May 3: Iran tightens grip on Strait of Hormuz and defies blockade as US reels from economic fallout

By Press TV Website Staff

Tehran confirmed it has received the US response to its 14-point proposal, delivered through the Pakistani mediators, stressing that the document will be assessed strictly on Iran’s terms and within the framework of ending the US-Israeli war of aggression.

While American pressure is visibly fraying, from spiralling gas prices to the failure of the naval blockade, Iranian unity and resilience are becoming increasingly prominent.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) thanked the public for massive displays of unity, shipping authorities reported that southern ports were fully functioning, and lawmakers prepared a new legal regime for the management of the Strait of Hormuz in line with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei’s directives.

These developments underline a shifting regional balance, one in which Iran sets the parameters and the United States struggles to contain the political, economic, and military repercussions of its own miscalculated war.

Key developments on day 65 of the war, the twenty-sixth day of the ceasefire:​​​​​​

• Iran confirmed that the United States has delivered its response to Tehran’s proposed 14-point plan through Pakistani mediators, and that the Islamic Republic is currently reviewing the document.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei clarified that the Iranian proposal is exclusively focused on permanently ending the US-Israeli aggression against Iran and resistance movements in the region and contains no provisions related to the country’s nuclear program.
• The IRGC expressed gratitude towards the Iranian nation for its resolute defence of the country and its Islamic establishment through tremendously popular solidarity rallies.
• The IRGC said US President Donald Trump now faces a sharply narrowed choice between an “impossible military operation” against Iran and a “bad deal” with the country.
• Masoud Palmeh, the Secretary of the Iranian Association of Shipping Companies and Related Services, said the US blockade on the country’s maritime trade is barely working, adding that all ports along Iran's southern coast are actively providing loading and unloading services to various ships.
• TankerTrackers.com said an Iranian super tanker successfully evaded the illegal US blockade and reached the Asia Pacific region carrying more than 1.9 million barrels of crude oil.
• Iranian Parliament is set to approve a law introducing a new legal regime for the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with the directives of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, setting the conditions for transit of ships through the strategic waterway, deputy Speaker Ali Nikzad said.
• A senior advisor to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ali Akbar Velayati, warned Trump not to try to change the status quo in the Strait of Hormuz, which is currently under full control of the Iranian armed forces, saying any such attempt would only make things more complicated for Trump and the US.
• Mohsen Rezaei, senior advisor to Ayatollah Khamenei, said the United States is the “only pirate in the world that possesses aircraft carriers,” warning that such carriers will face destruction if tensions escalate.
• Iranian Foreign Affairs said Trump’s description of the US capture of Iranian vessels as “piracy” is a “direct and damning admission of the criminal nature of their actions” against Iran.
• According to JPMorgan, US petrol prices have jumped 42 percent since late February, when the US and the Israeli regime launched an unprovoked military aggression against Iran.
• Gas prices in the US reached a new record again, as Trump threatened to continue the war of aggression against Iran. The average price of regular gas hit $4.30 a gallon on Thursday, up 27 cents from a week prior, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).
• The Israeli regime has approved a plan to purchase more F-35 fighter jets from the United States in a deal worth tens of billions of dollars.
• At least 41 people were killed as the Israeli regime launched 50 air strikes on southern Lebanon in 24 hours despite a ceasefire between Lebanon and the Zionist regime being in place since April 16. 
• The Israeli military issued a new warning, threatening attacks on 12 towns and villages in southern Lebanon and ordering residents to flee their homes.

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