Trump says hostilities in Iran ‘terminated’

Latest in Middle East war: Trump says hostilities in Iran ‘terminated’, 14 Iran soldiers die in demining op, Iran urges ‘economic battle’



US President Donald Trump attends an event at the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida May 1, 2026. — Reuters pic

Saturday, 02 May 2026 9:34 AM MYT


PARIS, May 2 — The latest developments in the Middle East war:

Trump says hostilities in Iran ‘terminated’


US President Donald Trump told top US lawmakers that hostilities in Iran had ended, after coming under pressure from Congress to seek authorisation for the conflict as it headed into its third month.

“There has been no exchange of fire between United States Forces and Iran since April 7, 2026. The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated,” he wrote in letters to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate president pro tempore Chuck Grassley.


Lebanon says 12 dead in Israel strikes

Lebanon’s health ministry said 12 people were killed yesterday in Israeli strikes on the country’s south, including in a town where Israel’s army had issued an evacuation order despite a ceasefire.

The strikes in Habboush — where the evacuation warning was issued — killed eight people and wounded 21.

Other strikes in Zrariyeh killed four people and wounded four more, the ministry said.

14 Iran soldiers killed in demining op

Fourteen soldiers were killed yesterday during operations to defuse unexploded ordnance in Iran’s north-western Zanjan province, local media reported.

“Today, during one of these missions, 14 of these dedicated forces were martyred and 2 were injured,” Fars news agency reported, citing the powerful Revolutionary Guards.

Iran leader calls for economic battle

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei urged his people to wage economic battle and “disappoint” its enemies, as the war with the United States and Israel and years of sanctions take a toll.

In a written statement, Khamenei went on to call for “prioritising the consumption of domestically manufactured goods”, and said “the owners of damaged businesses should avoid, as much as possible, layoffs and separation of their workforce”.


Trump ‘not satisfied’

US President Donald Trump said he was unhappy with Iran’s new proposal for peace talks, which Iran’s state news agency IRNA said was delivered via mediator Pakistan.

“At this moment, I’m not satisfied with what they’re offering,” he told reporters. “They’re asking for things that I can’t agree to.”

Details of the proposal were not yet public.


Oil prices fall

The price of oil slid after reports of Iran’s latest talks proposal, but both West Texas Intermediate and the other main US benchmark, Brent, clawed back some ground and were trading comfortably above the symbolic US$100 (RM397) a barrel mark.


New US sanctions

The US Treasury Department slapped new sanctions on three Iranian foreign currency exchange firms to try to stem the flow of Tehran’s “financial lifelines”.


US aircraft carrier leaves Gulf

The USS Gerald R. Ford left the Middle East after taking part in operations against Iran, a US official said.

Two other aircraft carriers — the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George H.W. Bush — are among 20 US ships still in the region.


Refugee aid hit

The UN refugee agency said the war had sent freight rates soaring for delivering aid to refugees in the Middle East and Africa.

Costs have shot up nearly 18 per cent as shipments have had to be rerouted because of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and port congestion, UNHCR said, sparking delivery delays.

Iran open to US talks

Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said Tehran was open to talks with the United States but would not accept what he called policy “imposition” under threats.

“The Islamic Republic has never shied away from negotiations...but we certainly do not accept imposition,” Ejei said in a video carried by the judiciary’s Mizan Online website. — AFP

42m ago

 (02:45 GMT)

Trump doubles down on Iran economic squeeze; US announces sanctions on Hormuz toll-payers

By Mike Hanna

Reporting from Washington DC, US

President Trump continues to insist that his strategy of squeezing Iran financially is going to work.

The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, he claims, is costing the Iranians millions of dollars.

He also insists that ongoing sanctions against individuals and entities within Iran are having an economic effect.

He seems convinced that the pressure he is putting on Iran will bring Tehran to the table to discuss a deal on his terms.

The Treasury Department has announced it will impose sanctions against entities and individuals who pay Iranian tolls to pass through the strait.

This is a very real threat.

The State Department has announced what it calls a new “Maritime Freedom Construct”, which will be controlled by the US Central Command.

It appears to be an alliance of ships that agree to US terms to use the strait before being allowed through, escorted by US Navy vessels and paying no tolls.

It is a complicated scenario, but it is the way the US is attempting to reconcile its ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz while still seeking to get the flow of oil through the waterway, the absence of which is having a massive economic impact globally.

Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, in March 2026 [File: Altaf Qadri/AP Photo]