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U.S. attempt to open Strait of Hormuz tests fragile Iran war ceasefire

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Special Series Middle East conflict Conflict in the Middle East has been escalating. These stories provide context for current developments and the history that led up to them. By The Associated Press A bulk cargo ship sits at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, May 2.
− Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP hide caption DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — U.S.
+ Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP hide caption DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — President Trump said on Tuesday evening that he is pausing the U.S.
− President Trump said on Tuesday evening that he has paused the U.S. effort to guide stranded vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz to finalize an Iran deal, but that the American forces' blockade of the Iranian ports would remain in place.
+ effort to guide stranded vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz to allow time for a deal to end the Iran war, but that the American forces' blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place.
− State of the World from NPR The standoff in the Strait of Hormuz Trump announced the decision in a social media post, saying he was pausing the effort for a short period to give space for U.S. efforts to finalize a settlement with Iran to end the war.
+ State of the World from NPR The standoff in the Strait of Hormuz Trump announced the decision in a social media post, saying the effort — which started on Monday in the vital waterway for global energy — would pause for a short period to see whether an agreement with Tehran on ending the war in the Middle East could be finalized.
− Trump said in the post he was making the move based "on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran." The image above shows the Strait of Hormuz and its traditional shipping routes and northern routes that Iran has opened to vessels unaffiliated with the U.S.
+ Trump said the move was based "on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran." The image above shows the Strait of Hormuz and its traditional shipping routes and northern routes that Iran has opened to vessels unaffiliated with the U.S.
or Israel.
− Phil Holm/AP hide caption The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment offering further detail about the progress in negotiations that Trump alluded to in his posting.
+ Phil Holm/AP hide caption The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment for further detail on the progress in negotiations that Trump mentioned. The talks have largely stalled though a ceasefire that took hold nearly a month ago is holding.
− The announcement came after military leaders and U.S.
+ The United Arab Emirates, a key U.S.
− Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted a ceasefire in the Middle East was still holding and that — while the conflict is not resolved — the initial major U.S.
+ ally in the Persian Gulf, said it came under attack from Iranian drones and missiles for a second day on Tuesday, even as U.S.
+ military leaders and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted the ceasefire was still holding and that — while the conflict is not resolved — the initial major U.S.
military operation against Iran has concluded.
− State of the World from NPR Economic effects of the war in Iran ripple around the globe Rubio told a White House press briefing Tuesday that for peace to be achieved, Iran must agree to U.S. President Donald Trump's demands on its nuclear program and also agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global energy.
+ Before the Trump announcement, Rubio told a White House press briefing that for peace to be achieved, Iran must agree to Trump's demands on its nuclear program and also agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
− He spoke as the United Arab Emirates said it came under attack from Iranian drones and missiles for a second day.
"We would prefer the path of peace," Rubio said. He also expressed hope that during the expected visit to China by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday, Beijing would reiterate to Tehran the need to release its chokehold on the strait.
− "It is in China's interest that Iran stop closing the strait," Rubio said.
+ State of the World from NPR Economic effects of the war in Iran ripple around the globe U.S. pushed efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz Tuesday was only the second day in the U.S. push to reopen the strait to maritime traffic — an operation Rubio described as defensive and aimed at helping thousands of civilian sailors stranded there by the war.
− Earlier in the day, the United States pressed on for a second with its effort to reopen the strait to maritime traffic — an operation Rubio described as defensive and aimed at helping thousands of civilian sailors stranded there by the war.
"They're sitting ducks, they're isolated, they're starving, they're vulnerable," Rubio said. "At least 10 sailors have already died as a result." On Monday, the U.S. said it had opened a lane and sunk six small Iranian boats that had threatened commercial ships. So far, only two merchant ships are known to have passed through the new U.S.-guarded route, with hundreds more bottled up in the Persian Gulf.
+ Iran's effective closure of the strait, through which major oil and gas supplies passed before the war, along with fertilizer and other petroleum products, has sent fuel prices skyrocketing and rattled the global economy. Breaking Iran's grip would deny its main source of leverage as Trump demands a major rollback of Tehran's disputed nuclear program.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine speak to members of the media during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Tuesday.
− Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP hide caption Iran's effective closure of the strait, through which major oil and gas supplies passed before the war, along with fertilizer and other petroleum products, has sent fuel prices skyrocketing and rattled the global economy.
+ Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP hide caption U.S.
− Breaking Iran's grip would deny its main source of leverage as U.S. President Donald Trump demands a major rollback of its disputed nuclear program. Earlier on Tuesday, U.S.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, the U.S. military's top officer, told a news conference that Iran's renewed attacks had not reached the threshold of what Caine called "major combat operations." He said Tuesday marked a "quieter" day in the strait.
− "The ceasefire is not over," Hegseth said.
At the White House, Rubio said clashes with Iran related to American efforts to reopen the straight were "defensive in nature." "There's no shooting unless we're shot at first, OK?" Rubio said.
− "We're not attacking them." Iran's parliament speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, signaled that Iran has yet to fully respond to the U.S.
+ "We're not attacking them." Middle East conflict The Iran war now has a price tag ($25 billion), but still no end date Iran's parliament speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, signaled that Iran has yet to fully respond to the U.S.
attempt to reopen the waterway.
− Middle East conflict The Iran war now has a price tag ($25 billion), but still no end date "We know full well that the continuation of the status quo is intolerable for America; while we have not even begun yet," he said in a post on X.
+ "We know full well that the continuation of the status quo is intolerable for America; while we have not even begun yet," he said in a post on X.
His statement did not mention negotiations with the U.S. that are now in the form of passing messages via Pakistan. Disputing Washington's claim of sinking six Iranian boats, an Iranian military commander said two small civilian cargo boats were hit Monday, killing five civilians, Iran's state TV reported. Caine, the top U.S. general who serves as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said more than 100 U.S. military aircraft are patrolling the skies over the strait. The U.S. has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports since April 13, depriving Tehran of oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy. The Trump administration has cited the April 8 ceasefire in asserting that the president does not have to give a formal update to Congress on the war under the War Powers Resolution. That law typically requires presidents to seek formal approval from Congress for war activities 60 days after beginning military action. So far, just two civilian vessels, both U.S.-flagged merchant ships, are known to have passed through the strait as part of the lane the U.S. says it has created. Shipping company Maersk said one of them, a vehicle carrier that it operates, exited the strait safely Monday with U.S. military assistance. Former military officers who have served on the strait have said opening it would be dangerous and highly challenging, even with military escorts, which the U.S. is not providing now. There's little room to maneuver in the waterway that is just 21 miles (34 kilometers) wide, and Iran can reach all of the strait and its approaches with cruise missiles. It also can target vessels with longer-range missiles, drones, fast attack craft and mines. Hapag-Lloyd AG, one of the world's largest container shipping companies, said in a statement that its risk assessment "remains unchanged" and that transits through the strait "are for the moment not possible for our ships." Iran has attacked ships that try to transit without going through its own route in the northern part of the strait along the Iranian coastline. That involves being vetted by Iran's Revolutionary Guard and in some cases making a payment.
− The U.S.-approved route goes through territorial waters of Oman to the south.
An Iranian demonstrator waves a flag of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah under an anti-U.S. billboard, depicting the American aircrafts into the Iranian armed forces fishing net with signs that read in Farsi: "The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed, The entire Persian Gulf is our hunting ground," during a pro-government gathering at Enqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution, square in Tehran, Iran, Monday.
− Vahid Salemi/AP hide caption "For shipping companies and for insurance companies, they still have to wait and see how this plays out," said Torbjorn Soltvedt, principal Middle East analyst at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft.
+ Vahid Salemi/AP hide caption The U.S.-approved route goes through territorial waters of Oman to the south.
− "This initiative alone isn't something that looks like it's going to open the Strait of Hormuz," he said.
+ "For shipping companies and for insurance companies, they still have to wait and see how this plays out," said Torbjorn Soltvedt, principal Middle East analyst at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft.
− The United Arab Emirates said Monday its air defenses had engaged 15 missiles and four drones fired by Iran.
+ The UAE's Defense Ministry said it was responding to another Iranian drone and missile attack on Tuesday, though there were no reports of damage or casualties.
− Authorities in the eastern emirate of Fujairah said one drone sparked a fire at a key oil facility, wounding three Indian nationals.
+ A day earlier, it said Emirati air defenses had engaged 15 missiles and four drones from Iran, one of which sparked a fire at a key oil facility, wounding three Indian nationals.
The British military reported two cargo vessels ablaze off the UAE, also on Monday.
− On Tuesday, the UAE's Defense Ministry said it was responding to another Iranian drone and missile attack, though there were no reports of damage or casualties.
Iran denied striking the UAE "in recent days," according to a statement by Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesman for Iran's joint military command, that was read Tuesday on state TV.
− Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the targeting of UAE civilians and infrastructure "unacceptable." Pakistan and Saudi Arabia also condemned the strikes. Tehran did not confirm or deny the attacks. But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X that the U.S. and the UAE "should be wary of being dragged back into quagmire." Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor
+ Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor