Al Jazeera

By Heba Habib, Danai Nesta Kupemba and Barbara Angopa

    US President Donald Trump has paused the US military’s “Project Freedom” operation to open the Strait of Hormuz, due to “great progress” being made towards a “complete and final agreement with the representatives of Iran”. Trump said the operation will be paused for “a short period” to see if an agreement with Tehran can be finalised.

    Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the US is pursuing “a policy of maximum pressure” and “expects Iran to submit to their unilateral demands”, which is “impossible” for Tehran.

    The United Arab Emirates has said it came under a second day of missile and drone attacks from Iran, while Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) denied responsibility.

    Iran has accused US forces of killing five civilians in an attack on passenger boats in the Strait of Hormuz, as opposed to fast boats operated by the IRGC.

    Israel has continued to strike southern Lebanon, while also issuing new forced orders for people to flee their towns and villages in advance of Israeli strikes.

    Visit our live tracker for the latest casualty figures from across the region.

Iranian FM’s visit to China comes amid ‘unique’ international situation

    Jodie Wen, a researcher at the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University in Beijing, said Araghchi’s visit was “rather unique”, coming at a time of war with the US, the “shipping crisis” in the Strait of Hormuz, and as Trump prepares to visit China later this month.

    Wen said the Iranian foreign minister’s visit appeared aimed at “strengthening strategic communication with China amid the current regional tensions”.

    “Also, I think he tries to seek more diplomatic efforts or space for Iran in international affairs in the current tension in the Middle East,” Wen said.

    “So, I think China will try its best to just persuade Iran back to the [negotiating] table and let the Strait of Hormuz become as open as before.”

Iranian FM’s visit to China comes just days ahead of Trump’s arrival

By Katrina Yu

Reporting from Beijing, China

    The timing of the visit is also significant.

    Foreign Minister Araghchi arrives in Beijing just days before Trump’s expected visit to China, and both Iran and China are uneasy about what that meeting could produce.

    Trump has been pressing Beijing to do more to push Iran into reopening the strait, and Tehran will be watching closely for any sign that China is willing to make concessions.

    For its part, China will want reassurance from Iran that nothing escalatory is planned.

    This leaves Beijing in a tricky strategic position, trying to distance itself from Iran’s actions while also maintaining its influence over Tehran, and signalling to all sides that it remains a reliable partner.

Most Israelis oppose ending Iran war on Iran, survey suggests

    The majority of Israelis believe that ending the war with Iran under current conditions would not sufficiently serve their national security interests, suggests a survey by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI), a think tank.

    Two-thirds of Jewish respondents said an end to the war now is only slightly, or not at all, compatible with Israel’s security interests.

    Overall, 59 percent of Israelis opposed ending the war at this stage.

    Arab citizens of Israel were sharply divided, with nearly half saying that ending the war serves Israel’s interests “to a large extent”.

    Some 62 percent of all those surveyed expect Israel to return to a wide-scale conflict with Iran.

    The survey’s findings also suggest that 51 percent of Israelis believe that the US exerts more influence on Israel’s defence decisions than their own government, up from 44 percent in October 2025. Just 18 percent said the Israeli government has more influence.

    Across ethnic and political lines, 72 percent of respondents said rising negative attitudes among Americans towards Israel are “somewhat worrying” or “very worrying” for Israelis.

    On Lebanon, two-thirds of Israelis said the chances of reaching a stable deal that includes disarming Hezbollah are low or non-existent. Among Jewish respondents, nearly 80 percent were pessimistic.

Iranian FM arrives in Beijing on first visit to China since war with US

By Katrina Yu

Reporting from Beijing, China

    Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is making his first trip to China since the beginning of the conflict, having spoken to his Chinese counterpart at least three times by phone since hostilities began.

    Two issues will dominate the agenda: maintaining the ceasefire and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, both priorities Beijing has been vocal about.

    On the Strait of Hormuz specifically, China has criticised the US blockade on Iranian ports, but has also been increasingly critical of Iran’s role in closing the waterway.

    Tehran will be looking to establish what support it can expect from Beijing if it agrees to reopen the waterway.

    That includes whether China will continue to back Iran at the UN, should there be any push for additional sanctions.

    When Trump was asked what he would consider a ceasefire breach, he simply responded: “You will find out.”

    Both sides are floating proposals in the negotiations, but there are sticking points that could threaten the ceasefire more than the skirmishes in the Strait of Hormuz.

German FM backs Israeli military’s ‘necessary’ Lebanon operation

    Germany’s foreign minister has offered support for Israel’s military operations in southern Lebanon, describing the Israeli invasion as “necessary”, while warning that civilians must not bear the brunt of the fighting, according to media reports.

    Johann Wadephul, hosting his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, in Berlin on Tuesday, said that “there’s every right for Israel to be there”, but cautioned that “Lebanon must not be allowed to become a theatre of war where it is the civilians who pay the price”, according to the AFP news agency.

    “A younger generation growing up amidst the ruins of their parents’ homes” will not make Israel any safer, Wadephul added.

    Saar defended the continued fighting and invasion of Lebanon, arguing that Israel needs to destroy Hezbollah and saying that Israel has “no territorial ambitions in Lebanon”, though its military is destroying homes throughout southern Lebanon to create a so-called buffer zone.

    On the Strait of Hormuz crisis, Wadephul said Germany stands ready to contribute to securing the waterway if conditions allow, noting that “Iran’s blockade shows how vulnerable global supply chains are”.

    Wadephul also spoke of Gaza, saying the plight of more than 2 million people “must not be overlooked”, and reaffirmed Berin’s commitment to a two-state solution.

    “The friendship between Israel and Germany is truly exceptional,” Wadephul then wrote on X.

US, Gulf states draft UN resolution on ensuring safe passage in Hormuz

    The US and allied Gulf states have drafted a UN resolution aimed at securing safe passage for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which is due to be voted on by the UN Security Council in the coming days, the German news agency DPA reports.

    Rubio said the draft resolution calls on Iran to cease attacking ships, laying sea mines and charging fees for safe transit through the narrow channel.

    Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar took part in preparing the draft, according to Rubio, who also urged Iran to reveal the locations of sea mines placed in the strait and assist in their removal.

    “The Islamic Republic of Iran continues to hold the world’s economy hostage,” Rubio said.

    The draft, which also calls for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor in the strait, was revised from an earlier text to ensure the support of Russia and China, according to reports.

Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi reported to be in critical condition

    Supporters and legal representatives of Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi have issued an urgent plea for international intervention, warning that the imprisoned human rights activist faces an imminent risk of death.

    Speaking at a news conference in Paris on Tuesday, Chirinne Ardakani, a lawyer for the Narges Foundation, described Mohammadi’s health as being in a state of “catastrophic deterioration” following her transfer from prison to a provincial hospital in Zanjan last week.

    “We have never been so afraid for Narges’s life; she could leave us at any moment,” Ardakani told reporters. “We are not fighting only for her freedom; we are fighting for her heart to keep beating.”

    Mohammadi, who was awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize for her campaigning for women’s rights in Iran, has reportedly suffered two heart attacks and significant weight loss following what her family says were months of systematic medical neglect.

    The foundation’s legal team urged French President Emmanuel Macron to take a firm diplomatic stance with Tehran to secure her release.

    Before her latest arrest in December 2025, Mohammadi had already been serving a sentence of 13 years and nine months on charges of collusion against state security and propaganda against Iran’s government, but had been released on furlough since late 2024 over medical concerns, according to the Associated Press.

    She was sentenced to an additional seven years in February. Her husband and two children, who live in exile in Paris, have not been permitted to speak with her for several years.

US closes consulate in Pakistan’s Peshawar, citing staff ‘safety’

    The US is closing its Consulate General in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in a phased manner, the State Department has announced.

    Responsibility for Washington’s diplomatic engagement with the province will transfer to the US Embassy in Islamabad, the department said, noting that it also has missions in Karachi and Lahore.

    “This decision reflects our commitment to the safety of our diplomatic personnel and efficient resource management,” the State Department said in a statement.

    The announcement comes as Pakistan plays a central role in mediating efforts to negotiate a peace agreement between Washington and Tehran.

At least 8 killed in large fire at Iran shopping complex

    At least eight people have died, and 36 have been injured after a fire broke out at the Arghavan shopping centre in Andisheh city, west of Tehran, local media has reported.

    The shopping complex caught on fire on Tuesday due to the cladding of the building being flammable, according to Iran’s judiciary newspaper, Mizan.

    Videos of the fire shared across Iranian media, including the IRNA news agency, showed the building engulfed in flames.

    Iranian radio broadcaster IRIB said that an order has been issued to identify and arrest those responsible for this incident, as well as the property developer.

    The US has warned that Iran must pay a price for its efforts to control the Strait of Hormuz.

    In recent days, both Washington and Tehran have escalated their rhetoric as tens of thousands of seafarers remain stranded in the vital shipping route.

‘No one can make us surrender’: Iranian President Pezeshkian

    Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has reacted to US calls to make concessions in negotiations to end the war or face deadly force, saying, ‘No one can make us surrender’, adding that members of the Shia faith “cannot be coerced by force”.

    In a post on X, Pezeshkian said he had spoken with Iraq’s prime minister and, in the call, urged the US to remove military threats from the Middle East.

    Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said in recent days that its new security plan for the Strait of Hormuz aims to prevent weapons and supplies from passing through the channel to reach US military bases in the region, one of the sticking points in negotiations between the US and Iran to end the war.

    And in the last hour, Trump said the US operation to open the strait, dubbed ‘Project Freedom’, had been paused to allow negotiations to advance with Tehran.

US lawmaker accuses Trump of ‘falsely’ claiming end of war on Iran

    US lawmaker Raja Krishnamoorthi has accused Trump of “falsely” informing Congress that the war on Iran is over, “even as our servicemembers exchange fire with Iranian forces and enforce a blockade”.

    “The American people do not want a war with Iran, and Trump’s characterization of the war is simply not true,” he said in a letter to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard that he posted on X.

    Krishnamoorthi wrote in the letter that the “underlying ceasefire arrangement remains contested and unstable”.

    He requested classified briefings from Gabbard, asking for Congress to receive a “comprehensive intelligence assessment” on the war.

    “The American people and Congress require clarity on whether current policy is producing a stable end state or whether President Trump’s erratic decision making in the region will lead to more instability and uncertainty for the American people at home,” he wrote in the letter.

    Last week marked 60 days since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran. Under the 1973 War Powers Act, the US president is legally required to halt military operations or receive congressional approval to continue after a 60-day deadline.

    Trump has maintained that the war on Iran has concluded due to the ceasefire, despite the naval blockade and ongoing hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz.

Hezbollah says drone struck Israeli troops in southern Lebanon

    Hezbollah has announced that it targeted an assembly of Israeli soldiers in the town of Qantara in southern Lebanon using an attack drone, and claimed a direct hit.

‘Maximum military leverage’: Trump pauses ‘Project Freedom’ but keep up blockade

By Kimberly Halkett

Reporting from Washington DC, US

    The president posted on social media that they have mutually agreed that while the blockade will remain in full force and effect, “Project Freedom” will be paused for a short period of time to see whether the agreement can be finalised and signed.

    What’s significant here is that the president is doing this not just one day after he launched it, but only about three hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio was here at the White House briefing room talking about how this operation would be ongoing.

    We know there are 87 different countries represented by the vessels stranded there, about 23,000 sailors, but the key is that the US is maintaining its blockade even as it pauses the escorts.

    It signals that the US wants to keep that maximum military leverage in place to secure a deal.

    Regarding the state of negotiations, we know that [negotiators] Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have been active, which was affirmed by Secretary Rubio in the last few hours.

    Pakistan continues to be the intermediary, keeping a running dialogue back and forth between the US and Iran.

    While the secretary of state said earlier on Tuesday that the US is looking for Iran to make concessions, it isn’t clear what exactly those concessions were that prompted the president to pause the operation to facilitate the makings of a deal.

Mother of detained Gaza flotilla activist Thiago Avila dies in Brazil

    Teresa Regina de Avila e Silva, the mother of Global Sumud Flotilla activist Thiago Avila, who remains detained in Israel after being abducted in international waters of Greece, has died in Brasília at the age of 63, the flotilla has announced in a post on X.

    “She was a woman of remarkable joy and great strength,” the flotilla said.

    “She faced years of serious illness with courage, serenity, and dignity, driven by an unwavering will to live and surrounded by the unconditional dedication of her family.”

    The flotilla said that Thiago’s two-year-old daughter carries her grandmother’s name.

    Thiago Avila and Saif Abu Keshek from Spain have been held in Israel since being separated from the rest of the flotilla’s group after their vessel was intercepted by the Israeli navy on the high seas.

    An Israeli court on Tuesday granted the state’s request to extend their detention until Sunday, May 10.

    The extension was based on “secret evidence” that Abu Keshek, Avila and their lawyers were not permitted to review, according to human rights workers.

    Kimmitt said this “new security architecture” would see the Iranians “force concessions and payments” from vessels in the key waterway.

    “I don’t think the world is going to stand for it,” he told Al Jazeera.

US signals it wants Lebanon conflict contained, says Hezbollah ‘the obstacle’

By Kimberly Halkett

Reporting from Washington DC, US

    On Lebanon, there have been important signals from both Secretary of State Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

    What they have said, in no uncertain terms, is that they do not want the Lebanon-Israel conflict to turn into a full-scale front.

    The United States is still backing Israel’s right to strike Hezbollah, but what we heard from the secretary of state on Tuesday is that he believes a diplomatic resolution between Israel and Hezbollah, or Lebanon, is imminently achievable.

    He is arguing, however, that the obstacle is Hezbollah.

    So, the United States is once again taking the side of its traditional ally, Israel, pointing the finger at Hezbollah, and essentially trying to isolate it both diplomatically and politically.

    There is little effort on the part of the United States to influence Israel in any way.

    The onus is being placed squarely on Hezbollah to prevent this from becoming a full-scale front.

Iran’s FM Araghchi arrives in Beijing for talks with counterpart

    Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Beijing as the head of a diplomatic delegation from Tehran.

    During the visit, Araghchi is scheduled to discuss and exchange views with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on bilateral relations as well as regional and international developments.

Trump pauses ‘Project Freedom’ as progress reported towards Iran deal

By Kimberly Halkett

Reporting from Washington DC, US

    The US president has essentially just paused “Project Freedom”, the effort by the United States to use its military, air and naval assets to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

    What we know is that there has been a running dialogue between the United States and Iran for many weeks now, with Pakistan shuttling messages back and forth.

    Even though the direct talks in Islamabad resulted in no deal, that conversation continued. And now, as a result of that conversation and, in fact, in the last three hours, since Secretary of State Marco Rubio was speaking here at the White House, it appears some progress has been made.

    What the United States is essentially doing is preserving its maximum military leverage, the blockade of Iranian ports remaining in effect while pausing the US ships escorting commercial vessels through the strait, in order to further the dialogue that could lead to a diplomatic resolution.