Iran says it will soon unveil a traffic-management plan for the Strait of Hormuz that includes toll fees, while US President Donald Trump warned Tehran faces a “very bad time” unless it agrees to a peace deal soon.
Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref declared on May 5 that his country will no longer allow “enemy military equipment” to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. On the same day, Israel carried out heavy air strikes on southern Lebanon, targeting the town of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah.
Here are the key developments:
In Iran
- Parliament Speaker and lead Iranian negotiator Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf stated the world is “on the threshold of a new order” and that “the future belongs to the Global South.”
- Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Azizi said Tehran’s plan for the Strait of Hormuz includes a “professional mechanism for managing traffic along a designated route.” He stated that “only commercial vessels and parties cooperating with Iran will benefit” from the plan and that “fees will be collected” for “specialized services.”
- State television in Iran reported on May 5 that European nations are negotiating with Tehran regarding vessel transit through the strait.
- “After vessels from East Asian countries, especially China, Japan and Pakistan, have been allowed passage, today we received information indicating that Europeans have also started negotiations with the navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” state television reported, without providing details.
- Iran’s World Cup team will travel to Turkey on May 6 for training, friendly matches and visa procedures before heading to the United States, head coach Amir Ghalenoei said.
War Diplomacy
- Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on May 5 “to facilitate” peace talks between Iran and the United States that have stalled despite a fragile ceasefire, Iranian media reported.
- Mr. Naqvi’s visit follows that of General Asim Munir, head of Pakistan’s powerful military, who visited Tehran a few days earlier.
In the United States
- The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R Ford, returned to its home port in Virginia on May 5 after an 11-month deployment, the longest since the Vietnam War. The mission included support for the US-Israel war against Iran and the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
- The US military said it had “diverted” 78 commercial vessels and “disabled” four ships during its continued blockade of Iranian ports.
In Lebanon
- The Israeli military announced on May 5 that one soldier was killed in combat in southern Lebanon, raising the total casualties to 21 since the conflict with Hezbollah escalated on March 2.
- Israel said it struck 100 locations in southern Lebanon in the two days after the two countries agreed to extend the ceasefire by 45 days.
- Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 45-day extension of the ceasefire after another round of talks in Washington, D.C., the US State Department said on May 4.
