CGM San Antonio which is owned by a French firm was hit by a cruise missile Tuesday evening. Several crew members were injured. The ship was near Dubai
- President Trump put Project Freedom on pause Tuesday night, announcing that the U.S. and Iran have made “Great Progress” toward a final agreement. He said he made the decision at the request of Pakistan, which has helped mediate negotiations.
- Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Tuesday the U.S.-Iran ceasefire “certainly holds” for now. He called Project Freedom, an effort to guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz — which drew Iranian attacks on Monday — a totally separate and “temporary” operation.
- Earlier Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the offensive military operation known as Operation Epic Fury has concluded and that the U.S. has moved on to Project Freedom. Rubio said U.S. Navy ships in the region would continue to defend themselves after U.S. destroyers fended off a sustained attack from Iran as they protected two ships transiting the strait.
- The United Arab Emirates said Iran launched a missile and drone attack on the Gulf nation for a second consecutive day Tuesday after Iran fired 15 missiles at the UAE on Monday, wounding at least three workers.
Trump says “Great Progress” made toward agreement with Iran, pauses Project Freedom
President Trump said Tuesday that Project Freedom will be paused as the U.S. and Iran make “Great Progress” toward a final agreement, but said the U.S. blockade would remain in place.
“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, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Project Freedom, the U.S. military’s effort to help move ships through the Strait of Hormuz, began Monday.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday there are more than 1,500 vessels with about 22,500 mariners trapped inside the Persian Gulf.
Missile strikes cargo ship in Gulf region, injuring several crew members, U.S. officials tell CBS News
A cargo ship in the Gulf region was hit by a possible land-attack cruise missile, causing several injuries among the ship’s Filipino crew, two U.S. officials told CBS News.
The hit on the CGM San Antonio — which is owned by a French firm — took place late Tuesday evening local time, the officials said. The ship was near Dubai as of midday on Tuesday, but it is not clear whether the vessel has moved since then, according to public ship tracking data.
The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Centre said Tuesday it received a report that “a cargo vessel has been struck by an unknown projectile.”
Since Sunday, UKMTO has reported incidents on three other ships in the region, including a fire, a projectile strike and a reported attack by small craft.
U.S., Gulf allies propose U.N. resolution threatening Iran with sanctions over Strait of Hormuz chokehold
The United States and its Gulf allies have proposed a United Nations resolution threatening Iran with sanctions or other measures if it doesn’t halt attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, stop imposing “illegal tolls,” and disclosing the placement of all mines to allow freedom of navigation.
The draft Security Council resolution, obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, also demands that Iran “immediately participate in and enable” U.N. efforts to establish a humanitarian corridor in the strait for the delivery of vital aid, fertilizer and other goods.
It is the latest diplomatic effort by the U.S. and its Gulf allies after a watered-down resolution aimed at opening the strait was vetoed by China and Russia hours before Washington and Tehran announced a temporary ceasefire in early April.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement on Tuesday accused Iran of continuing “to hold the world’s economy hostage” by trying to close the strait, threatening to attack ships, laying sea mines, and attempting to charge tolls “for the world’s most important waterway.”
Whether the resolution succeeds will be “a real test” for the U.N. “as something that functions, that can solve global problems,” Rubio added at the White House briefing.
Rubio says Operation Epic Fury is over, U.S. has moved on to Project Freedom
Rubio says Iran’s top people are “insane in the brain” as he calls for negotiations
Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for Iran’s leaders to negotiate an end to the war with the U.S.
“The time’s come for Iran to make a sensible choice,” Rubio told reporters, “and it’s not easy for them to do that, obviously, because they have a fracture in their own leadership system, and apart from that, I mean, the top people in that government are, to say the least, you know, they’re insane in the brain.”
Rubio briefing reporters at White House ahead of Italy trip
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is briefing reporters at the White House ahead of his expected trip to Italy on Wednesday. The briefing comes while White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is on maternity leave.
During the Italy trip, Rubio is expected to meet with officials at the Vatican as well as his Italian counterparts.
“Secretary Rubio will meet with Holy See leadership to discuss the situation in the Middle East and mutual interests in the Western Hemisphere,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement. “Meetings with Italian counterparts will be focused on shared security interests and strategic alignment.”
Israel’s military chief says it’s ready to “respond with force” if attacked by Iran
Israel’s military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said on Tuesday that the country was prepared to respond “with force” to any attack by Iran.
“The IDF remains on high alert across all fronts. We are closely monitoring developments in the Persian Gulf and are prepared to respond with force to any attempt to harm Israel,” Zamir said at a ceremony marking the appointment of the country’s new air force chief.
Israel’s new air force chief said on Tuesday that the country was prepared to deploy its entire fleet of fighter jets against Iran if necessary.
“We are closely monitoring the developments in Iran and are prepared to deploy the entire air force eastward if required,” Maj. Gen. Omer Tischler said at a ceremony where he assumed command from his predecessor, Tomer Bar.Trump says “we don’t want to go in and kill people”
President Trump said he doesn’t want to send U.S. forces into Iran, calling on the Islamic Republic to “do the smart thing.”
“They should do the smart thing because we don’t want to go in and kill people, really,” Mr. Trump told reporters during an Oval Office event. “I don’t want to, I don’t want to. It’s too tough.”
The president made the comment while talking about Iran’s fragile economy, which is facing skyrocketing inflation under the strain of the war and Western sanctions.
CENTCOM says 51 vessels “directed to turn around or return to port” by U.S. blockade
The U.S. military’s Central Command said in a social media post that 51 vessels “have been directed to turn around or return to port” as of Tuesday under the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and Iran-linked vessels.
Iran has blasted the blockade as a violation of the ceasefire with the U.S., and the Islamic Republic regime insists it controls maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to attack ships that try to transit the narrow waterway, with or without U.S. military assistance. Germany sends minesweeping ship to Mediterranean ahead of possible mission to help clear Strait of Hormuz
Germany is sending a minesweeping vessel from its navy to the Mediterranean, ready for potential participation in a future effort to clear the Strait of Hormuz,
the Der Spiegel news magazine says, citing the country’s Defense Ministry.
The Fulda left the Kiel-Wik naval base Monday, breaking off a previous deployment as part of a NATO mission.
Lebanese president says army should be “sole authority for security” in long-time Hezbollah stronghold
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said Tuesday that the country’s army should be the “sole authority for security” in the south of the country, where Iranian-backed Hezbollah has long had a major presence.
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