Last UpdateMay 4, 2026, 11:20 AM EDT
Iran’s military warned that any U.S. forces that enter the Strait of Hormuz will be “targeted and attacked” after President Donald Trump announced plans for U.S. escort missions through the strait on Monday.
Covered by: Anders Hagstrom
WHAT TO KNOW
- The fragile ceasefire with Iran faces its biggest threat to date as President Donald Trump announced plans for U.S. forces to “guide” vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
- The U.S. blockade on Iranian ports will continue, with U.S. Central Command saying they have already redirected at least 49 ships.
- The British military’s maritime trade center reported an attack on a trade vessel by multiple small craft just 11 miles off Iran’s coast in the strait on Sunday.
- Iran’s military has vowed to attack any U.S. forces that enter the strait.
- Peace talks with Iran remain stagnant, with Trump bashing Iran’s latest 14-point proposal.
10PostsNewestOldest
6 hours ago
PINNED
Iran claims it fired ‘warning shot’ against US ship near the Strait of Hormuz
Iran claims it fired a “warning shot” against a U.S. Navy ship near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.
A senior Iranian official says the shot was intended to prevent the U.S. vessel from entering the strait.
“Iran fired a warning shot against U.S. warship to prevent its entry into Strait of Hormuz, unclear whether there was any damage,” the official said.
The statement comes after U.S. Central Command denied reports from an Iranian news agency that two Iranian missiles had struck a U.S. ship in the strait.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
2 hours ago
UAE responding to ‘missile threat’ amid conflict with Iran
The United Arab Emirates says its air defenses are responding to a missile threat on Monday.
The country’s National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority announced the attack in a post on social media.
“Air defense systems are currently responding to a missile threat. Please remain in a safe location and follow official channels for warnings and updates,” the statement read.
The UAE’s defense ministry says it intercepted three missiles launched from Iran, Reuters reported.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
2 hours ago
Congress ignores key deadline as Republicans ready ‘restraint’ on Trump’s war in Iran
Congress left Washington, D.C., without flexing its legal muscle against President Donald Trump’s Iran war, despite growing concern among Republicansabout what comes next in the Middle East.
The 60-day deadline, enshrined into law by the War Powers Act Resolution, requires that Congress authorize or halt the war. That mark came and went Friday while lawmakers were back home.
While Senate Democrats have voted six times in lockstep to handcuff Trump’s war powers in Iran, Republicans broadly have not wanted to interfere with the administration’s plans.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he didn’t see a desire from most Republicans to take action on the deadline and noted that lawmakers were getting “readouts from our military leadership on a somewhat regular basis” to guide their decision-making.
Still, some Republicans want to put guardrails on Trump when Congress returns.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has been working on an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) that she described as more than an authorization, but also a “restraint.”
“If we pass this 60-day mark from the start of hostilities with still a lack of a credible plan and information from the administration, it is one — it is something that I intend to introduce once the Senate reconvenes here,” Murkowski said.
Trump wrote to congressional leaders on Friday that he never needed their say-so and noted that hostilities in Iran — despite scant skirmishes and an ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — had been “terminated.”
“On April 7, 2026, I ordered a two-week ceasefire,” Trump wrote. “The ceasefire has since been extended. There has been no exchange of fire between the United States Forces and Iran since April 7, 2026. The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated.”
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Alex Miller.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
3 hours ago
Pakistan announces US release of seized cargo ship amid Trump’s ‘Project Freedom’
As the tensions between the United States and Iran persist, including an ongoing U.S. blockade against the Islamic Republic, President Donald Trump declared in a Truth Social post that the U.S. would launch “Project Freedom” to help ships from other nations escape the Strait of Hormuz.
“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!” the president declared in a Sunday Truth Social post.
“This process, Project Freedom, will begin Monday morning, Middle East time,” he noted.
But Iran has threatened to attack.
“We have repeatedly said the security of the Strait of Hormuz is in our hands and that the safe passage of vessels needs to be coordinated with the armed forces,” Iran’s Ali Abdollahi declared in a statement, according to Reuters. “We warn that any foreign armed forces, especially the aggressive U.S. Army, will be attacked if they intend to approach and enter the Strait of Hormuz.”
U.S. Central Command noted that 15,000 service members will be involved in the effort.
“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,” CENTCOM noted in a press release on Sunday.
An Iranian-flagged ship seized last month by the U.S. will be returned to its owners, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Monday.
“As a confidence-building measure by the United States of America, twenty-two crew members held aboard the seized Iranian container ship, ‘MV Touska’, have been evacuated to Pakistan. The individuals, who were flown to Pakistan last night, will be handed over to the Iranian authorities today. The Iranian ship will also be backloaded to Pakistani territorial waters for return to its original owners after necessary repairs,” the statement noted.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Alex Nitzberg.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
4 hours ago
Bessent accuses Dem Sen Reed of joining ‘surrender lobby’ on Iran war
Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent blasted Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., for joining the “surrender lobby” with respect to U.S. operations against Iran on Monday.
Bessent made the statement during an interview on Fox News after Reed said the U.S. is in a “much worse position” thanks to the war in Iran.
“I would say, unfortunately, Senator Reed, who had a distinguished military career, has now joined the surrender lobby,” Bessent said in response.
“This has been going on for three weeks. The Iranian economy is in free fall, and to be clear here, this is an international humanitarian operation. We are opening the strait. The Iranians do not have control of the strait, and for him to say that, it’s sad he believes the Iranian propaganda,” he added.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
5 hours ago
US-flagged vessels ‘successfully transited’ Strait of Hormuz amid Trump’s ‘Project Freedom’: CENTCOM
U.S. Central Command says two U.S.-flagged vessels have successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump announced “Project Freedom” on Monday.
“U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers are currently operating in the Arabian Gulf after transiting the Strait of Hormuz in support of Project Freedom. American forces are actively assisting efforts to restore transit for commercial shipping. As a first step, 2 U.S.-flagged merchant vessels have successfully transited through the Strait of Hormuz and are safely headed on their journey,” CENTCOM wrote in a post on X.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
5 hours ago
OPINION: Iran blockade ‘going global’ is a warning signal to China and Russia
This is an excerpt from an opinion article by Dr. Rebecca Grant.
On Tuesday, U.S. Marines from USS Tripoli once again fast-roped from their MH-60 Seahawk helicopters onto the deck of a suspicious container ship named Blue Star III heading for Iran. That makes a total of 39 vessels turned back, boarded or seized since April 13.
“The blockade has been unbelievably effective,” President Donald Trump said on Sunday. Economic pressure is the main point of the blockade, but it has military impact far beyond the Strait of Hormuz.
“We seized their sanctioned ships, and we will seize more,” U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth briefed at the Pentagon on Friday, April 24. “Our blockade is growing and going global,” Hegseth added.
“Going global” is sending shockwaves through China. China imports at least 70% of its oil. Of that, 90% moves by sea. Iran alone supplied 14% of China’s imports last year, with Russia adding another 18%. Most of that oil was moved by shadow fleet tankers.
For all the talk of China’s growing naval power, this sea power phase of Operation Epic Fury is an incredible boost to deterrence in the Pacific. The tactics and joint force coordination on display are not something China can easily match. The web of air and maritime surveillance, intelligence, financial forensics and sheer audacity is something only America can pull off.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
6 hours ago
CENTCOM denies reports Iranian missiles struck US Navy ship: ‘They made this up’
U.S. Central Command says Iran’s claims that they struck a U.S. vessel with missiles in the Strait of Hormuz are propaganda and false.
CENTCOM spokesman Cpt. Tim Hawkins issued the denial in a statement to Fox News Digital on Monday.
“They made this up. It’s not true,” Hawkins said.
Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency, which is tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, first reported claims of a missile strike early Monday morning.
They claimed two Iranian missiles hit an unidentified U.S. vessel near the port of Jask.
Fox News’ Liz Friden contributed to this report.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
6 hours ago
Somali pirate and Houthi alliance targets $1T oil trade route with revived hijack tactic
A surge in Somali piracy is fueling fears of a Red Sea “security vacuum” across the region as analysts warn of a revived maritime crime playbook, now linked to Iran-backed Houthis.
The warning follows a May 2 report from Yemen’s coast guard that armed men hijacked an oil tanker off Shabwa and steered it toward the Gulf of Aden, and the vessel has since been located with recovery efforts underway, Reuters reported.
“There is a fundamental shift in the maritime center of gravity amid a new phase of maritime instability in the region,” Ido Shalev, chief operating officer at RTCOM Defense, told Fox News Digital.
“Somali and Houthi-linked groups are teaming up — using skiffs and new tech to strike ships with coordination not seen in a decade — while Saudi crude rerouted from the Strait of Hormuz has created a ‘target-rich environment for them,’” he added.
“There is an opportunistic alignment, with the Houthis providing geopolitical cover and advanced GPS and surveillance, and Somali groups providing the boots on the ground or skiffs on the water,” Shalev said.
With the MT Eureka taken off Shabwa, Shalev, a former Israeli naval officer, suggested what he called the “Somali model” had returned “with a vengeance.”
“This is a transactional collaboration, and in the exact area where the Houthis are active and would like to cause damage and support their IRGC sponsor,” he said before describing how pirates would hijack the entire ship and cargo, taking them to a secure anchorage “like Qandala or Garacad.”
“They then demand a ransom for the entire package: the vessel, the tens of millions of dollars in oil, and the crew,” he said.
The surge in regional risk is also exacerbated, Shalev said, by the volatility of the Strait of Hormuz. As Iranian-backed threats persist in the Persian Gulf, global energy flows are shifting.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Emma Bussey.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
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.
Fox News’ Emma Bussey contributed to this report.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom
Parazonn 