{"id":209841,"date":"2026-05-05T21:25:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T21:25:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/us-ships-sail-through-hormuz-testing-ceasefire-iran-war-live-updates-usa-today\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T21:25:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T21:25:48","slug":"us-ships-sail-through-hormuz-testing-ceasefire-iran-war-live-updates-usa-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/us-ships-sail-through-hormuz-testing-ceasefire-iran-war-live-updates-usa-today\/","title":{"rendered":"US ships sail through Hormuz, testing ceasefire: Iran war live updates – USA Today"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth<\/a> said two U.S. commercial ships and two Navy destroyers sailed through the Strait of Hormuz<\/a>, embarrassing Iranians who claimed the key waterway was closed and demonstrating it is safe to pass while a blockade of Tehran\u2019s ports continues.
The crossings on Monday, May 4, in the key waterway for 20% of the world\u2019s oil and natural gas came amid a fragile ceasefire. The U.S. military sank six Iranian boats targeting commercial vessels under the mission Project Freedom<\/a>. Iran also launched missile and drone strikes on the United Arab Emirates<\/a>, sparking a blaze at an oil facility and leaving three people injured.
\u201cWe\u2019re not looking for a fight, but Iran also cannot be allowed to block innocent countries and their goods from an international waterway,\u201d Hegseth told reporters Tuesday, May 5. \u201cIran\u2019s plan, a form of international extortion, is unacceptable.\u201d
Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Iranians shouldn’t mistake the lack of larger-scale military response to the attacks as a lack of resolve. Later on Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected any suggestion that the United States naval blockade on Iran is “an act of war.”
Hegseth said Project Freedom to defend commercial ships from Iranian attacks would be temporary, in preparation for other countries to defend the shipping lane. The average price for a gallon of gas across the United States on Tuesday morning was near $4.49, according to GasBuddy<\/a>.
Leaders from Canada to Saudi Arabia have called on Iran to deescalate and urged warring parties to return to negotiating a peace deal.
Joey Garrison
Ten civilian sailors have died from attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a Tuesday briefing with reporters at the White House, as the Trump administration seeks to pressure Iran to reopen the critical waterway.
“They’re sitting ducks,” Rubio said of Iran. “They’re isolated. They’re starving. They’re vulnerable. And at least 10 sailors have already died \u2012 civilian sailors.”
Rubio did not specify the nationality of the deceased sailors. His remarks came as U.S. military officials confirmed they sank six Iranian small boats and the United Arab Emirates reported coming under attack from Iranian missiles and drones.
Bart Jansen
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a U.S. resolution will give the United Nations another chance to take a stand against Iran\u2019s closure of the Strait of Hormuz and that if the effort fails, it could reveal the global body as ineffective.
\u201cI think it\u2019s a real test for the UN, as something that functions that can solve global problems,\u201d Rubio said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if people appreciate how outrageous this is.\u201d
A similar resolution last month was vetoed by China and Russia. Rubio said there are slight adjustments to the language, but the U.S. is not asking for other countries to send troops to the Middle East. The resolution seeks to condemn Iran for firing at commercial ships and to halt mining the strait, which he said by itself is against international law, and to allow humanitarian aid to come through.
\u201cIf you\u2019re telling me that the international community and hundreds of countries cannot rally behind that, I don\u2019t what the utility of the UN system is, if it can\u2019t solve something as straightforward as that,\u201d Rubio said.
Joey Garrison
Rubio, making a rare appearance Tuesday at a White House press briefing, countered concerns about higher gas prices during the war in Iran by arguing the alternative would be worse.
Rubio said gas prices in the United States have not increased at the same level as other countries, arguing the U.S. is “more insulated” than others from oil exports blocked at the Strait of Hormuz.
Although he acknowledged “that’s not welcome news to Americans that are paying more at the pump,” Rubio said gas prices would be even higher if Iran has a nuclear weapon.
“Think about it this way,” Rubio said. “If Iran had a nuclear weapon, and they decided to close the straits and make our gas prices like $9 or $8 a gallon, we wouldn’t be able to do anything about it because they have a nuclear weapon, and a nuclear-armed Iran could do whatever they want with the straits.”
Bart Jansen
Secretary of State Marco Rubio blamed continued Israeli strikes into Lebanon as a response to attacks from Hezbollah.
\u201cBy and large, I think a peace deal between Israel and Lebanon is imminently achievable. And it should be,\u201d Rubio told reporters at the White House. He blamed Hezbollah for Israeli strikes because \u201cthey terrorize and attack Israelis, but they are also inflicting terrible damage on the Lebanese people.\u201d
Rubio said the goal in talks the United States is mediating is to have Lebanon become strong enough to challenge and disarm Hezbollah.
\u201cIt\u2019s not going to be easy,\u201d Rubio said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to do everything we can to make sure that both sides conteinue to talk so that progress can be made on some sort of permanent ceasefire that isn\u2019t constantly spoiled by Hezbollah and Hezbollah violence.\u201d
Joey Garrison
Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected any suggestion that the United States naval blockade on Iran is “an act of war.”
Rubio, addressing reporters at a White House press briefing, said the Trump administration ordered the blockade of Iranian ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz because Iran shut down the strait to other nations’ vessels.
“If everyone’s ships are not getting out, your ships are not getting out either,” Rubio said. “That’s not an act of war. That’s a defensive mechanism.”
Trump has hailed the blockade as a major success, yet both the U.S. and Iran have made competing claims of control over the waterway.
Bart Jansen
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said \u201cthe time has come\u201d for Iran\u2019s leadership to make \u201ca sensible choice\u201d to end the U.S.-Israeli war, but that they have been unreliable in talks so far.
\u201cThey\u2019re insane in the brain,\u201d Rubio said. \u201cThere is a real diplomatic path.\u201d
Joey Garrison
The Trump administration on Tuesday proposed a resolution to the United Nations Security Council that looks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and require Iran to cease attacks, mining and tolling along the waterway.
The draft resolution, announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, would also call for Iran to identity sea mines along the strait, cooperate with efforts to remove them, and support a humanitarian corridor.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran continues to hold the world\u2019s economy hostage with its efforts to close the Strait of Hormuz, threats to attack ships in the Strait, laying of sea mines that pose a danger to shipping, and attempts to charge tolls for the world\u2019s most important waterway,” Rubio said in a statement.
The appeal to the UN comes after Trump officials announced a maritime initiative called “Project Freedom” that seeks to unilaterally reopen the strait, which is critical to transport oil in the Middle East.
At the direction of President Donald Trump, the U.S. drafted the resolution with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar. An earlier Bahraini UN Security Council resolution \u2012 backed by the U.S. \u2012 sought to protect commercial shipping in the straight failed in April after Russia and China blocked it.
Contributing: Reuters<\/em>
Bart Jansen
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Project Freedom, the U.S. mission to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian attacks, aims to rescue about 23,000 civilians from 87 countries who are trapped aboard ships bottled up in the Arabian Gulf.
\u201cThey\u2019re at the mercy of this piracy,\u201d Rubio said.
Rubio said ships risk running out of food and potable water if Iran\u2019s threats against shipping continue.
\u201cIt\u2019s not just criminal,\u201d Rubio said. \u201cIt\u2019s criminal for sure but it\u2019s desperate and destructive, this blockade of the Straits of Hormuz.\u201d
Joey Garrison
Trump called rising gas prices for Americans a small price for what he’s hailed as a wildly successful military campaign in Iran.
“That’s a very small price to pay for getting rid of a nuclear weapon from people that are really mentally deranged,” Trump said.
His remarks Tuesday to reporters in the Oval Office came as the average price for a gallon of regulated gasoline increased in the United States to $4.483<\/a>, the highest level since July 2022. Gas prices are up 30 cents from last week and up $1.318 from a year ago.
Oil prices have increased significantly since the start of the war in Iran, though it dropped Tuesday to about $111 a barrel, according to Brent Crude<\/a>.
Trump said he believes his administration’s efforts to unilaterally reopen the Strait of Hormuz for vessels, through an effort called “Project Freedom,” will help bring costs down. He likened the strait to the “Long Island Expressway for ships.”
“Some of these tankers hold 2 million barrels,” Trump said. “It has a big impact.
Joey Garrison
Trump reiterated on Tuesday that he believes Iran wants to make a deal with the United States despite new attacks from Iran on the United Arab Emirates and heightened tensions over the Strait of Hormuz.
“I can say this: Iran wants to make a deal,” Trump said to reporter in the Oval Office, but later criticizing Iranian leaders for telling him one thing in private but then another in public.
“What I don’t like about Iran is they’ll talk to me with such great respect, and then they’ll go on television, they’ll say, ‘We did not speak to the president..'” Trump said.
Bart Jansen
Trump said he expects to talk with China\u2019s President Xi Jinping about Iran when he visits May 14 and 15, but that there hasn\u2019t been a conflict between the two countries over the U.S.-Israeli war on Tehran.
China depends on oil that travels through the Strait of Hormuz for 60% of its oil. Despite Iran halting nearly all traffic through the strait, Trump said Xi hasn\u2019t complained.
\u201cHe\u2019s been very nice about all this,\u201d Trump said. \u201cI think he\u2019s been very respectful.\u201d
Bart Jansen
After Iran fired on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. sank six small attack boats, Trump refused to say May 5 what it would take to violate the ceasefire.
\u201cYou\u2019ll find out because I\u2019ll let you know,\u201d Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. \u201cThey know what to do and what not to do.\u201d
Bart Jansen
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said the small Iranian boats that the Navy has destroyed were carrying only small weapons but were taken seriously as a threat.
\u201cAny threat needs to be taken seriously,\u201d Hegseth said \u201cWe\u2019re not going to let a threat to gather.\u201d
Cybele Mayes-Osterman
Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that the 82nd Airborne Division, an Army unit known as the U.S. military’s quick response force made up of paratroopers, was playing a major role in “Project Freedom,” the military’s effort to free up traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
The division has the capabilities for “counter insurgency to counter terrorism to power projection,” Caine said. They use AI for intelligence and operations, he said.
Bart Jansen
Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Iran has fired at commercial vessels nine times and seized two container ships in trying to close the Strait of Hormuz.
But those attacks fell short of the need to restart broad U.S. military strikes on Iran.
About 22,500 mariners aboard 1,550 commercial ships are trapped in the Arabian Gulf because of the threat from Iran, Caine said.
\u201cWe anticipate more to transit over the coming days,\u201d Caine said, after two U.S. commercial ships passed through the strait.
Cybele Mayes-Osterman
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth told reporters at a May 5 news briefing that the U.S. military’s effort to deter Iran’s attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz and open the flow of traffic through the key channel is a “temporary mission.”
“Iran is the clear aggressor,” he said.
“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 said.
The effort, which the U.S. military has dubbed “Project Freedom,” will not see American forces enter Iranian waters or airspace, he said.
“It’s not necessary. We’re not looking for a fight,” Hegseth added.
Bart Jansen
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said two U.S. commercial ships have transited the Strait of Hormuz under the protection of Navy ships from Iran\u2019s threat of attacks, which he called \u201ca form of international extortion.\u201d
\u201cWe\u2019re not looking for a fight,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cWe prefer this was a peaceful operation.\u201d
He said the military mission called Project Freedom is temporary.
\u201cWe expect the world to step up,\u201d Hegseth said.
Bart Jansen
South Korea is reviewing the U.S. plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping after an explosion and fire on the HMM Namu.
The ship was at anchor and empty when the incident occurred. South Korea\u2019s foreign minister said whether the explosion was the result of an Iranian attack, the cause of the incident could only be determined after the ship was towed back to port.
The “safety of international maritime routes and freedom of navigation should be protected under international law,” said Choi Soung-ah, a presidential secretary.
The incident occurred as the U.S. Navy blockaded Iran\u2019s ports, and Iran has threatened vessels traveling through the strait. The U.S. military said on Monday that it destroyed six Iranian small boats, as well as cruise missiles and drones under \u201cProject Freedom\u201d to protect ships in the strait.
But Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi called Project Freedom a \u201cdeadlock\u201d in a social media post on Monday<\/a> and said the U.S. should be wary of a \u201cquagmire.\u201d
Bart Jansen
Secretary of State Marco Rubio\u00a0<\/a>expects a “frank” meeting with Pope Leo XIV<\/a> after President Donald Trump<\/a> resumed his criticism of the pontiff in their dispute about the necessity of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran<\/a>, according to the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See.
Leo has opposed the war and called for peace. But Trump has insisted the war was necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The ambassador, Brian Burch, said the way to work through disagreements is \u201cthrough fraternity and authentic dialogue.\u201d
“I think the secretary is coming here in that spirit,” Burch told reporters. “To have a frank conversation about U.S. policy, to engage in dialogue.”
In his latest comments, Trump told right-wing radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt that “the Pope would rather talk about the fact that it\u2019s OK for\u00a0Iran\u00a0to have a nuclear weapon, and I don\u2019t think that\u2019s very good.\u201d
Rubio is scheduled to speak to reporters at the White House at 3 p.m. ET.
Michael Loria
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, warned Monday that escalating tensions at sea risk dragging the United States into a “quagmire.”
“Events in Hormuz make clear that there’s no military solution to a political crisis,” Araghchi said in a\u00a0statement<\/a>\u00a0at around 1 a.m. in Tehran. “The U.S. should be wary of being dragged back into quagmire by ill-wishers. So should the UAE.”
The foreign minister’s statement comes hours after U.S. military officials confirmed they sank\u00a0six Iranian small boats<\/a>\u00a0and the United Arab Emirates reported coming\u00a0under attack<\/a>\u00a0from Iranian missiles and drones.
At issue is the Strait of Hormuz, which both sides are vying to control.
Araghchi indicated there\u2019s still hope for a diplomatic solution, saying “talks are making progress with Pakistan’s gracious effort.”
Michael Loria
World leaders from Canada to Saudi Arabia slammed Iran’s attacks on the United Arab Emirates on Monday, calling on the war\u2019s participants to return to the negotiating table.\u00a0
“Today’s Iranian strikes against Emirati civilian infrastructure are\u00a0unjustified<\/a>\u00a0and unacceptable,” said French President Emmanuel Macron.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country “strongly condemns Iran\u2019s unprovoked missile and drone attacks on the United Arab Emirates.”
The strong condemnation comes as the ceasefire appears more fragile than ever.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s concern regarding the current military escalation in the region,” officials said in a\u00a0translated post on X<\/a>, adding that the conflict “calls for the necessity of de-escalation, refraining from further escalation, exercising restraint, and supporting the Pakistani mediation and diplomatic efforts to reach a political solution that prevents the region from sliding into further tension.”<\/p>\n

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Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said two U.S. commercial ships and two Navy destroyers sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, embarrassing Iranians who claimed the key waterway was closed and demonstrating it is safe to pass while a blockade of Tehran\u2019s ports continues.The crossings on Monday, May 4, in the key waterway for 20% of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":209842,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-209841","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209841"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209841\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/209842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}