Iran war update: May 4
- The U.S. will start escorting ships out of the Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump said today. In Project Freedom, he said, the U.S. Navy will deal “forcefully” with any Iranian attempts at disruption.
- Iran offered a peace deal plan Thursday, which Trump said on Saturday he was reviewing. The plan appears to cross all his red lines, calling for a resolution of all issues within 30 days, removal of U.S. forces, unfreezing Iranian assets, continuing enrichment of Iran’s uranium, and a guarantee not to attack again.
- Is Trump’s blockade working? The U.S. has intercepted at least 44 ships clandestinely sending Iranian oil to China. Over a million Iranians are unemployed, and the value of Iran’s currency has fallen sharply.
- Iran fired on a U.S. warship today, state media claimed. U.S. Central Command disputes this, but yesterday a cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz reported being attacked by smaller boats.
- Attacking Iran was a mistake, 61 percent of American adults said in an April 24–28 Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll. This is the same level of disapproval—for a conflict with few casualties lasting only a few weeks—as that of the years-long Vietnam War in which 50,000 Americans died.
