Day 63 | Trump reviews military options to pressure Iran into deal

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US President Donald Trump issued a forceful warning on nuclear proliferation, saying the United States “cannot allow dangerous actors to obtain nuclear weapons.”

In a series of remarks, Trump framed nuclear containment as a central security priority and argued that preventing the spread of such weapons is essential to global stability.

Trump said the US would work to eliminate any weapons capable of causing mass destruction, particularly nuclear arms.

He linked the issue directly to ongoing concerns about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, arguing that failing to act earlier would have had severe regional consequences.

The United States is preparing to close its flagship mission in the Gaza Strip as President Donald Trump’s plan for the territory loses momentum, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The reported decision marks a significant setback for Washington’s efforts to advance its broader political and humanitarian framework for Gaza.

Iranian officials are demanding a permanent end to this war on all fronts, with guarantees that it will not resume again, and they will not be hit again. They say there is deep mistrust with the US, as Iran has been attacked twice in less than a year. They are also linking any progress with lifting the [US] blockade on Iran’s ports.

They have said they are open to go further in negotiations, especially if the sticking point related to the blockade is resolved.

The naval command of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it will implement new management rules for Gulf waters based on directives from Iran’s supreme leadership.

In a statement, commanders said the new framework would govern operations in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, describing the move as part of a broader strategic vision.

The IRGC Navy said the “new administration” of Gulf waters has been organized according to guidance from Iran’s leadership and will soon be enforced.

US President Donald Trump has informed Congress that the war with Iran has ended, according to a report by Politico.

The report said the notification was submitted before the expiration of the legal deadline requiring the administration to update lawmakers on military operations.

According to Politico, the White House formally notified Congress that military operations involving Iran had concluded within the timeframe mandated under US law.

An explosion involving unexploded ordnance has killed 14 members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in northwestern Iran, according to local reports.

The incident took place in Zanjan, where military personnel were reportedly dealing with leftover ammunition when the blast occurred.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said Tehran remains open to diplomacy with the US if Washington alters its “expansionist approach” and “threatening rhetoric”.

Araghchi relayed this view during recent calls with counterparts in Turkiye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq and Azerbaijan, according to a post on Araghchi’s official Telegram account.

Araghchi said that “Iran is ready to pursue diplomacy if the American side changes its expansionist approach, threatening rhetoric, and provocative actions,” according to the post.

“Iran’s armed forces are also fully alert and prepared to defend the country decisively and comprehensively against any threat or aggression,” it added.

A Pakistani official said the country has received a proposal from Iran and passed it on to the United States, according to a report by Reuters.

The official said the Iranian proposal was delivered on Thursday evening before being relayed to Washington through official channels.

The statement suggests Pakistan is acting as an intermediary in ongoing regional diplomatic communications involving Iran and the United States.

The White House has said it will not reveal details of its ongoing diplomatic contacts with Iran, while confirming that discussions between the two sides are still underway.

The statement came in response to a question about a reported Iranian proposal, which Washington did not directly address.

A White House spokesperson said the administration would not provide specifics on the content or status of the talks.

“The United States does not comment on the details of diplomatic conversations,” the official said, adding that engagement with Iran remains active.

The United States has announced a new round of sanctions targeting Iran, expanding pressure on networks accused of facilitating financial and logistical operations linked to Tehran.

The US Department of the Treasury said the measures are aimed at disrupting a range of individuals and entities allegedly connected to Iran’s sanctioned activities, in what officials described as part of an ongoing enforcement campaign.

According to the Treasury, the latest package includes around 30 individuals and entities. Officials said the action is designed to restrict financial flows and limit access to the international financial system.

A Treasury statement said the measures reflect continued efforts to “disrupt networks that support destabilizing activity,” without providing further public details on the listed targets.

Iran’s Deputy Parliament Speaker Ali Nikzad has said Iran has a “natural right” to control the Strait of Hormuz and is resolved the waterway will not return to “its previous state”.

In comments reported by Iran’s Tasnim news agency, Nikzad said: “The Strait of Hormuz is not an international waterway, it is Iran’s natural right … and we stand firmly and firmly in this rightful position.”

Iran has delivered a new proposal for talks with the United States via mediator Pakistan, state media reported on Friday.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran delivered the text of its latest negotiating proposal to Pakistan, as the mediator in talks with the United States, on Thursday evening," the official IRNA news agency reported, without elaborating.

Iran has submitted its response to the United States amendments to the draft agreement aimed at ending the war, according to Axios.

The response was delivered through Pakistani intermediaries, the report by Axios added, citing a regional source.

The ‘Israeli’ military said Friday that two soldiers were injured in a drone attack by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon this morning.

The two are lightly wounded, the statement says.

Hezbollah launched several drones at ‘Israeli’ forces today, breaking a silence of almost 20 hours.

Senior UAE diplomat Dr. Anwar Gargash dismissed any “trust” in what he called unilateral Iranian arrangements regarding the Strait of Hormuz, after its “treacherous aggression against all its neighbors.”

In a post on X, Gargash, who serves as the UAE presidential adviser, said that “the collective international will and provisions of international law emerge as the primary guarantor of freedom of navigation through this vital passage.”

“And, of course, no unilateral Iranian arrangements can be trusted or relied upon following its treacherous aggression against all its neighbors,” he added.

في النقاش الدائر حول مضيق هرمز، تبرز الإرادة الدولية الجماعية وأحكام القانون الدولي كضامن رئيسي لحرية الملاحة في هذا الممر الحيوي، بما يخدم استقرار المنطقة والاقتصاد العالمي في مرحلة ما بعد الحرب.

وبطبيعة الحال، لا يمكن الوثوق بأي ترتيبات إيرانية أحادية أو التعويل عليها بعد…

— د. أنور قرقاش (@AnwarGargash) May 1, 2026

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed Washington’s claim of “self-defense” as baseless and labeling the operation an act of aggression.

In a post on X, Esmaeil Baqaei, the ministry’s spokesperson, challenged the US Department of State’s official position on “Operation Epic Fury.” 

He wrote:  “‘Self-defense’ against what? Was there any ‘armed attack’ by Iran to justify ‘self defense’? Definitely not! So this was absolutely NOT ‘self-defense’ — it was an act of AGGRESSION against the nation of Iran.”

The statement accompanies a screenshot from the US State Department website, which says that the operation was conducted in collective self-defense of ‘Israel’ and in exercise of America’s own inherent right of self-defense, as notified to the UN Security Council.

'Self-defense' against what? Was there any 'armed attack' by Iran to justify 'self defense'?
Definitely not!
So this was absolutely NOT 'self-defense' — it was an act of AGGRESSION against the nation of Iran. pic.twitter.com/iPemdStD71

— Esmaeil Baqaei (@IRIMFA_SPOX) May 1, 2026

US officials from the Donald Trump administration are "surprised" at Iran’s resilience after more than two months of constant US-‘Israeli’ strikes, according to a report from The Atlantic.

However, the officials told the US magazine that the ongoing US naval blockade of Iranian ports will apply pressure on the Islamic Republic’s economy that the leadership will not be able to withstand, citing Iran’s inability to store oil and export it.

The officials believe it might force Iran to return to negotiations, and eventually open the Strait of Hormuz, the report added.

US Vice President Vance and some Pentagon officials have privately expressed concern about the rate of munitions used by the United States during the first two months of the war.

The issue of the strait could also complicate Trump’s upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 14, as China is suffering due to the strait’s closure, The Atlantic added.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi disputed the Pentagon’s claims about the cost of the war with the Islamic Republic, saying it has “directly cost America $100b so far, four times what is claimed”.

“Indirect costs for U.S. taxpayers are FAR higher. Monthly bill for each American household is $500 and rising fast,” Aragchi said in a post on X.

“Israel First always means America Last”

The Pentagon is lying. Netanyahu's gamble has directly cost America $100b so far, four times what is claimed.

Indirect costs for U.S. taxpayers are FAR higher. Monthly bill for each American household is $500 and rising fast.

Israel First always means America Last. pic.twitter.com/onailLYFdL

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) May 1, 2026

On Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth repeatedly clashed with Democratic lawmakers over the Iran war on Wednesday, in his first testimony to Congress since President Donald Trump launched the conflict two months ago.

Appearing before the House Armed Services Committee, Hegseth quickly struck a combative tone, saying in his opening remarks that the main challenge at this point is the "defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans."

Representative Adam Smith -- the committee's top Democrat -- took aim at the regional fallout from the war and its toll on both US troops as well as civilians, saying he wanted answers on where the conflict is going and "the plan to achieve our objectives."

He later asked Hegseth how the "lethal, kinetic action" of the war could be translated into degrading Iran's nuclear program, which Washington is seeking to eliminate.

Hegseth responded by taking aim at the "very bad" Iran nuclear agreement that Trump scrapped during his first term in office.

Hegseth was asked about the cost of the conflict, which he said was estimated at less than $25 billion so far.

The Pentagon chief then asked the committee: "What is it worth to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon?"

UAE's Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan holds talks with his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot in Abu Dhabi.