Trump is a failed president! — © Mark Alexander
Showing posts with label Iran War. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iran War. Show all posts
Friday, May 22, 2026
Trump's Failure in Iran Has Turned US into a Global 'Loser' | Professor Robert Pape
Trump is a failed president! — © Mark Alexander
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Jesse Dollemore: Trump Announces He’s Taking Orders from Saudi Arabia
TW: Very strong language alert!
The Trump presidency is nothing but a SHITSHOW! — © Mark Alexander
Early War Goal Was to Install Hard Line Former President as Iran’s Leader
THE NEW YORK TIMES: An Israeli strike designed to free Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from house arrest in Tehran, U.S. officials said, was part of an effort to bring about regime change and put him in power.
This image comes from this NYT article. | Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran registering as a candidate in the presidential election in Tehran in 2024. | Arash Khamooshi/Polaris for The New York Times
Days after Israeli strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader and other top officials in the opening salvos of the war, President Trump mused publicly that it would be best if “someone from within” Iran took over the country.
It turns out that the United States and Israel went into the conflict with a particular and very surprising someone in mind: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former Iranian president known for his hard-line, anti-Israel and anti-American views.
But the audacious plan, developed by the Israelis and which Mr. Ahmadinejad had been consulted about, quickly went awry, according to the U.S. officials who were briefed on it.
Mr. Ahmadinejad was injured on the war’s first day by an Israeli strike at his home in Tehran that had been designed to free him from house arrest, the American officials and an associate of Mr. Ahmadinejad said. He survived the strike, they said, but after the near miss he became disillusioned with the regime change plan.
He has not been seen publicly since then and his current whereabouts and condition are unknown. » | Mark Mazzetti, Julian E. Barnes, Farnaz Fassihi and Ronen Bergman | The reporters have been covering the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. | Published: Tuesday, May 19, 2026. Updated: Wednesday, May 20, 2026
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Days after Israeli strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader and other top officials in the opening salvos of the war, President Trump mused publicly that it would be best if “someone from within” Iran took over the country.
It turns out that the United States and Israel went into the conflict with a particular and very surprising someone in mind: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former Iranian president known for his hard-line, anti-Israel and anti-American views.
But the audacious plan, developed by the Israelis and which Mr. Ahmadinejad had been consulted about, quickly went awry, according to the U.S. officials who were briefed on it.
Mr. Ahmadinejad was injured on the war’s first day by an Israeli strike at his home in Tehran that had been designed to free him from house arrest, the American officials and an associate of Mr. Ahmadinejad said. He survived the strike, they said, but after the near miss he became disillusioned with the regime change plan.
He has not been seen publicly since then and his current whereabouts and condition are unknown. » | Mark Mazzetti, Julian E. Barnes, Farnaz Fassihi and Ronen Bergman | The reporters have been covering the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. | Published: Tuesday, May 19, 2026. Updated: Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Leer en español.
阅读简体中文版
閱讀繁體中文版
Monday, May 18, 2026
The Iran War Is Crippling One of the World’s Wealthiest Nations
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Iranian attacks and the stoppage of seaborne transit have paralyzed Qatar’s vital gas exports, stalling the economic pivots intended to anchor the country’s growth.
Screenshot taken from this NYT article. | Qatar has tried to transform itself into a tourist destination and a hub for international business and finance. | Mahmud Hams/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
In Qatar, a desert peninsula protruding into the Persian Gulf, natural gas turned the country from a pearl-diving backwater into one of the world’s wealthiest nations.
Qatar spent three decades building supply lines, shipping tens of billions of dollars of liquefied natural gas each year through the Strait of Hormuz to ports across Asia and Europe.
The state, which derives more than 60 percent of its revenue from gas and gas-related exports, used that money to transform the peninsula into a gleaming metropolis. Unpaved desert roads were replaced by monolithic corporate skyscrapers, at the base of which irrigation systems water perennial blankets of grass and fuchsia flowers.
Gas wealth funded a metro system linking the capital, Doha, to Lusail, a northern city that is home to a Parisian-style mall and a theme park with artificial snow. The riches were also funneled into the world’s most expensive World Cup, and a $600 billion sovereign wealth fund with stakes in everything from Heathrow Airport in London to the Empire State Building in New York.
Then, in February, Qatar’s door to the world slammed shut.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz means virtually no gas has left Qatar’s shore for more than two months. The nation is also cut off from the sea routes through which it imports everything from vehicles to produce. Fears of regional instability have hurt tourism and eroded business sentiment. » | River Akira Davis | Reporting from Doha, Qatar | Sunday, May 17, 2026
In Qatar, a desert peninsula protruding into the Persian Gulf, natural gas turned the country from a pearl-diving backwater into one of the world’s wealthiest nations.
Qatar spent three decades building supply lines, shipping tens of billions of dollars of liquefied natural gas each year through the Strait of Hormuz to ports across Asia and Europe.
The state, which derives more than 60 percent of its revenue from gas and gas-related exports, used that money to transform the peninsula into a gleaming metropolis. Unpaved desert roads were replaced by monolithic corporate skyscrapers, at the base of which irrigation systems water perennial blankets of grass and fuchsia flowers.
Gas wealth funded a metro system linking the capital, Doha, to Lusail, a northern city that is home to a Parisian-style mall and a theme park with artificial snow. The riches were also funneled into the world’s most expensive World Cup, and a $600 billion sovereign wealth fund with stakes in everything from Heathrow Airport in London to the Empire State Building in New York.
Then, in February, Qatar’s door to the world slammed shut.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz means virtually no gas has left Qatar’s shore for more than two months. The nation is also cut off from the sea routes through which it imports everything from vehicles to produce. Fears of regional instability have hurt tourism and eroded business sentiment. » | River Akira Davis | Reporting from Doha, Qatar | Sunday, May 17, 2026
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Truce Hangs in the Balance as U.S. and Iran Trade Warnings
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the U.S. military could escalate the war “if necessary.” An Iranian official raised the prospect of increasing nuclear enrichment if it were attacked again.
A month-old cease-fire in Iran looked increasingly fragile on Tuesday as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States had “a plan to escalate, if necessary,” a day after President Trump dismissed an Iranian proposal to end the war as “garbage.”
Mr. Hesgeth, speaking at a congressional hearing on the Pentagon’s budget request, said the U.S. military had several options in the Middle East, including pulling back or shifting assets, but he declined to describe the administration’s next step.
Iran’s state-owned broadcaster reported on Monday that Tehran’s demands to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz included U.S. war reparations, recognition of its sovereignty over the strait and an end to American sanctions. Hours later, Mr. Trump said in the Oval Office that Tehran was in the grip of “lunatics.”
Mr. Trump has said that he wants a swift end to the war and a reopening of the strait, but Iran appears to be testing how far he is willing to go to secure those goals. Its demands suggest it could be betting that the economic pain from soaring energy prices will force him to make concessions.
Iran’s demands for reparations and sovereignty over the strait would almost certainly be non-starters for the United States. Ending sanctions, meanwhile, would be possible for the Trump administration only if Iran were willing to make major concessions on its nuclear program.
Ebrahim Rezaei, a spokesman for the national security committee in Iran’s Parliament, warned Tuesday that Tehran could consider enriching uranium to 90 percent purity, a level considered weapons grade, if it was attacked again. It was unclear how seriously Iran was considering such a move, and Mr. Rezaei said only that Parliament could review the option. Iran War Live Updates » | Euan Ward and Megan Mineiro | Tuesday, May 12, 2026
A month-old cease-fire in Iran looked increasingly fragile on Tuesday as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States had “a plan to escalate, if necessary,” a day after President Trump dismissed an Iranian proposal to end the war as “garbage.”
Mr. Hesgeth, speaking at a congressional hearing on the Pentagon’s budget request, said the U.S. military had several options in the Middle East, including pulling back or shifting assets, but he declined to describe the administration’s next step.
Iran’s state-owned broadcaster reported on Monday that Tehran’s demands to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz included U.S. war reparations, recognition of its sovereignty over the strait and an end to American sanctions. Hours later, Mr. Trump said in the Oval Office that Tehran was in the grip of “lunatics.”
Mr. Trump has said that he wants a swift end to the war and a reopening of the strait, but Iran appears to be testing how far he is willing to go to secure those goals. Its demands suggest it could be betting that the economic pain from soaring energy prices will force him to make concessions.
Iran’s demands for reparations and sovereignty over the strait would almost certainly be non-starters for the United States. Ending sanctions, meanwhile, would be possible for the Trump administration only if Iran were willing to make major concessions on its nuclear program.
Ebrahim Rezaei, a spokesman for the national security committee in Iran’s Parliament, warned Tuesday that Tehran could consider enriching uranium to 90 percent purity, a level considered weapons grade, if it was attacked again. It was unclear how seriously Iran was considering such a move, and Mr. Rezaei said only that Parliament could review the option. Iran War Live Updates » | Euan Ward and Megan Mineiro | Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Sunday, May 10, 2026
Mass Layoffs in Iran as Businesses Buckle Under Wartime Pressures
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Iran was already struggling economically before 2026 brought widespread instability. A government-imposed internet shutdown has crippled an entire sector.
In mid-March, Babak, a 49-year-old Iranian product designer at a tech company in Tehran, was called into his boss’s office and told that his position was being eliminated.
Iran’s government had shut down the internet two weeks earlier, at the outset of U.S.-Israeli war on the country, throwing the country’s tech industry into chaos and making Babak’s job impossible.
“Throughout my career, I have worked hard, continuously learned, and tried to grow,” said Babak, who sent voice messages to The New York Times, and asked to be identified only by his first name to avoid government reprisal. “Yet at this stage of my life, I find myself in an uncertain and ambiguous position,” he said.
Babak’s experience has become increasingly common throughout Iran as companies have instituted round after round of layoffs in recent weeks, according to interviews with businesses and employees and Iranian news reports.
For the Trump administration, Iran’s severe economic struggles are part of a strategy to pressure the country into submission. “I hope it fails,” President Trump told reporters this month, of Iran’s economy. “You know why? Because I want to win.” Iranian officials insist that pressure will not work and that the country will not surrender. » | Leily Nikounazar. Photographs by Arash Khamooshi | Sunday, May 10, 2026
There is one quick, sure-fire solution to this tragedy: Remove the worst, cruellest, most egocentric president ever from office, and imprison him! That will stop all this suffering. — © Mark Alexander
In mid-March, Babak, a 49-year-old Iranian product designer at a tech company in Tehran, was called into his boss’s office and told that his position was being eliminated.
Iran’s government had shut down the internet two weeks earlier, at the outset of U.S.-Israeli war on the country, throwing the country’s tech industry into chaos and making Babak’s job impossible.
“Throughout my career, I have worked hard, continuously learned, and tried to grow,” said Babak, who sent voice messages to The New York Times, and asked to be identified only by his first name to avoid government reprisal. “Yet at this stage of my life, I find myself in an uncertain and ambiguous position,” he said.
Babak’s experience has become increasingly common throughout Iran as companies have instituted round after round of layoffs in recent weeks, according to interviews with businesses and employees and Iranian news reports.
For the Trump administration, Iran’s severe economic struggles are part of a strategy to pressure the country into submission. “I hope it fails,” President Trump told reporters this month, of Iran’s economy. “You know why? Because I want to win.” Iranian officials insist that pressure will not work and that the country will not surrender. » | Leily Nikounazar. Photographs by Arash Khamooshi | Sunday, May 10, 2026
There is one quick, sure-fire solution to this tragedy: Remove the worst, cruellest, most egocentric president ever from office, and imprison him! That will stop all this suffering. — © Mark Alexander
Friday, May 08, 2026
U.S. Fires on Iranian Tankers as Tehran Accuses Washington of ‘Reckless’ Attacks
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Iran’s foreign minister accused Washington of undermining diplomacy. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. expected to hear from Tehran on Friday.
The United States said it had fired on two Iranian-flagged oil tankers on Friday, as Iran’s foreign minister on Friday accused the United States of “a reckless military adventure” and of undermining diplomatic efforts to end the war.
U.S. Central Command said it had disabled the two tankers as they tried to reach an Iranian port. The latest strikes came a day after the U.S. military and Iran exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz — fighting that the Iranian military said was triggered by an earlier U.S. attack on another Iranian tanker.
They also came as Iranian officials have said Washington and Tehran are debating a one-page U.S. proposal for the sides to reopen the strait and cease hostilities for 30 days as they negotiate a comprehensive deal to end the war.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asked about the state of negotiations, said that the United States expected a “response” from Iran on Friday. And despite the exchanges of fire in recent days, both President Trump and Iran’s foreign ministry have insisted that their monthlong cease-fire was holding.
U.S. Central Command said on Thursday that “unprovoked Iranian attacks” on three American destroyers had involved missiles, drones and small boats. In response, the U.S. military said it had “targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces,” including missile and drone launch sites.
The Iranian military said the United States had violated the cease-fire a day earlier by firing on an Iranian oil tanker trying to cross an American blockade. It said it had “retaliated by attacking U.S. military vessels.”
Mr. Trump, speaking to reporters in Washington on Thursday evening, dismissed the Iranian attacks as a “trifle” and again warned that Iran “better sign their agreement fast,” an apparent reference to the one-page U.S. proposal. A key hurdle was the U.S. demand for advance commitments on the fate of Iran’s nuclear program and its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, three senior Iranian officials said.
On Friday, the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, questioned in a social media post whether the U.S. strikes were a “crude pressure tactic.” He added: “Every time a diplomatic solution is on the table, the U.S. opts for a reckless military adventure.” Iran War Live Updates » | Euan Ward, Leily Nikounazar, Farnaz Fassihi, Erica L. Green and Motoko Rich | Friday, May 8, 2026
The United States said it had fired on two Iranian-flagged oil tankers on Friday, as Iran’s foreign minister on Friday accused the United States of “a reckless military adventure” and of undermining diplomatic efforts to end the war.
U.S. Central Command said it had disabled the two tankers as they tried to reach an Iranian port. The latest strikes came a day after the U.S. military and Iran exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz — fighting that the Iranian military said was triggered by an earlier U.S. attack on another Iranian tanker.
They also came as Iranian officials have said Washington and Tehran are debating a one-page U.S. proposal for the sides to reopen the strait and cease hostilities for 30 days as they negotiate a comprehensive deal to end the war.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asked about the state of negotiations, said that the United States expected a “response” from Iran on Friday. And despite the exchanges of fire in recent days, both President Trump and Iran’s foreign ministry have insisted that their monthlong cease-fire was holding.
U.S. Central Command said on Thursday that “unprovoked Iranian attacks” on three American destroyers had involved missiles, drones and small boats. In response, the U.S. military said it had “targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces,” including missile and drone launch sites.
The Iranian military said the United States had violated the cease-fire a day earlier by firing on an Iranian oil tanker trying to cross an American blockade. It said it had “retaliated by attacking U.S. military vessels.”
Mr. Trump, speaking to reporters in Washington on Thursday evening, dismissed the Iranian attacks as a “trifle” and again warned that Iran “better sign their agreement fast,” an apparent reference to the one-page U.S. proposal. A key hurdle was the U.S. demand for advance commitments on the fate of Iran’s nuclear program and its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, three senior Iranian officials said.
On Friday, the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, questioned in a social media post whether the U.S. strikes were a “crude pressure tactic.” He added: “Every time a diplomatic solution is on the table, the U.S. opts for a reckless military adventure.” Iran War Live Updates » | Euan Ward, Leily Nikounazar, Farnaz Fassihi, Erica L. Green and Motoko Rich | Friday, May 8, 2026
Thursday, May 07, 2026
Trump in ‘Real Trouble’ as the Tide Suddenly Turns on His Presidency
Saudi Arabia Breaks Bad News to Trump - The US Military Can’t Use Their Airspace | David Satterfield
May 7, 2026 | "Saudi Arabia is reported to have told him its airspace cannot be used for operations."
Donald Trump has suffered a major operational setback as he has been reportedly told by Saudi Arabia that the US cannot use their airspace, says former US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, David Satterfield.
Donald Trump has suffered a major operational setback as he has been reportedly told by Saudi Arabia that the US cannot use their airspace, says former US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, David Satterfield.
Iran Will Not ‘Cry Uncle’ to Donald Trump | Trita Parsi
May 6, 2026 | “Iran will not give him the perception of having humiliated Iran.”
Donald Trump’s public threats against Iran risk sabotaging the diplomacy his administration is simultaneously trying to advance behind closed doors, says executive vice president of the Quincy Institute, Trita Parsi.
If I am not greatly mistaken, the USA has lost this war. The Iranians have outmanoeuvred the Americans. President Trump: Eat your heart out! — © Mark Alexander
Donald Trump’s public threats against Iran risk sabotaging the diplomacy his administration is simultaneously trying to advance behind closed doors, says executive vice president of the Quincy Institute, Trita Parsi.
If I am not greatly mistaken, the USA has lost this war. The Iranians have outmanoeuvred the Americans. President Trump: Eat your heart out! — © Mark Alexander
US Fires on Iranian-flagged Oil Tanker as Trump Gives Tehran Fresh Ultimatum
THE GUARDIAN: President tells Iran to accept deal to end war or face new wave of bombing at ‘much higher level and intensity’
The US military fired on an Iranian-flagged oil tanker on Wednesday, shortly after Donald Trump issued a fresh ultimatum to Tehran, telling it to accept a deal to end the war or face a new wave of US bombing “at a much higher level and intensity than it was before”.
The US fighter fired several rounds and “disabled the tanker’s rudder” as it attempted to breach the US’s blockade of Iranian ports, US Central Command said in a social media post.
The attack came after the US president’s social media announcement – the latest in a rapid series of dramatic and often contradictory changes in policy amid unconfirmed reports of progress in stalled negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
“Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is perhaps a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end,” the US president posted on his Truth Social platform, referring to the military operation he launched with Israel against Iran in February.
“If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before.” » | Jason Burke, Shah Meer Baloch in Islamabad and Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi | Wednesday, May 6, 2026
The US military fired on an Iranian-flagged oil tanker on Wednesday, shortly after Donald Trump issued a fresh ultimatum to Tehran, telling it to accept a deal to end the war or face a new wave of US bombing “at a much higher level and intensity than it was before”.
The US fighter fired several rounds and “disabled the tanker’s rudder” as it attempted to breach the US’s blockade of Iranian ports, US Central Command said in a social media post.
The attack came after the US president’s social media announcement – the latest in a rapid series of dramatic and often contradictory changes in policy amid unconfirmed reports of progress in stalled negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
“Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is perhaps a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end,” the US president posted on his Truth Social platform, referring to the military operation he launched with Israel against Iran in February.
“If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before.” » | Jason Burke, Shah Meer Baloch in Islamabad and Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi | Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Wednesday, May 06, 2026
Tehran Says It Is Reviewing U.S. Proposal as Trump Makes New Threats
THE NEW YORK TIMES: An Iranian official said his government was looking at an American plan to end the war, hours after President Trump threatened to resume strikes. Earlier Wednesday, another Iranian official dismissed a reported proposal as a “list of American wishes.”
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, said Wednesday that his government was reviewing an American plan to end the war, hours after President Trump put pressure on Iran to agree to a deal to end the war and renewed threats, fueling uncertainty around the negotiations.
Mr. Baghaei said that Iran had yet to respond to that proposal. “After finalizing its considerations, Iran will convey its views to the Pakistani side,” he said in an interview with the semiofficial news agency ISNA. Earlier in the day, another Iranian official had dismissed a reported proposal to end the war as a “list of American wishes.”
The mixed messages came a day after Mr. Trump abruptly paused a U.S. military operation to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, citing what he said was “great progress” in talks. In public, there has been little sign that the weeks of diplomacy aimed at reaching a deal to reopen the vital waterway and end the war were bearing fruit.
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Mr. Trump said he would end the war and offer safe passage for vessels through the strait if Iran “agrees to give what has been agreed,” without elaborating. “If they don’t agree, the bombing starts,” he threatened, warning that further U.S. attacks would be “at a much higher level and intensity.”
The suggestion appeared to contradict the assertion made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday that the war was “over.” Iran War Live Updates » | Leo Sands, Qasim Nauman and Erica L. Green | Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, said Wednesday that his government was reviewing an American plan to end the war, hours after President Trump put pressure on Iran to agree to a deal to end the war and renewed threats, fueling uncertainty around the negotiations.
Mr. Baghaei said that Iran had yet to respond to that proposal. “After finalizing its considerations, Iran will convey its views to the Pakistani side,” he said in an interview with the semiofficial news agency ISNA. Earlier in the day, another Iranian official had dismissed a reported proposal to end the war as a “list of American wishes.”
The mixed messages came a day after Mr. Trump abruptly paused a U.S. military operation to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, citing what he said was “great progress” in talks. In public, there has been little sign that the weeks of diplomacy aimed at reaching a deal to reopen the vital waterway and end the war were bearing fruit.
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Mr. Trump said he would end the war and offer safe passage for vessels through the strait if Iran “agrees to give what has been agreed,” without elaborating. “If they don’t agree, the bombing starts,” he threatened, warning that further U.S. attacks would be “at a much higher level and intensity.”
The suggestion appeared to contradict the assertion made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday that the war was “over.” Iran War Live Updates » | Leo Sands, Qasim Nauman and Erica L. Green | Wednesday, May 6, 2026
White House Insists Iran War Is Over, Even While Missiles Fly
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The White House is turning to rhetorical leaps as President Trump tries to put the biggest political crisis of his presidency behind him.
When the cease-fire in the war with Iran went into effect a month ago, President Trump was pretty direct that if the Iranians failed to end their nuclear program, or to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the bombers would be back in the air. “If there’s no deal, fighting resumes,” he said, making it very clear this was just a pause.
But it turns out, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that the war actually ended at some point after the cease-fire took hold, or so he told reporters at a news conference at the White House on Tuesday. “The Operation Epic Fury is concluded,” he said. “We achieved the objective of that operation.” The effort to reopen the strait, Mr. Rubio said, is entirely a defensive and humanitarian operation that would result in direct military exchanges with the Iranians only if U.S. ships came under fire.
Later on Tuesday, Mr. Trump announced that he was pausing even that effort — which was only one day old, and had succeeded in getting just a few ships freed — “for a short period of time,” citing what he said was “great progress” toward an agreement with Iran. But he kept the American blockade in place, part of a strategy of maximum economic pressure.
Still, Mr. Trump’s suspension of the effort to guide ships out of the strait seemed to contradict the administration’s stated position that it was intolerable for Iran to block an international waterway, and that only the United States had the ability to force it open again. » | David E. Sanger | David E. Sanger has covered five American presidents in more than four decades at The New York Times. He has written about efforts to destroy or contain Iran’s nuclear program for more than twenty years. | Tuesday, May 5, 2026
When the cease-fire in the war with Iran went into effect a month ago, President Trump was pretty direct that if the Iranians failed to end their nuclear program, or to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the bombers would be back in the air. “If there’s no deal, fighting resumes,” he said, making it very clear this was just a pause.
But it turns out, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that the war actually ended at some point after the cease-fire took hold, or so he told reporters at a news conference at the White House on Tuesday. “The Operation Epic Fury is concluded,” he said. “We achieved the objective of that operation.” The effort to reopen the strait, Mr. Rubio said, is entirely a defensive and humanitarian operation that would result in direct military exchanges with the Iranians only if U.S. ships came under fire.
Later on Tuesday, Mr. Trump announced that he was pausing even that effort — which was only one day old, and had succeeded in getting just a few ships freed — “for a short period of time,” citing what he said was “great progress” toward an agreement with Iran. But he kept the American blockade in place, part of a strategy of maximum economic pressure.
Still, Mr. Trump’s suspension of the effort to guide ships out of the strait seemed to contradict the administration’s stated position that it was intolerable for Iran to block an international waterway, and that only the United States had the ability to force it open again. » | David E. Sanger | David E. Sanger has covered five American presidents in more than four decades at The New York Times. He has written about efforts to destroy or contain Iran’s nuclear program for more than twenty years. | Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Tuesday, May 05, 2026
Iranian Official Warns of Escalation in Strait of Hormuz Standoff
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s top negotiator, accused the United States of violating the shaky cease-fire, after Iranian forces fired at vessels that the U.S. Navy was guiding through the strait.
A top Iranian official warned on Tuesday of an escalation in the Strait of Hormuz and accused the United States of violating the fragile cease-fire, a day after the U.S. Navy began an initiative to escort commercial ships through the strait, a vital oil shipping waterway.
As the truce appeared to falter, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s top negotiator in the stumbling peace negotiations, said in a social media post that “a new equation” was emerging in the waterway. He said that American actions had endangered shipping through the strait, which Iran has effectively blockaded since the war began in late February.
“We know well that the continuation of the current situation is unbearable for the United States, while we have not even started yet,” Mr. Ghalibaf said.
The U.S. Navy began escorting commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. Reports of attacks from Iran in and around the Persian Gulf quickly tested the American actions and the Pakistani-brokered cease-fire that paused the war last month.
The United Arab Emirates said Iran had fired missiles and drones at its territory on Monday, the first time since the cease-fire had come into effect. The U.A.E.’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the country “reserves its full and legitimate right to respond” to the attacks.
American forces shot down cruise missiles and drones and destroyed six Iranian speedboats that had threatened the vessels, according to U.S. Central Command. The U.S. military said two commercial ships operating under the U.S. flag had passed through the waterway.
Iran did not officially confirm or deny whether it had resumed attacks. IRIB, Iran’s state-run broadcaster, said that a senior Iranian military official denied the American claim that several Iranian boats had been sunk.
In an interview with the conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that aired Monday, President Trump declined to say whether the cease-fire was over. “Well, I can’t tell you that,” Mr. Trump said. » | John Yoon | Tuesday, May 5, 2026
A top Iranian official warned on Tuesday of an escalation in the Strait of Hormuz and accused the United States of violating the fragile cease-fire, a day after the U.S. Navy began an initiative to escort commercial ships through the strait, a vital oil shipping waterway.
As the truce appeared to falter, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s top negotiator in the stumbling peace negotiations, said in a social media post that “a new equation” was emerging in the waterway. He said that American actions had endangered shipping through the strait, which Iran has effectively blockaded since the war began in late February.
“We know well that the continuation of the current situation is unbearable for the United States, while we have not even started yet,” Mr. Ghalibaf said.
The U.S. Navy began escorting commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. Reports of attacks from Iran in and around the Persian Gulf quickly tested the American actions and the Pakistani-brokered cease-fire that paused the war last month.
The United Arab Emirates said Iran had fired missiles and drones at its territory on Monday, the first time since the cease-fire had come into effect. The U.A.E.’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the country “reserves its full and legitimate right to respond” to the attacks.
American forces shot down cruise missiles and drones and destroyed six Iranian speedboats that had threatened the vessels, according to U.S. Central Command. The U.S. military said two commercial ships operating under the U.S. flag had passed through the waterway.
Iran did not officially confirm or deny whether it had resumed attacks. IRIB, Iran’s state-run broadcaster, said that a senior Iranian military official denied the American claim that several Iranian boats had been sunk.
In an interview with the conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that aired Monday, President Trump declined to say whether the cease-fire was over. “Well, I can’t tell you that,” Mr. Trump said. » | John Yoon | Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Saturday, May 02, 2026
Trump Tells Congress Why He Doesn’t Need Its Authorization for the Iran War
THE NEW YORK TIMES: In letters to the House and Senate, the president asserted that the hostilities had “terminated,” in an apparent attempt to avoid having to seek congressional approval.
President Trump sent letters to Congress on Friday making the case that a Vietnam-era law requiring him to seek congressional authorization to continue military operations in Iran did not apply because the conflict was in a cease-fire.
In the letters — sent to House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana and Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the president pro tempore of the Senate — Mr. Trump said that he was writing to inform them “of changes in the posture of United States Forces” and reiterated his administration’s position that a cease-fire he declared on April 7 had stopped the clock on the war.
Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, if presidents deploy American forces into hostilities without congressional authorization, they must end the operation after 60 days if the legislative branch does not grant permission for the continued use of forces on the mission. The law also allows the president a single 30-day extension, but only to safely bring troops home, not to extend combat.
But Mr. Trump’s letters made the case that there had “been no exchange of fire between United States Forces and Iran since April 7,” and that hostilities the United States and Israel began on Feb. 28 “have terminated,” in an apparent attempt to avoid having to seek congressional approval. He did not mention that U.S. forces fired on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship on April 19. » | Erica L. Green and Megan Mineiro | Friday, May 1, 2026
President Trump sent letters to Congress on Friday making the case that a Vietnam-era law requiring him to seek congressional authorization to continue military operations in Iran did not apply because the conflict was in a cease-fire.
In the letters — sent to House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana and Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the president pro tempore of the Senate — Mr. Trump said that he was writing to inform them “of changes in the posture of United States Forces” and reiterated his administration’s position that a cease-fire he declared on April 7 had stopped the clock on the war.
Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, if presidents deploy American forces into hostilities without congressional authorization, they must end the operation after 60 days if the legislative branch does not grant permission for the continued use of forces on the mission. The law also allows the president a single 30-day extension, but only to safely bring troops home, not to extend combat.
But Mr. Trump’s letters made the case that there had “been no exchange of fire between United States Forces and Iran since April 7,” and that hostilities the United States and Israel began on Feb. 28 “have terminated,” in an apparent attempt to avoid having to seek congressional approval. He did not mention that U.S. forces fired on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship on April 19. » | Erica L. Green and Megan Mineiro | Friday, May 1, 2026
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