U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Holding for Now, Hegseth Says, as Trump Looks to Finalize Deal
By Tucker Reals, Alex Sundby, Frank Andrews
What to know about the Iran war today:
- 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.
9:40 PM
Iran foreign minister arrives in Beijing for talks with China’s top diplomat
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Beijing ahead of scheduled talks with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi, according to Iran’s Tasnim and Fars news agencies.
“Seyyed Abbas Araghchi arrived in Beijing… at the head of a diplomatic delegation. During this visit, our country’s Foreign Minister will discuss bilateral relations and regional and international developments with his Chinese counterpart,” Fars reported.
China is a key customer for Iranian oil, defying sanctions imposed by the United States as Washington seeks to choke off revenue to Tehran.
Araghchi’s trip comes before President Trump’s scheduled visit to China on May 14-15 to see President Xi Jinping — a trip he delayed after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday called on China to put pressure on Araghchi to loosen Tehran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil once transited.
“I hope the Chinese tell (Araghchi) what he needs to be told, and that is that what you were doing in the straits is causing you to be globally isolated,” Rubio told reporters.
7:12 PM / May 5, 2026
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.
By Kiki Intarasuwan
Updated 6:56 PM / May 5, 2026
Rubio speaks with Russian foreign minister about Iran
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, according to the State Department.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the two discussed Iran, the U.S.-Russia relationship and the Russia-Ukraine war. The call was at Lavrov’s request, according to Pigott.
Russian forces launched attacks that killed 21 people in Ukraine on Tuesday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Moscow’s “utter cynicism” for launching deadly strikes while simultaneously seeking a truce to stage its annual World War II Victory Day commemorations on May 8-9.
Zelenskyy on Monday announced his own ceasefire for Tuesday and Wednesday, saying in a statement posted to X that he has not received an official appeal from Russia about its Victory Day truce.
6:40 PM / May 5, 2026
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.
Eleanor Watson and Joe Walsh contributed to this report.
By James LaPorta
5:49 PM / May 5, 2026
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.
By The Associated Press
4:44 PM / May 5, 2026
Rubio says Operation Epic Fury is over, U.S. has moved on to Project Freedom
During his press briefing with reporters, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Operation Epic Fury is over.
“The operation is over,” Rubio said. “Epic Fury is, the president notified Congress, we’re done with that stage of it. OK? We’re now onto this project of freedom.”
Project Freedom is a U.S. effort to help commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
“The operation, Epic Fury, is concluded,” Rubio also said. “We achieved the objectives of that operation.”
Rubio said the issue of Iran’s enriched uranium is being addressed in negotiations, although he didn’t go into where negotiations stand.
By Kathryn Watson
4:29 PM / May 5, 2026
Rubio says nuclear-armed Iran would be worse than high gas prices
Asked about high gas prices in the U.S. as a result of the war, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Americans are in a better position than other people around the world and that things would be worse if Iran had a nuclear weapon.
“Everybody needs to think about it this way: If Iran had a nuclear weapon and they decided to close the straits and make our gas prices like $9 a gallon or $8 a gallon, we wouldn’t be able to do anything about it because they have a nuclear weapon,” Rubio said. “A nuclear-armed Iran could do whatever the hell they want with the straits, and there’s nothing anyone would be able to do about it.”
According to AAA, the average price for a gallon of regular gas is $4.48.
By Alex Sundby
3:45 PM / May 5, 2026
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.”
By Alex Sundby
3:28 PM / May 5, 2026
“We are only responding if attacked first,” Rubio says
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the U.S. Project Freedom initiative was a defensive operation.
“This is not an offensive operation, this is a defensive operation,” Rubio said. “What that means is very simple: There’s no shooting unless we’re shot at first.”
“We are only responding if attacked first,” Rubio said.
By Alex Sundby
3:13 PM / May 5, 2026
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.”
By Alex Sundby
3:06 PM / May 5, 2026
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.
2:19 PM / May 5, 2026
Israel ready to deploy “entire air force” against Iran if needed, new chief says
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.
1:41 PM / May 5, 2026
Iran vows “firm response” if ships diverge from declared corridor in Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned on Tuesday that it would respond firmly to any ships that diverge from the Islamic Republic’s approved route through the Strait of Hormuz.
“We warn all vessels planning to transit the Strait of Hormuz that the only safe passage is the corridor previously announced by Iran. Any diversion of ships to other routes is dangerous and will result in a firm response from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards navy,” it said in a statement carried by state television.
The warning came on the second day of a U.S. effort to facilitate the transit of commercial ships through the waterway, which Iran closed in response to the U.S.-Israeli war.
1:17 PM / May 5, 2026
Iran’s Foreign Ministry insists “no hostility toward Arab countries of the Gulf,” despite ongoing attacks
Iran bears “no hostility toward Arab countries of the Gulf,” the country’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei insisted Tuesday, but he warned Iran’s neighbors against what he called a reliance on “imported security.”
In remarks to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, Baqaei called the U.S. military presence “the only source of insecurity” in the region and said Gulf states were exposing themselves to risk rather than finding protection by allying with Washington.
He gave the statement shortly before the United Arab Emirates reported incoming Iranian missile and drone fire for a second consecutive day. Monday’s attacks, which UAE authorities said included 15 Iranian missiles and numerous drones, were the first since the U.S. and Iran agreed to a ceasefire on April 8.
“Iranians never surrender under pressure,” said Baqaei, insisting that all of Iran’s actions were defensive, targeting U.S. military assets and bases used for operations against Iran, and not aimed at harming other regional countries.
Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/iran-war-trump-strait-of-hormuz-ships-uae-attacked/
