Live Updates: Iran ceasefire, control over Strait of Hormuz tested as U.S. guides ships through Iranian fire
What to know about the Iran war today:
- U.S. Navy destroyers had to fend off a sustained barrage of Iranian missiles, attack drones and small boats as they helped two commercial vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz as part of Project Freedom, an effort to move ships through the waterway.
- The standoff between Iran and the U.S. over the strait escalated sharply Monday as Project Freedom tested Tehran's grip on the shipping lane and saw the regime fire missiles and drones at the United Arab Emirates for the first time since a U.S.-Iran ceasefire came into effect almost a month ago.
- Iran's foreign minister says Monday's violence shows "there's no military solution" to the war, and he warns the U.S. and its regional partners should be "wary of being dragged back into quagmire by ill-wishers."
Senior Iranian commander predicts U.S. "will ultimately be defeated," as Trump again says U.S. has already won
A high-ranking commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warned Tuesday that any further "escalation of tensions between Iran and the U.S." would bring a "much more severe" outcome for the U.S., which he said "will ultimately be defeated," despite the Iran's military being vastly outgunned.
President Trump downplayed a clash between U.S. warships and Iranian forces on Monday during which American ships and aircraft destroyed seven Iranian fast boats. Speaking later in the day with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Mr. Trump renewed his assertion that the U.S., "from the military standpoint," has already won the war, saying all of Iran's navy ships were "at the bottom of the sea."
Nonetheless, Major General Yadollah Javani, deputy IRGC commander for political affairs, said Tuesday that if there was further escalation between Iran and the U.S., the fallout "will be much more severe for the latter."
"The U.S. will flex its muscles, but will ultimately be defeated," he claimed in remarks carried by Iran's state-run Press TV.
The commander renewed Iran's threat to shipping after the first operation under the U.S Project Freedom to get commercial vessels through the strait, warning that any ship wishing to transit the waterway must do so with permission from the Iranian Armed Forces "in order to stay safe."
Iran's foreign minister to visit Beijing for talks on bilateral ties and "international developments"
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was headed to China's capital Beijing on Tuesday for discussions on bilateral ties between the two countries and on "international developments" amid the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
Araghchi and the foreign ministry confirmed his trip on Tuesday, saying he would meet for the talks with his counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, but offering no additional information.
China has portrayed itself as a neutral party during the two-month war, calling often for diplomacy to end the conflict, but continuing to support its trade partner by buying Iranian energy — reportedly even since the U.S. imposed a blockade on Iranian ports and vessels.
American intelligence agencies detected signs early in the war that Russia and China were both supporting Iran in a bid to blunt the joint U.S.-Israeli military operations.
U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency analysts assessed that China had been considering whether to provide Tehran with advanced radar systems, multiple U.S. officials familiar with the matter told CBS News in mid-April.
South Korean ship hit by Iranian fire disabled and waiting for a tow into Dubai port
A South Korean cargo ship that President Trump said was hit by an Iranian attack Monday in the Strait of Hormuz was waiting to be towed into Dubai's port Tuesday after being disabled by the strike, according to South Korea's state-owned Yonhap news agency.
The ship's operator, Seoul-based logistics company HMM, confirmed a fire on board the NAMU had knocked out the vessel's primary power supply Monday, leaving the ship unable to move on its own power.
Yonhap said six South Korean sailors were planning to return home, while 24 others of various nationalities were to remain on board, where a backup generator was keeping the lights on, and HMM said there were adequate food and water supplies.
"The conditions are for the crew to disembark if they decide to disembark, but it seems that the fire suppression has been completed and there are no additional risk factors, so it is determined that they will stay on the ship," Yonhap quoted an HMM representative as saying.
South Korea's government said earlier Tuesday that it would "review its position" on joining U.S. military operations to secure shipping in the Strait of Hormuz after President Trump called explicitly for Seoul to do so in light of the attack on the NAMU.
Saudi Arabia calls for "de-escalation, restraint" and diplomacy amid "military escalation in the region"
After Iran launched its first attack on a Persian Gulf neighbor in almost a month on Monday, lashing out as the U.S. started an operation to guide tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia's government issued a call for "de-escalation, restraint" and diplomacy.
In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry voiced concern over the "current military escalation in the region" and called for "de-escalation, restraint, and support for Pakistani mediation and diplomatic efforts to reach a political solution that prevents the region from sliding into further tension and instability, which is not in the interest of the region or the world."
The Saudi government also stressed "the importance of restoring international maritime navigation in the Strait of Hormuz to its normal state," demanding that all ships "be guaranteed safe and secure passage without restrictions."
Top Iranian negotiator claims "status quo is intolerable for" U.S., while Iran has "not even started"
Iran's chief negotiator in talks with the United States warned Tuesday that his country has "not even started" in its standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.
"We know full well that the continuation of the status quo is intolerable for America; whilst we have not even started yet," Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a social media post.
Ghalibaf, who's also the speaker of Iran's parliament, said the actions of the U.S. and its allies had put shipping security at risk but said their "malign presence will diminish."
South Korea to review joining U.S. Hormuz operation
South Korea said Tuesday it will "review its position" on joining U.S. operations in the Strait of Hormuz after President Trump urged Seoul to take part in what he has dubbed "Project Freedom," in the wake of an apparent Iranian attack on one of its ships.
An explosion and fire were reported on a South Korean cargo vessel on Monday in the key waterway, which has been effectively blocked since the Mideast war erupted on Feb. 28.
South Korea's foreign ministry said Tuesday that all 24 crew members aboard the stricken HMM Namu — including six South Korean nationals — were unharmed and the fire on the vessel had been "completely extinguished."
Mr. Trump said the incident should prompt South Korea to join American efforts to guide stranded ships through the strait, a major artery for the fuel exports that Seoul relies on.
On Tuesday, South Korea's defense ministry said it would "carefully review our position" but didn't commit to any change.
Seoul would consider its stance based on international law, the safety of international maritime routes, its alliance with the United States and the security situation on the Korean peninsula, the ministry said.
It added that it had been "actively participating in international discussions on cooperation to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz."
The HMM Namu is almost 590 feet long and sails under the flag of Panama, data from tracking site MarineTraffic shows.
CBS/AFP
Maersk says ship transited Strait of Hormuz under U.S. escort
Denmark's freight giant Maersk said on Tuesday that one of its ships has successfully sailed through the Strait of Hormuz under U.S. escort.
The ship, the U.S.-flagged Alliance Fairfax, had been stuck in the Gulf since the war erupted in February and was "offered the opportunity" to leave accompanied by the U.S. military, Maersk said in a statement.
"The vessel subsequently exited the Persian Gulf accompanied by U.S. military assets" on May 4, the company said, adding that "the transit was completed without incident, and all crew members are safe and unharmed."
2 U.S. Navy destroyers transit Strait of Hormuz after dodging Iranian onslaught
Two U.S. Navy destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Persian Gulf after navigating an Iranian barrage, according to defense officials who spoke to CBS News under condition of anonymity to discuss national security matters.
The USS Truxtun and USS Mason, supported by Apache helicopters and other aircraft, faced a series of coordinated threats during the passage, the defense officials said. Iran launched small boats, missiles and drones against them in what officials described as a sustained barrage.
Despite the intensity of the attacks, neither U.S. vessel was struck.
Military officials said that defensive measures, bolstered by air support, successfully intercepted or deterred each incoming threat. They added that no projectiles that were launched reached the ships.
Iran's foreign minister says "talks are making progress," but Project Freedom can't solve a political crisis
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday talks with the U.S. are making progress but criticized the U.S. military's Project Freedom in the Strait of Hormuz.
"Events in Hormuz make clear that there's no military solution to a political crisis," Araghchi said in a social media post. "As talks are making progress with Pakistan's gracious effort, the U.S. should be wary of being dragged back into quagmire by ill-wishers. So should the UAE."
"Project Freedom is Project Deadlock," he added.
