Iran war: Trump says US to 'guide ships safely' out of Hormuz
What you need to know
- Trump says the US will 'guide ships safely' out of Hormuz as of Monday
- Iran says ‘ball in US’ court’ to end conflict
- Jailed Nobel winner Narges Mohammadi at 'very high risk,' her family says
- Israel strikes parts of southern Lebanon, says targeted Hezbollah
Here is a roundup of the latest developments around the war in Iran and the wider Middle East on Sunday, May 3, 2026.
Skip next section US to 'guide ships safely' out of Hormuz as of Monday, Trump says05/03/2026May 3, 2026US to 'guide ships safely' out of Hormuz as of Monday, Trump says
US President Donald Trump said that the US will begin to "guide ships" of countries not involved in the Middle East conflict out of the blocked Strait of Hormuz as of Monday.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the mission, which he dubbed "Project Freedom," would concern ships of "neutral and innocent bystanders."
"I have told my Representatives to inform them that we will use best efforts to get their Ships and Crews safely out of the Strait," Trump wrote.
He alluded to the ongoing peace negotiations, saying that "these discussions could lead to something very positive for all," but stressing that the mission to free ships was separate.
"The Ship movement is merely meant to free up people, companies, and Countries that have done absolutely nothing wrong — They are victims of circumstance." Trump said. "This is a humanitarian gesture on behalf of the United States, Middle Eastern Countries but, in particular, the Country of Iran."
It was not clear if this move was coordinated in advance with Iran, which has exercised de facto control over the Strait of Hormuz and has mostly blocked traffic via the critical waterway since the war started on February 28.
"If, in any way, this Humanitarian process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully," Trump said, without elaborating.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DBwKSkip next section WATCH: Hezbollah hits back with drones in Israel's Lebanon war05/03/2026May 3, 2026WATCH: Hezbollah hits back with drones in Israel's Lebanon war
Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah continue trading strikes despite a ceasefire. While Israeli attacks degrade the Iranian proxy's missile stocks, new FPV drones are slipping through Israel's air defenses.
Hezbollah hits back with drones in Israel's Lebanon war
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https://p.dw.com/p/5DBm4Skip next section OPEC+ agrees to hike oil production05/03/2026May 3, 2026OPEC+ agrees to hike oil production
The countries that make up the OPEC+ bloc, including Saudi Arabia and Russia, agreed to increase their oil production quota, in what was an expected move aimed at portraying continuity, following the unexpected withdrawal of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In a statement, the seven major oil producers in the world will add 188,000 barrels per day to their production quota for June. The move comes as pressures from the energy crisis triggered by the US war with Iran has prompted the group to act. The group said it was motivated by "their collective commitment to support oil market stability," as a reason for the hike.
Despite the move, it is unlikely that OPEC+ can have a major impact on the current situation, given that much of the world's oil and natural gas is trapped in the Persian Gulf as the Strait of Hormuz remains shuttered, knocking millions of barrels a day off the global market.
The seven countries said they would hold monthly meetings "to review market conditions, conformity, and compensation."
Why the UAE is quitting OPEC now
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https://p.dw.com/p/5DBlcSkip next section Cargo ship says it is attacked near Strait of Hormuz, UKMTO reports05/03/2026May 3, 2026Cargo ship says it is attacked near Strait of Hormuz, UKMTO reports
Several small boats attacked a cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz, according to the captain of the northbound merchant ship, as cited by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
The British monitor has confirmed that all crew members aboard the unidentified cargo ship are safe following an attack off the coast of the Iranian city of Sirik, to the east of the Strait of Hormuz.
No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, the first reported in the area since 22 April.
Since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran, ships have repeatedly been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz.
Through attacks and threats, Iran has largely brought shipping through this crucial transport route to a standstill. In turn, the US has imposed a naval blockade on Iran.
How Iran exposed the limits of the US Navy
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https://p.dw.com/p/5DBlQSkip next section Iran 'reviewing' US response to 14-point plan05/03/2026May 3, 2026Iran 'reviewing' US response to 14-point plan
Iran's Foreign Ministry said Tehran was "reviewing" Washington's response to its 14-point proposal to end the war.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Iran had received the United States' response through Pakistani mediation.
He insisted that Iran's nuclear program was not part of the talks.
"At this stage, we do not have nuclear negotiations," Baghaei was cited by Iranian state media as saying.
Washington has demanded that Iran abandons its nuclear enrichment. Tehran maintains its program is purely for civilian use.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DBkuSkip next section US says it is 'suffocating' Iranian regime05/03/2026May 3, 2026US says it is 'suffocating' Iranian regime
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US was "suffocating" Iran's leadership through its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which continues to be closed by Tehran.
"We are suffocating the regime, and they are not able to pay their soldiers. This is a real economic blockade, and it is in all parts of government all hands on deck," he told US broadcaster Fox News.
Bessent also said the Treasury Department was targeting Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) by imposing economic measures on "on anyone trying to remit money into Iran to help the IRGC."
"They are a corrupt institution. They have been stealing from the Iranian people for years. They have money offshore. We have tracked that down. We will continue to track that down, and we are going to preserve those assets for the Iranian people on the other side of this conflict," Bessent said.
On the consequences that the closure of the strait is having at home. Bessent addressed surging energy prices, saying that he believed they would eventually lower.
"Oil prices on the other side of this conflict are going to be much lower," Bessent told Fox News.
US gas prices soar as Iran standoff fuels oil market fears
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https://p.dw.com/p/5DBfWSkip next section Iran must reopen Hormuz 'immediately,' says Wadephul05/03/2026May 3, 2026Iran must reopen Hormuz 'immediately,' says Wadephul
Saim Dušan Inayatullah EditorGermany'sForeign Minister Johann Wadephul repeated a call for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, whose closure has blocked oil exports from much of the Middle East for several weeks.
After a phone call with Abbas Araghchi, his Iranian counterpart, Wadephul wrote on X that Iran must also abandon its nuclear ambitions.
"I emphasized: [Germany] supports a negotiated solution. As a close US ally, we share the same goal: Iran must completely and verifiably renounce nuclear weapons and immediately release the Strait of Hormuz ..." he said.
In the current standoff between Washington and Tehran, US President Donald Trump has expressed skepticism about Iran's latest 14-point peace proposal.
The Islamic Republic is pushing for an end to the US naval blockade of Hormuz, which is blocking its own oil exports, as well as US sanctions on its nuclear program. Only then will Iran reopen the strait, the proposal says.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DBYoSkip next section WATCH: What are the sticking points in US-Iran peace negotiations? 05/03/2026May 3, 2026WATCH: What are the sticking points in US-Iran peace negotiations?
Two full months since the US and Israel started a war with Iran, the missiles have stopped raining down but negotiations to resolve the conflict are going nowhere fast.
What are the sticking points in US-Iran peace negotiations?
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https://p.dw.com/p/5DBVqSkip next section Iran's Revolutionary Guards reject Trump pressure over peace deal05/03/2026May 3, 2026Iran's Revolutionary Guards reject Trump pressure over peace deal
Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned US President Donald Trump that he faced a choice between an "impossible" military operation or a "bad deal" with the Islamic Republic.
The comments come after Trump said he was not satisfied with Iran's latest proposals and threatened to "blast the hell out of them and finish them forever."
In a statement carried by Iran state television, the Guards' intelligence organization said that the United States must choose between "an impossible operation or a bad deal."
It cited what it described as a "shift in tone" from China, Russia, and Europe towards Washington as well as what it called an Iranian "deadline" over the US naval blockade.
Citing two sources briefed on Iran's proposal, US media outlet Axios reported that Tehran had set a one-month deadline for negotiations on a deal.
The goals are to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, end the US naval blockade and permanently end the wars in Iran and in Lebanon.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DBNcSkip next section Hezbollah lawmaker warns it can thwart peace deal05/03/2026May 3, 2026Hezbollah lawmaker warns it can thwart peace deal
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said the Iran-backed group could "thwart" the objectives of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.
His comments, at an event to honor killed Hezbollah fighters, come as both countries attempt to end the current war between Israel and Hezbollah and address long-standing issues.
"We have a free people and a steadfast resistance capable of thwarting all the objectives of these negotiations, which increase the sharp division in the country between the factions of our people and within the state itself," Fadlallah said.
Lebanon and Israel's US ambassadors have held two meetings in Washington in recent weeks, the first of their kind in decades. Hezbollah has strongly rejected the talks.
Israel has maintained deadly strikes on Lebanon despite an April 17 ceasefire, which sought to halt more than six weeks of war.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DBKkSkip next section Israel greenlights fighter jet deal to boost air power05/03/2026May 3, 2026Israel greenlights fighter jet deal to boost air power
Israel has approved the purchase of around 50 advanced fighter jets from the United States, significantly expanding its air superiority capabilities.
The deal includes one full squadron of F-35I Adir multi-role stealth fighters — among the world’s most advanced combat aircraft — produced by Lockheed Martin, as well as one squadron of F-15IA strike fighters from Boeing.
In a statement, Defense Minister Israel Katz said: “Our mission is clear: to ensure the IDF has the tools, capabilities and strength to operate anywhere, at any time.
Israel has used its existing F-35I Adir stealth fighters extensively in both the Gaza and Iran wars.
The planes have become one of the Israeli Air Force’s most valuable assets for striking Iranian targets, including suppressing air defenses and identifying deep targets.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DBFHSkip next section Iran to turn university bombed site into museum05/03/2026May 3, 2026Iran to turn university bombed site into museum
The Isfahan University of Technology in central Iran will turn a bombed site on its grounds into a museum about the conflict, an official said.
The university was heavily bombed by US-Israeli strikes in March.
"The current damaged site will be preserved as a war museum at the university to remain a document of the country's scientific oppression in history," said the university's chief, Zafarollah Kalantari.
The official IRNA news agency cited him as saying that other land had been allocated for the "construction of a new building and provision of advanced equipment" for the university.
Damage to the university's buildings and facilities from the bombing was around $11 million, Kalantari said.
More than 30 universities, including those in the capital, Tehran, have been targeted, according to Iranian officials.
https://p.dw.com/p/5DB9hSkip next section Israel orders evacuation of several towns in southern Lebanon05/03/2026May 3, 2026Israel orders evacuation of several towns in southern Lebanon
Israel's military warned residents of several towns and villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate as it prepared fresh strikes across the area, despite a truce between the two countries.
The military said it was carrying out operations againstIran-backed Hezbollahthat it said was violating the ceasefire agreement.
"For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move away from the villages and towns by at least 1,000 metres [3,300 feet] into open areas," the military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X.
Eleven villages and towns were covered by the warning, including several in Nabatieh, a district north of the Litani River.
Israeli troops are occupying a strip of southern Lebanon, to the south of the river.
Lebanese media later reported Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon, including towns not advised to evacuate.
Strikes in Lebanon raise questions over attacks on medics
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https://p.dw.com/p/5DB78Skip next section Jailed Nobel winner Narges Mohammadi at 'very high risk,' her family says05/03/2026May 3, 2026Jailed Nobel winner Narges Mohammadi at 'very high risk,' her family says
The health of imprisoned Iranian rights lawyer Narges Mohammadi was at "very high risk," her foundation and family said.
Mohammadi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate in her early 50s, was urgently transferred to a hospital in Zanjan in Iran's northwest on Friday after a cardiac crisis and fainting.
Her family has said her health had been in decline, owing it partly to a beating she received during her December arrest.
Medical teams in Zanjan have requested her records before performing any treatment, her foundation said, adding that transferring her to Tehran was their recommendation.
Taghi Rahmani, her Paris-based husband, said in a voice message shared with The Associated Press news agency that Iran 's Intelligence Ministry was opposing her transfer to Tehran for treatment by her own doctors.
Unbreakable - My fight for freedom in Iran
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https://p.dw.com/p/5DAqUSkip next section Israel strikes parts of southern Lebanon05/03/2026May 3, 2026Israel strikes parts of southern Lebanon
Israel carried out strikes across southern Lebanon on Saturday, killing several, according to the Lebanese state-run news agency.
The Israeli military said it hit dozens of Hezbollah targets.
The attacks have become a regular occurrence, despite a fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war.
The ceasefire text grants Israel the right to act against what it calls "planned, imminent or ongoing attacks."
Both sides have regularly accused each other of ceasefire violations.
Hezbollah, meanwhile, claimed several attacks targeting Israeli troops.
The Shiite militant group drew Lebanon into the Middle East war on March 2 in support of its backer Iran.
Israeli strikes have since killed more than 2,600 people in Lebanon and displaced over a million.
Strikes in Lebanon raise questions over attacks on medics
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