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Donald Trump has revealed that Xi Jinping offered to help the US break Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. 'President Xi would like to see a deal made,' Trump told Fox News. 'He said, 'If I can be of any help at all, I would like to be of help.' Anybody that buys that much oil has obviously got some kind of relationship, but he'd like to see the Hormuz Strait open.' Trump did not say what Xi would want in return for China's assistance, but there have been reports that Beijing is seeking tariff relief and access to...

If the US or Israel attack Iran again, Tehran could produce weapons-grade uranium, says the spokesman for Iran’s parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Commission. “One of Iran’s options in the event of another attack could be 90 percent enrichment,” writes Ebrahim Rezaei in a Persian-language post on X. “We will review it in the parliament.” Iran has enriched uranium to 60%, and could quickly make the leap to 90%.

Just yesterday, the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in Beijing, meeting with his counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The two ministers reportedly discussed bilateral ties, the Iran-U.S. conflict, the Strait of Hormuz, and regional issues. But today, as Araghchi is already back in Tehran, the unpredictable happened, with the Iranians reportedly striking a Chinese-owned cargo ship in the Hormuz waterways. The attack was confirmed by US Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz. “A Chinese-owned oil products tanker was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, Chinese media outlet Caixin reported, as President Donald Trump launched a...

There was some action on Thursday as the U.S. hit some locations around the Strait of Hormuz, according to Fox.A U.S. strike on Iran’s Qeshm Port in the Strait of Hormuz and Bandar Abbas was reported Thursday, with U.S. officials telling Fox News National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin that this was neither a restart of the war nor an end to the ceasefire.The U.S. military also struck Iran's Bandar Kargan naval checkpoint in Minab, officials confirmed. [....]Iran’s state-run Mehr News Agency also reported attacks and exchanges of fire across Iran’s southern Hormozgan province near Bandar Abbas, Bandar Khamir, Sirik and...

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Iran will be bombed “at a much higher level” if it doesn’t agree to a peace deal, raising tensions even as news outlets reported that Washington and Tehran are nearing an agreement to end the war. Trump in a Truth Social post said the U.S. military offensive known as Operation Epic Fury “will be at an end” if Iran “agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption.” ... But “if they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity...

Rising optimism surrounding a potential diplomatic breakthrough between the United States and Iran placed renewed focus on the Strait of Hormuz early Wednesday, as traders monitored signs of easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Reports indicate Washington and Tehran are nearing a one-page memorandum of understanding aimed at de-escalating the conflict between the two nations. The development sparked a shift in market expectations regarding global shipping activity through the strategically critical waterway, which handles a significant share of the world’s oil flows. On prediction platform Kalshi, traders increased the probability that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz will normalize...

A French-owned container ship was “struck by an unknown projectile” in the Strait of Hormuz overnight, causing damage to the vessel and injuring crew members, the owner has confirmed. Container ship San Antonio was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday night while transiting the Strait of Hormuz eastward — out of the Gulf and towards India — triggering an evacuation operation to get crew injured in the attack to medical care. The ship, which is owned by French Marseille-headquartered maritime transport group Compagnie maritime d’affrètement – Compagnie générale maritime (Maritime Freighting Company – General Maritime Company, CMA CGM)...

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is pausing “Project Freedom,” the U.S. military’s effort to guide commercial ships out of the Strait of Hormuz, one day after the operation began. Trump, in a Truth Social post, said the decision was based in part on “the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement” with Iran. Stock futures rose following Trump’s announcement, which raised hopes for a peace agreement that would end the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran and reopen the economically vital strait. It also represented a surprising about-face from the Trump administration, which just hours...

Two U.S. Navy destroyers, the USS Truxtun and USS Mason, successfully fought their way through the Strait of Hormuz after repelling a massive coordinated barrage of Iranian missiles, drones, and fast-attack boats. Two U.S. Navy destroyers successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz on Monday despite coming under a heavy, coordinated Iranian assault involving small boats, missiles, and drones, CBS News reported on Tuesday. The USS Truxtun (DDG-103) and USS Mason (DDG-87) entered the Persian Gulf while facing what defense officials described as a “sustained barrage.” The ships were supported by U.S. fighter aircraft and AH-64 Apache helicopters, which helped neutralize...

The ceasefire in the Gulf is four weeks old and showing its age. The US and Iran's determination to keep the pressure on each other has put it in serious jeopardy. This is a dangerous moment. The ceasefire opened up a chance for diplomacy that looked for a short time as if it might make progress. Americans and Iranians faced each other across a conference table in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, but came away empty-handed. The Pakistanis are trying to revive the process, without much success so far. Both America and Iran want to have a deal. But they have different...

American attack helicopters sank six Iranian small boats in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday — as the Trump administration works to back the regime into a corner — forcing it to choose between allowing ships through the strait or attacking them and provoking a return to war. Two US-flagged cargo ships successfully passed through the strait as part of a new American initiative, “Project Freedom.” Frustrated by the lack of progress with Iranian negotiators, Trump is allegedly forcing Iran’s hand by deploying US warships directly into the Strait of Hormuz to escort neutral vessels that have been trapped in...

U.S. Central Command (Centcom) on Monday dismissed a claim from Iranian state media that a U.S. warship was hit by Iranian missiles. “CLAIM: Iranian state media claims that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps hit a U.S. warship with two missiles,” Centcom said in a post on the social platform X early Monday morning. “TRUTH: No U.S. Navy ships have been struck. U.S. forces are supporting Project Freedom and enforcing the naval blockade on Iranian ports,” Centcom added, referencing an effort announced by President Trump on Sunday to free up ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Tasnim news agency, in...

U.S. Forces sank six Iranian small boats near the Strait of Hormuz amid President Donald Trump's "Project Freedom" on Monday. U.S. Central Command announced the engagement in a press call with reporters, saying Iran's military capability has been "dramatically degraded." CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said on the call that Iran historically has deployed "between 20 and 40 small boats" when harassing vessels in the strait. "Today, we saw just six, and eliminated them quickly," Cooper said. "We have an enormous amount of capability and firepower concentrated in and around the Strait, including 864 Apache and MH 60 Seahawk helicopters...

There's been a lot of bluffing by Iran over the last few weeks during the tenuous "ceasefire," and it looks like the United States has finally called it. As RedState reported, the U.S. Navy successfully escorted multiple American-flagged vessels through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. Now, CENTCOM is confirming that hostilities have already resumed. According to Kassy Akiva, who attended a press briefing with Admiral Brad Cooper, six Iranian boats were destroyed. What's left of the regime also tried to launch missiles at U.S. Naval ships, but they were successfully intercepted. He says 6 Iranian small boats were eliminated...

A Panama-flagged cargo vessel operated by a South Korean shipping company caught fire following an explosion while anchored in the Strait of Hormuz late Monday, according to government officials. No casualties were reported. The vessel, identified as HMM Namu, was anchored outside the port limits of Umm Al Quwain when the incident occurred at around 8:40 p.m., authorities said. The ship had 24 crew members on board, including six South Koreans and 18 foreign nationals. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said an explosion was observed on the port side of the engine room, with information relayed from a nearby...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military said Monday that two American-flagged merchant ships had successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz after it launched a new plan to restore traffic. Iran has effectively closed the critical waterway since the U.S. and Israel launched the war in late February.U.S. President Donald Trump's new initiative to break Iran's chokehold has escalated the standoff. The U.S. military denied Iran's claims that it had struck an American Navy vessel. The United Arab Emirates meanwhile issued its first missile alert since a ceasefire reached in early April and accused Iran of targeting an...

Iran’s Fars news agency, citing local sources, reports two missiles hit a US navy vessel near Jask island after it ignored warnings from the Revolutionary Guard to halt. The reported attack comes after President Trump said the US will begin “Project Freedom” on Monday to “guide” stranded ships out of the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command said it would support the effort with 15,000 military personnel, more than 100 land and sea-based aircraft, along with warships and drones.

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! 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...

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday announced a new initiative aimed at safely escorting foreign vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East. In a statement posted online, Trump said multiple countries had requested U.S. assistance to help free their ships, describing them as “neutral and innocent bystanders” caught in a conflict they are not involved in. The U.S. president revealed that Washington would begin guiding these vessels out of restricted waters under a plan dubbed “Project Freedom,” scheduled to start Monday morning, Middle East time. Trump emphasized that the operation...

A cargo ship was struck by multiple small craft while sailing near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, UK military officials said. The ship, which was not immediately identified, was hit right off the coast of Sirik, Iran, just east of the strait, according to the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre. All crew members were reported safe, with no group immediately claiming responsibility for the attack. Iran’s military, however, has repeatedly warned any ship that tries to navigate the strait would be attacked unless they pay a toll and prove they are not affiliated with the US...