,000 service members.”
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham voiced strong support Sunday for President Donald Trump’s newly announced “Project Freedom,” calling for action to restore navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Graham also accused Iran of “terrorizing the world” and prolonging the conflict by “playing games.”
“Totally agree with President Trump’s decision to launch Project Freedom, whose purpose is to restore freedom of navigation for the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passageway for the world economy that has been locked down by Iranian terrorism,” Graham said in a post on X.
“It is clear to me that Iran is playing games through negotiations, as their last offer to end the conflict was absurd,” he added.
“Again, I hope this conflict can end diplomatically, but it is now time to regain freedom of navigation and forcefully respond to Iran if they insist on terrorizing the world. Enough with this terrorist regime’s behavior,” he said
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reaffirmed Germany’s support for the United States over Iran’s nuclear ambitions Sunday amid tensions between the two leaders over the war.
“The United States is and will remain Germany’s most important partner in the North Atlantic Alliance,” Merz said in a post shared on X.
“We share a common goal: Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons,” he said.
Merz also said he would continue working with Trump despite the growing rift and after the Pentagon ordered the withdrawal of 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany.
“I am not giving up on working on the transatlantic relationship. Nor am I giving up on working with Donald Trump,” he told broadcaster ARD in an interview.
His remarks also follow criticism he made on April 27, when he said Washington was being “humiliated by the Iranian leadership” and expressed hope the conflict would end “as quickly as possible.”
President Donald Trump announced “Project Freedom,” on Sunday whereby the U.S. military would begin guiding ships from other nations safely out of the Strait starting Monday.
The process, he said, was intended as a humanitarian effort to help innocent people, businesses and countries that are suffering from the closure through no fault of their own.
The announcement came as Trump expressed doubt about a 14-point peace plan proposed by Iran over the weekend.
“Countries from all over the world, almost all of which are not involved in the Middle Eastern dispute going on so visibly and violently for all to see, have asked the United States if we could help free up their ships, which are locked up in the Strait of Hormuz, on something which they have absolutely nothing to do with — They are merely neutral and innocent bystanders!” Trump said in a post shared on Truth Social.
“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 highlighted the ships he is referring to were “from areas of the world that are not in any way involved with that which is currently taking place in the Middle East.”
“I have told my representatives to inform them that we will use our best efforts to get their ships and crews safely out of the Strait.
“In all cases, they said they will not be returning until the area becomes safe for navigation and everything else.
“This process, Project Freedom, will begin Monday morning, Middle East time,” he said.
“I am fully aware that my representatives are having very positive discussions with the country of Iran, and that these discussions could lead to something very positive for all.
“The ship movement is merely meant to free up people, companies and countries that have done absolutely nothing wrong — They are victims of circumstance. This is a humanitarian gesture on behalf of the United States, Middle Eastern countries but, in particular, the country of Iran.
“Many of these ships are running low on food and everything else necessary for large-scale crews to stay on board in a healthy and sanitary manner,” Trump added.
Trump also confirmed that showing goodwill on behalf of all of those who have been fighting over the last several months was important.
“If, in any way, this humanitarian process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully,” he said.
Seven members of the OPEC+ group of 12 oil-producing countries confirmed Sunday they will increase production as part of a commitment to “market stability,” The Associated Press reported.
Saudi Arabia, Russia, Algeria, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwait and Oman said they would raise production by 188,000 barrels per day, starting in June.
They also confirmed monthly meetings “to review market conditions, conformity and compensation.”
The strait closure has reduced oil shipments from Gulf producers, removing millions of barrels per day from the global market.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has also left the OPEC oil group.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Sunday it uncovered dozens of Hezbollah weapons in southern Lebanon and during the extended ceasefire.
“DISCOVERED: Dozens of Hezbollah weapons intended for terror activity against IDF soldiers,” the IDF said in a post on X.
“Weapons found: Kalashnikov rifles, machine guns, anti-tank missiles, magazines and combat equipment,” it added. “Additionally, 2 armed terrorists were eliminated south of the Forward Defense Line, after posing an immediate threat to IDF soldiers in the area,” the IDF said.
The Israeli Air Force also carried out strikes targeting Hezbollah militants transporting weapons near IDF troops, the military said in a statement.
Germany’s foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, said Sunday that in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, he emphasized how Germany supports a negotiated solution to the war with Iran and that the U.S. is a close ally.
“As a close U.S. ally, we share the same goal: Iran must completely and verifiably renounce nuclear weapons and immediately release the Strait of Hormuz, as @SecRubio also demands,” Wadephul said in a post shared on X.
Wadephul’s remarks came as Reuters reported that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the U.S. was also central to the NATO alliance.
“I remain convinced that the Americans are the most important partner for us in the North Atlantic Alliance,” Merz told ARD in an interview set to be broadcast Sunday, the outlet said.
Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent says Iran may have to start shutting down its oil wells amid the blockade on its ports Sunday.
Bessent made the statement during an interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo,
“I think oil prices we can see in the futures market that oil prices are already lower three months, six months, nine months out. But again, know, Maria, there are hundreds of oil tankers waiting in the Gulf to come out. the the U.S. is only blockading Iranian ships, and we will see. I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t see more of those ships coming out,” Bessent said.
“We think that they’ve gotten less than $1.3 million in tolls, which is a pittance on their previous daily oil revenues. And their their oil infrastructure is starting to creak. It hasn’t been maintained, again, because of our decades long sanctions against them. They are rapidly filling up, filling up storage. And as that happens, they’re going to have to start shutting in wells, which we think could be in the next week,” he said.
A large cargo ship reported being attacked by multiple small craft while transiting the Strait of Hormuz just 11 miles away from the Iranian coast on Sunday.
The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Center reports that no injuries occurred during the incident. Iran has attacked multiple ships using its fast attack boats and has seized at least two vessels in the strait.
“What is certain is that we will not step back from the Strait of Hormuz, and it will not return to its pre-war state,” Deputy Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Ali Nikzad said.
Video clips posted to X show a former Columbia University professor — who was barred from teaching after expressing support for terror groups — calling for the “destruction” of the United States and urging students to disrupt the American defense industry.
Mohamed Abdou, whose “Death to the Akademy” tour stopped in Blacksburg, Virginia, this week, appears in the clips telling an audience of students that they are part of a “racial religious war” and characterizing the U.S. as a “monster.”
The clips show Abdou being explicit about the meaning behind his tour’s title.
“When we say Death to America, we mean, and loud and clear, a total end to U.S. empire,” Abdou told the attendees. “The destruction of this crusading settler colony, their entire project.”
Abdou, who was barred from teaching at Columbia last year after expressing support for Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad, also refers to the Oct. 7 attacks as the “blessed day of Al-Aqsa Flood.” He describes student activists in the room as a “branch of the resistance” and a “branch of the mujahideen.”
The speech criticizes the “weapons industry,” with Abdou appearing to urge students to disrupt “every single choke point” and “supply chain bottleneck.”
“Study what our mujahideen did,” Abdou tells students, adding that they should “start soon.”
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Brittany Miller.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent joined Fox News on Sunay to discuss President Donald Trump’s economic pressure on Iran, as well as U.S. efforts to secure critical industries amid an AI boom.
Bessent appeared on “Sunday Morning Futures, arguing that Trump’s blockade has been wildly successful in hampering Iran’s economy.
As President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on NATO allies to increase defense spending — and orders the withdrawal of 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany over the next six to 12 months — a deeper issue is coming into focus: even as allied budgets rise, NATO still depends heavily on American military power to function.
NATO’s imbalance is not theoretical — and it is not new, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg told Fox News Digital, “I told the president… maybe you ought to talk about a tiered relationship with NATO,” Kellogg described conversations with Trump in his first term about the alliance’s future. “…we need to develop a new, for lack of a better term, a new NATO a new defensive alignment with Europe.”
Kellogg, who served as a senior national security official during Trump’s first term, said the alliance has expanded politically but not militarily — creating what he sees as a growing gap between commitments and real capability.
“You started with 12, and you went to 32, and in the process, I think you diluted the impact,” he argued, calling today’s NATO “a very bloated architecture.”
“They haven’t put the money into defense. Their defense industry and defense forces have atrophied. When you look at the Brits right now, they could barely deploy forces: they have two aircraft carriers, both under maintenance. Their brigades are like one out of six that work. And you just look at the capability, it’s just not there. So I think we need to realize that and say, well, we need something different,” Kellogg, who is the co-chair of the Center for American Security at the America First Foreign Policy Institute, told Fox News Digital.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Efrat Lachter.
U.S. Central Command says U.S. forces have redirected 49 commercial vessels as part of President Donald Trump’s blockade on Iranian ports Sunday.
CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper also visited the USS Milius on Saturday as the guided-missile destroyer patrolled regional waters in support of the U.S. blockade operations against Iran.
“While on board, he interacted with Sailors and addressed them on the 1MC while highlighting the importance of the ongoing mission. As of today, 49 commercial vessels have been redirected to comply with blockade. U.S. forces remain fully committed to total enforcement,” CENTCOM wrote.
Iran is reportedly considering deploying mine-carrying dolphins to target U.S. warships in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Iran purchased specially trained dolphins from Russia in 2000, and has considered using them in the past, according to the BBC.
Americans shopping for smartphones, laptops or even home appliances may soon start feeling the effects of the Iran conflict – not just at the gas pump, but at the checkout screen.
A disruption to an essential component in electronics – printed circuit boards (PCBs) – is driving up costs across the tech industry, increasing the likelihood that consumers will face higher prices and fewer deals in the months ahead.
Prices for circuit boards have already surged, jumping as much as 40% in April alone, according to Goldman Sachs. At the same time, other key inputs like copper foil – one of the largest cost components in PCBs – have climbed as much as 30% this year.
The ongoing war with Iran has disrupted supplies of key raw materials used to produce PCBs, which function as the “nervous system” inside nearly every electronic device, from smartphones and computers to cars and AI servers.
At the center of the disruption is an Iranian strike on Saudi Arabia’s Jubail petrochemical complex in early April, which halted production of a critical resin used in circuit boards and tightened global supply, according to analysts. Shipping routes in and out of the Gulf have also been disrupted, compounding delays and shortages.
Manufacturers are now scrambling to secure materials, with lead times for some chemicals stretching from just three weeks to as long as 15 weeks, according to industry sources. The pressure is cascading through the broader tech supply chain.
“It is not just PCBs,” said Ben Bajarin, CEO of Creative Strategies. “Memory, storage and wafer costs are all increasing the bill of materials for devices.”
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox Business’ Bradford Betz.
Former Deputy National Security Advisor KT McFarland joined Fox News to discuss Iran’s latest proposal for peace talks, including opening the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for sanctions relief.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is reportedly planning to travel to the Vatican and Italy this week for meetings aimed at steadying relations after public spats between President Donald Trump, Pope Leo and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Rubio, a Catholic, is expected to meet with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s top diplomatic official, Reuters reported, citing Italian newspapers La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera.
Rubio is also expected to hold talks with Italy’s foreign and defense ministers, the Italian newspapers reported.
The visit would come at a tense moment for U.S.-European relations. The Pentagon on Friday announced a drawdown of 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany, the largest American base presence in Europe, as disagreements over Iran and tariffs deepen strains between Washington and several European capitals.
Trump added he “probably should” weigh a drawdown of U.S. troops for NATO in Italy, too.
“Why shouldn’t I? Italy has not been of any help to us, and Spain has been horrible,” Trump said Friday from the Oval Office.
“I didn’t need the help, but I said, ‘yeah, we’d love to have your help, because I want to see if they’d do it. And they, in all cases, they said, ‘We don’t want to get involved.’ And you know the amazing thing is they use the Strait of Hormuz, and we don’t. We don’t use it. We don’t need it. We have a lot of oil.”
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Eric Mack.
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Tuesday accused Iran’s regime of dramatically intensifying its crackdown on dissent in the wake of the February conflict, warning that Tehran has carried out executions, mass arrests, torture and one of the world’s longest internet shutdowns while invoking national security.
In a sharply worded statement from Geneva, Türk said at least 21 people have been executed and more than 4,000 arrested on national security-related charges since Feb. 28 as the regime faces mounting scrutiny over what he described as a sweeping assault on fundamental rights.
“I am appalled that, on top of the already severe impacts of the conflict, the rights of the Iranian people continue to be stripped from them by the authorities in harsh and brutal ways,” Türk said.
Since the start of the conflict two months ago, the U.N. said nine people have been executed over the January 2026 protests, 10 for alleged membership in opposition groups and two on espionage charges. It’s estimated some 40,000 people were killed by regime forces during January’s uprising.
Türk warned that Iran’s broad use of vaguely defined national security laws has enabled authorities to fast-track prosecutions, deny legal counsel and rely on coerced confessions.
“Even where national security is invoked, human rights can only be limited where strictly necessary and proportionate,” he said, calling on Tehran to halt executions, impose a moratorium on capital punishment and immediately release those arbitrarily detained.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Efrat Lachter.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Saturday he discussed a potential deal with Iran and will review the “exact wording” aboard Air Force One en route to Miami International Airport.
“They told me about the concept of the deal. They’re going to give me the exact wording now,” Trump said. “… We’re doing very well with regard to Iran. Again, they want to make a deal. They are decimated.”
“… If we left right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild,” he continued. “But we’re not leaving right now. We’re going to do it so nobody has to go back in two years or five years.”
Trump added the regime is “having a hard time figuring out who their leader is,” and said there is a possibility the U.S. could restart military strikes on targets.
He later posted on Truth Social, noting he “can’t imagine that [the deal] 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.”
Fox News’ Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump on Friday defended the war with Iran as necessary to prevent the regime from having a nuclear weapon.
“We cannot let lunatics have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said during remarks at The Villages in Florida.
The president acknowledged he expected more severe economic fallout but said he had to do “what’s right.”
“I thought the numbers would be much worse. I thought the stock market would go down much more. I thought the oil prices would go up much more,” Trump said. “I said, ‘But we have no choice. Whether it does or doesn’t, I have to do what’s right.’ We can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump also claimed Iran’s military capabilities have been significantly degraded.
“They’re getting decimated. They have no Navy. They have no air force, they have no anti-aircraft equipment. They have no radar. They have no leaders. Their leaders are all gone.”
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Sophia Compton.
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This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG.