Published on: 05/03/2026 - 07:00 Last updated: 05/04/2026 - 08:05

Iran said on Sunday that the United States must choose between an "impossible" military operation or a "bad deal" in the war in the Middle East, after US President Donald Trump warned that he may not accept the new settlement proposal presented by Tehran. While a senior Iranian military official indicated that renewed fighting was a "possibility." This comes after Tehran submitted a 14-item proposal to Pakistan, which included ending the war on all fronts and setting a new framework for the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian official: Any "American intervention" in the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire

Oil prices fell after Trump said that America would help free ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz

Oil prices fell by more than a dollar per barrel on Monday after US President Donald Trump said that the United States would begin efforts tomorrow morning to free ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz.

Brent crude futures fell $1.83, or 1.69 percent, to $106.34 per barrel by 2203 GMT, and US West Texas Intermediate crude also fell to $100.22 per barrel, down $1.72, or 1.69 percent.

Trump says the United States is having "very positive discussions" with Iran

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that US officials are holding “very positive discussions” with Iran about possible steps to end the war.

“I am fully aware that my representatives are having very positive discussions with the country of Iran, and that these discussions could lead to something very positive for everyone,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had previously announced that Tehran had presented a 14-item proposal “centered on ending the war,” and that Washington had responded to it with a letter sent to the Pakistani mediators.

Trump: We will begin freeing ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz from tomorrow, Monday morning

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Washington will begin efforts tomorrow morning to free ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz.

Official media from the Foreign Ministry spokesman: America responded to Iran’s 14-item plan through the Pakistani side, and we are reviewing Washington’s response.

Official media from the Foreign Ministry spokesman: Iran’s plan is exclusively conditional on ending the war

Official media from the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman: We are not conducting nuclear negotiations at this stage

Hezbollah is bearing a heavy price in the battle to turn the scales

Previously undisclosed loss estimates from within the Lebanese Hezbollah group showed that it had incurred a heavy price due to the latest war with Israel on March 2, as Israel occupied part of southern Lebanon, displaced hundreds of thousands of Shiite Hezbollah supporters, and killed thousands of the group’s fighters.

This move also resulted in serious political consequences. In Beirut, opposition to Hezbollah's armament has increased, as the group's opponents in Lebanon consider that this armament exposes the country to repeated wars with Israel.

In April, the Lebanese government held direct talks with Israel for the first time in decades, in a decision strongly opposed by Hezbollah.

The UAE withdraws from the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC)

The Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) announced on Sunday that the UAE has withdrawn from the alliance, which does not specify a production policy for its members.

This statement comes in the wake of the UAE's surprise announcement, on April 28, of its withdrawal from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the OPEC+ alliance, to give priority to increasing its production.

OAPEC was established in 1968 with the aim of enhancing cooperation between Arab oil-exporting countries.

The US blockade is “stifling” the Iranian economy (Treasury Secretary)

US Treasury Secretary Scott Besent stressed on Sunday that the United States is strangling the Iranian regime with its "economic blockade" that it imposed in conjunction with the military attack it launched with Israel at the end of February.

On Sunday, Bescent said in a statement to Fox News: US President Donald Trump "ordered in March to exert maximum pressure (on Iran), and three weeks ago he issued an order to the Treasury Department and me personally to initiate (Operation) 'Economic Fury'."

The action is intended to be the economic counterpart to the “Epic Rage” attack, which was launched on February 28.

A ceasefire has been in effect since April 8.

“We are strangling the regime,” Besant said. “They are no longer able to pay their soldiers.”

He continued: “It is a real economic blockade,” stressing that the US Navy plays a pivotal role by preventing ships from sailing to and from Iran.

The minister stressed that "no ship should cross."

Maritime Authority: A bulk carrier was attacked by small boats off Iran

The British Maritime Trade Operations Authority said that a bulk carrier was attacked by several small boats while sailing north, about 11 nautical miles west of the Iranian port of Sirik, on Sunday, adding that all crew members were safe, and there were no reports of any environmental impacts.

Gulf stock exchanges close higher, but the ambiguity of the situation between America and Iran limits gains

Most stock markets in the Gulf ended trading higher on Sunday, but gains were limited due to the ambiguity surrounding a possible agreement between the United States and Iran, after US President Donald Trump said he was waiting for the final text, and warned of the possibility of resuming strikes.

A senior Iranian official said that Tehran proposed a plan, which Trump has rejected so far, that would restore navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and lift the US naval blockade on Iran, while postponing negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program to a later stage.

The German Foreign Minister, in contact with his Iranian counterpart, demands the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz

German Foreign Minister Johan Wadewohl announced on Sunday that he called on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and abandon its nuclear program, during a phone call with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi.

"I confirmed that Germany supports a negotiated solution. As a close ally of the United States, we share the same goal: Iran must completely and verifiably give up its nuclear weapons and open the Strait of Hormuz immediately, as demanded by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio," Vadiful wrote on the X platform.

Tehran believes that Washington must choose between an “impossible” military operation or a “bad deal.”

Iran said on Sunday that the United States must choose between an "impossible" military operation or a "bad deal" in the war in the Middle East, after US President Donald Trump warned that he may not accept the new settlement proposal presented by Tehran.

Diplomatic efforts have been faltering since the ceasefire agreement entered into force on April 8, about 40 days after Israeli-American air strikes on Iran, and Tehran responded with strikes on countries in the region. Efforts failed to restart the negotiation wheel after a round of direct talks held in Islamabad on April 11, without leading to a result, with the continued fundamental differences, especially regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the nuclear file.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Intelligence said, in a statement broadcast on state television, that “the margin of maneuver available to the United States in decision-making has decreased,” adding that Trump must “choose between an impossible operation or a bad deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

She pointed to what she described as a “change in tone” on the part of China, Russia, and Europe towards Washington, in addition to what she described as a “deadline” set by Tehran to end the US naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Iran executes a man convicted of participating in a murder during demonstrations

On Sunday, the judiciary in Iran announced the execution of a man convicted of participating in a murder during the protests that rocked the Islamic Republic in 2022-2023.

The judiciary's Mizan website reported: "The death sentence issued against Mehrab Abdullah Zadeh was carried out this morning after completing legal procedures."

The website indicated that Abdullah Zadeh was arrested alongside two other people at the site of a demonstration in Urmia (northwest), where a farmer died after “rioters” attacked him with extreme violence.

According to Mizan, the farmer was attending the demonstration “as a volunteer charged with ensuring the safety of residents.”

For its part, state television explained that Abdullah Zadeh committed the acts attributed to him in the 2022-2023 protests that erupted due to the death of the young woman Mahsa Amini while she was being held by the morality police on suspicion of not adhering to the dress code.

Representative from Hezbollah: We are able to defeat the goals of direct negotiations with Israel

A Hezbollah parliamentarian said on Sunday that the party is capable of “dropping” the goals of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel. In a speech he delivered during an event honoring a number of Hezbollah fighters killed in the war, Hassan Fadlallah said, “These negotiations, with all their results, do not concern us, and we will not implement them, and we will not allow them to pass.”

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