May 6: Iran consolidates diplomatic, military leverage as Trump pulls plug on 'Project Freedom'

By Press TV Website Staff

In another humiliating retreat, US President Donald Trump announced the "pause" in so-called "Project Freedom" to force open the Strait of Hormuz after facing asymmetric Iranian deterrence. 

Iran's authority continues to grow both militarily and diplomatically, as top officials declared that the Strait of Hormuz is firmly on a path towards stability while warning that any renewed US or Israeli act of aggression will incur a decisive and humiliating cost.

President Masoud Pezeshkian told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that Iran is ready for genuine diplomacy but will not compromise the nation’s inalienable rights.

At the same time, senior Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) commanders stressed that Tehran’s responses to any future attack will exceed enemy calculations.

In Beijing, during Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's visit, China echoed Iran’s assessment that the US-Israeli war on Iran has fundamentally reshaped the regional balance

With new intelligence confirming extensive damage to US military sites and global institutions acknowledging Iran’s growing stature, Tehran left no doubt that the strategic environment has changed, and no solution in the Strait of Hormuz is possible without Iran’s terms.

Key developments on day 68 of the war, the twenty-ninth day of the ceasefire:

• US President, in a social media post, announced the "pause" in so-called 'Project Freedom' that was aimed at forcing open the Strait of Hormuz, after just 48 hours, marking another humiliating retreat for the US military.
• President Pezeshkian told his French counterpart that the Islamic Republic is ready to pursue in earnest diplomatic channels to end the imposed war, but insisted on securing the rights of the Iranian nation.
• IRGC Navy's deputy for political affairs, Mohammad Akbarzadeh, warned adversaries of Iran's unpredictable scale, shrewdness, and manner of response to any fresh aggression.
• IRGC announced that transit through the Strait of Hormuz will gradually become safe and stable as the security situation in the Persian Gulf improves "with the aggressor's threats neutralised."
• Spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi warned that Iran’s armed forces remain strong and fully prepared to deliver a “humiliating defeat” to bullying adversaries if the United States uses potential negotiations with Tehran as a cover for further aggression.
• Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said the country will become a global powerhouse and a key international actor when it ultimately wins its fight against the US-Israeli war of aggression.
• Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a “constructive meeting” with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on Wednesday, saying China shares Tehran’s view that the US-Israeli war has fundamentally changed Iran’s position in the region and internationally. 
• Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called the US-Israeli war of aggression against the Islamic Republic “illegitimate” and called for a complete ceasefire.
• Iran’s FM Araghchi and his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, in a phone call, underlined the need for cooperation among regional countries to prevent escalation of tensions in the region.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran is still reviewing Washington’s latest proposal for a potential agreement to end the third imposed war, with no official response delivered so far.
• Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations reiterated that the only viable solution in the strategic Strait of Hormuz is a permanent end of hostilities against the Islamic Republic.
• Satellite imagery revealed Iran’s retaliatory airstrikes damaged or destroyed at least 228 structures or pieces of equipment at US military sites across West Asia, the Washington Post reported.
• The World Bank predicted that transportation through the Strait of Hormuz will not return to the levels before the US-Israeli aggression against Iran until late 2026. The bank further predicted that the average price of global commodities will rise by 16 percent this year.
• The head of Iran’s Red Crescent Society, Pirhossein Kolivand, said Tehran has sent 35 documents proving war crimes committed by the US and Israel during the recent aggression against the country to international organisations.
• The Secretary of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights, Naser Seraj, said the US-Israeli attacks on hospitals, civilians, and children during their 40-day war of aggression constitute a “gross violation” of the Geneva Conventions and amount to “war crimes.”
• Iran’s deputy parliament speaker Ali Nikzad warned that the United States will miserably fail to achieve its objectives against Tehran, saying Washington ignites conflicts around the world to advance its interests.
• Iran’s Foreign Ministry called on the United Arab Emirates to discontinue its alignment and cooperation with the parties that are hostile towards Iran, saying the Islamic Republic reserves all rights to respond in kind.
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters at the White House that the so-called "Operation Epic Fury" is over as the president notified Congress.
• Hawkish pro-Israeli US Senator Lindsey Graham called on the Trump administration and Israel to supply arms directly to rioters in Iran to ignite a civil war and overthrow the Islamic Republic.
• Israel carried out new drone and airstrikes across southern and eastern Lebanon, leaving at least seven people killed and six others wounded, including paramedics, despite an ongoing ceasefire.
• Lebanon’s Prime Minister Salam Nawaf said representatives from the Beirut government are engaged in negotiations with Israel, but the Arab nation is not seeking normalisation with the occupying regime.
• Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a telephone conversation with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan following an attack on the UAE's Fujairah port, Israeli and Emirati media reported.

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