IRGC: safe transit through strait of Hormuz will be possible
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy has announced the strait of Hormuz could reopen following the end of “threats from aggressors”, Reuters reports, citing state media.
The IRGC navy said the safe and stable transit through the key waterway could be possible. It follows Donald Trump’s remarks yesterday that he has paused his “Project Freedom” to open the strait of Hormuz due to “great progress” being made towards a “complete and final agreement” with Iran.
Key events
The Israeli military said it has begun striking what it described as Hezbollah infrastructure in several areas of southern Lebanon, despite a ceasefire intended to halt fighting with the Iran-backed militant group.
Earlier the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported “several incidents” during which drones exploded near soldiers operating in Lebanon’s south. The strikes also follow a new IDF order affecting a dozen town and villages in southern Lebanon forcing more families to flee their homes.
The Pakistani prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said he is “grateful” to Donald Trump for his decision to pause his “Project Freedom” in the strait of Hormuz.
Sharif said the decision will lead to a “lasting agreement that secures durable peace and stability” for the region.
In a post on X, he wrote:
I am grateful to President Donald Trump for his courageous leadership and timely announcement regarding the pause in Project Freedom in the Strait of Hormuz.
President Trump’s gracious response to the request made by Pakistan and other brotherly countries, particularly the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and my dear brother Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia H.R.H Prince Mohammed bin Salman, will go a long way towards advancing regional peace, stability and reconciliation during this sensitive period.
Pakistan remains firmly committed to supporting all efforts that promote restraint and a peaceful resolution of conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy. We are very hopeful that the current momentum will lead to a lasting agreement that secures durable peace and stability for the region and beyond.
Oil prices dropped after Axios reported that the US and Iran were close to an agreement to end the war, accelerating an earlier decline. Hours earlier, Donald Trump paused “Project Freedom”, his initiative to reopen the strait of Hormuz, to see whether a deal could be worked out, citing “great progress” towards a “final agreement” with Iran.
The price of Brent crude, the most commonly used global benchmark for oil, has fallen about 7% to $101.97 a barrel today.
For more updates on the economic impacts of the Iran war and other financial news, you can follow our business live blog here:
Reuters has said a Pakistani source involved in US-Iran peace efforts has confirmed the Axios report.
“We will close this very soon. We are getting close,” the source said, according to the news agency.
US and Iran nearing one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war – Axios
The US believes it is getting close to an agreement with Iran on a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war, according to the American news website Axios, citing two US officials and two other sources briefed on the issue.
Axios also reported that both sides have set a framework for more detailed negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme, a key issue at the heart of deadlocked talks between Washington and Tehran.
The US reportedly expects Iran to respond to several key points in the next 48 hours, and while nothing has yet been agreed, the sources told Axios this was the closest the parties had been to an agreement since the war began.
Among other provisions, the deal would involve Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment, the US agreeing to lift its sanctions and release billions in frozen Iranian funds, and both sides lifting restrictions around transit through the strait of Hormuz, Axios reported
The Guardian has approached the US state department for comment.
The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has asked the European Commission to activate its blocking statute to prevent compliance with US sanctions on the international criminal court (ICC) over its investigation into Israel’s actions in Gaza.
The EU blocking statute is a legal mechanism that would effectively allow European companies to ignore the US sanctions.
In a post on X, Sánchez wrote:
Spain does not look the other way. Sanctioning those who defend international justice puts the entire human rights system at risk.
The EU cannot remain idle in the face of this persecution.
That is why, today, we ask the Commission to activate the Blocking Statute, to protect the independence of the international criminal court and the United Nations, and their actions to end the genocide in Gaza.
Donald Trump signed an executive order in February last year that authorises aggressive economic sanctions against the ICC, accusing the body of “illegitimate and baseless actions” targeting the US and Israel.
The US president issued the order in response to the court’s decision in 2024 to approve prosecutor Karim Khan’s requests for arrest warrants against Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has spoken on the phone with Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, according to a statement on the former’s Telegram channel.
The statement said:
The parties in this conversation, whilst reviewing the latest regional developments, stressed the continuation of the path of diplomacy and cooperation between regional countries to prevent the emergence and escalation of tension.
Iran and Saudi Arabia have long been deeply distrustful of each other, and regional tensions have escalated sharply since the US and Israel launched strikes against Tehran on 28 February. Iran has responded with retaliatory attacks against Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf.
UN demands release of Gaza flotilla activists in Israeli detention
The UN has called on Israel to immediately release two activists taken from a Gaza aid flotilla, and demanded an investigation into “disturbing accounts” they had been severely mistreated.
Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian activist Thiago Avila were among dozens of activists on a flotilla attempting to transport aid to Gaza when it was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters near Crete last Thursday. The two men are being held in a prison in Ashkelon in southern Israel.
“Israel must immediately and unconditionally release Global Sumud Flotilla members Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Avila, who were detained in international waters and brought to Israel where they continue to be held without charge,” UN rights office spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan said in a statement.
“It is not a crime to show solidarity and attempt to bring humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population in Gaza, who are in dire need of it.”
The flotilla’s vessels set sail from France, Spain and Italy with the aim of delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza. Representatives for Avila and Abu Keshek have accused Israeli authorities of abusing the two men, who have been on hunger strike for the past six days.
Kheetan decried the “disturbing accounts of severe mistreatment”, calling for an investigation and insisting “those responsible must be brought to justice”.
“We call for an end to Israel’s use of arbitrary detention and of broadly and vaguely defined terrorism legislation, inconsistent with international human rights law,” he said.
“Israel must also end its blockade on Gaza, and allow and facilitate the entry of humanitarian assistance to the besieged Palestinian strip, in sufficient amounts.”
We have more statements from Beijing following Araghchi and Wang’s meeting.
The Chinese foreign ministry said Wang had urged the US and Iran to heed international calls to reopen the strait of Hormuz, where an effective blockade has brought roughly 20% of global oil trade to a virtual standstill.
The ministry said China recognised Iran’s “legitimate right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy” – a bone of contention in stalled talks between Washington and Tehran.
French shipping giant confirms vessel targeted in earlier attack in strait of Hormuz
French shipping giant CMA CGM has confirmed one of its vessels was targeted in an attack while transiting the strait of Hormuz yesterday.
“The CMA CGM San Antonio was the target of an attack yesterday while transiting the strait of Hormuz, resulting in injuries among crew members and damage to the vessel,” the shipping company told AFP.
It added that the injured crew had been evacuated from the ship for medical care.
The vessel was attacked the same day Donald Trump halted the so-called “Project Freedom” to help ships leave the strait of Hormuz. The US president said he ordered the pause to see whether the US and Iran can reach a deal to end the war.
The US military operation to escort ships through the strait was announced on Sunday, but the Iranian military said it has fired at US warships since then to deter them from navigating the waterway.
CMA CGM, the world’s third-largest container shipping line, had reported last month that one of its vessels was the target of warning shots in the strait, although no crew were injured.
The French firm has indicated that 14 of its vessels were stranded in the Gulf at the start of the war. One ship, the Kribi, exited the strait of Hormuz at the start of April.
We have some statements coming through the newswires on this morning’s meeting between the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, and his chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Beijing.
Araghchi described China as a close ally and said bilateral cooperation “will become stronger under current circumstances”, Reuters reported, quoting a statement from Iran’s Isna news agency.
“We will do our best to protect our legitimate rights and interests in the negotiations … We only accept a fair and comprehensive agreement,” he added regarding talks between Iran and the US to end the conflict.
Wang said China is a reliable strategic partner to Iran, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.
The Chinese foreign minister told Araghchi that China was “deeply distressed” over the war, according to AP, quoting a video of the meeting.
“We believe that a comprehensive ceasefire is urgently needed, that a resumption of hostilities is not acceptable, and that it is particularly important to remain committed to dialogue and negotiations,” Wang said.
It is the first time Araghchi has travelled to China since the outbreak of war in late February. His visit comes a week before Donald Trump is due to hold talks with Chinese president Xi Jinping in Beijing. US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said earlier this week that the two leaders will seek to keep the US-China relationship on track following a trade truce in October. Bessent also urged China to intensify its diplomatic efforts to persuade Iran to open the strait of Hormuz to international shipping.
