Strait of Hormuz stuck in limbo as Trump mulls Iran's latest offer
Strait of Hormuz stuck in limbo as Trump mulls Iran's latest offer
Tucker RealsTue, April 28, 2026 at 1:39 PM UTC
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What to know about the Iran war today:The White House says the Trump administration is discussing — although not "considering" — an Iranian proposal that would see Iran and the U.S. mutually drop their respective restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz, but delay talks on the Islamic Republic's contentious nuclear program.Oil prices continued ticking up Tuesday with no clear sign of a solution to end the war emerging. The price of international benchmark Brent Crude topped $111 dollars a barrel early in the day, extending Monday's gains by about 2%. Fighting between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has been a major sticking point in efforts to cement a wider peace deal between the U.S. and Iran, continues. Israel warned more Lebanese civilians to flee their homes Tuesday ahead of military operations. Trump says "Iran has just informed us that they are in a 'State of Collapse'"
President Trump asserted in a brief social media post on Tuesday that Iran had "informed" his administration that its theocratic regime, which has ruled the country for almost 50 years, was collapsing and looking for a way to end the two countries standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.
"Iran has just informed us that they are in a 'State of Collapse.' They want us to 'Open the Hormuz Strait,' as soon as possible, as they try to figure out their leadership situation (Which I believe they will be able to do!)," said Mr. Trump.
He did not indicate who in or from Iran had conveyed the message to him, or what exactly it entailed.
President Trump has insisted repeatedly that the joint war launched by the U.S. and Israel on Iran on Feb. 28 has already succeeded in changing the regime, though despite mixed signals from military and political leaders, there has been no indication of a real regime change.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking Monday with Fox News, said he had no doubt that "at some point in the future if this radical clerical regime remains in charge in Iran, they will decide they want a nuclear weapon."
"That fundamental issue still has to be confronted. That still remains the core issue here," Rubio said.
"Israel has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon," foreign minister says
Israel's foreign minister said Tuesday that the country is not seeking to permanently seize territory from neighboring Lebanon, as its military forces occupy a portion of southern Lebanon and push operations against Iranian-backed Hezbollah deeper into the country despite an ongoing U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
"Israel has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon," Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said at a news conference Tuesday. "Our presence in the areas by our northern border serves one purpose: protecting our citizens."
The Israeli military has said forces will remain in a security buffer zone extending at least six miles into Lebanese territory from the border indefinitely, with residents not allowed to return to their homes, until the threat posed by Hezbollah to citizens in northern Israel is removed.
Lebanese authorities say Israel's ongoing military operations since the beginning of March have killed more than 2,500 people and displaced more than 1 million from their homes.
Iranian-backed Hezbollah started launching drones and rockets at Israel just two days after Israel and the U.S. launched their joint war on Iran on Feb. 28. At least 23 people have been killed in Israel by Iranian and Hezbollah attacks since then.
UAE announces withdrawal from OPEC, vows to boost production amid "urgent needs of the market"
The United Arab Emirates announced Tuesday that it would be withdrawing from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the wider OPEC + on May 1.
The UAE, in a statement conveyed by its official news agency, indicated that the move was to give the country greater flexibility to boost oil production to meet market demand, saying the decision was "in line with the UAE's long-term strategic and economic vision and the development of its energy sector, including accelerating investment in local energy production."
The statement said the decision came "after an extensive review of the UAE's production policy and current and future capacity and given the requirements of the national interest and the state's commitment to contribute effectively to meeting the urgent needs of the market, while geopolitical fluctuations continue in the short term through the disturbances in the Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, which affects supply dynamics."
"The UAE will continue its responsible role by gradually and thoughtfully increasing production, in line with demand and market conditions," the statement said.
The move, in the mid to longer term, could help bring global oil prices down if the UAE increases production significantly, as it will no longer be beholden to the OPEC group's collective production and pricing.
U.S. and global benchmark oil prices surge, with West Texas Intermediate up 5%
Oil prices rose sharply Tuesday amid a lack of progress in re-opening the key Strait of Hormuz.
The benchmark U.S. oil contract West Texas Intermediate (WTI) surged 4.94% to $101.1 dollars a barrel just after 7 a.m. Eastern, after earlier edging above 5%.
International benchmark Brent Crude rose 3.79% to $112.3 a barrel.
The rise came after Qatar warned on Tuesday of the possibility of a "frozen conflict" in the Gulf, as talks between the U.S. and Iran for a peace deal appeared to be at a stalemate.
CBS/AFP
Iran says Japanese tanker transited Strait of Hormuz with permission
A Japanese oil tanker has "passed through the Strait of Hormuz with coordination from Iran," a semi-official Iranian news agency linked to the country's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard said Tuesday.
According to Iran's Tasnim news agency, the Idemitsu Maru tanker departed from Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura industrial port on April 17.
The report confirmed tracking data reported earlier by CBS News that showed the Idemitsu Maru leaving the Persian Gulf via the strait on Tuesday morning.
Tasnim said the ship was carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil.
It was unclear whether the ship's Japanese owners paid a fee to Iran for safe passage.
Tasnim announced on April 21, amid a disagreement between Iran and the U.S. over the terms of their ongoing ceasefire, that the Iranian military was reimposing a complete blockade on all shipping traffic through the strait.
The U.S. has imposed its own blockade on Iranian ports and vessels linked to the regime, and those subject to U.S. sanctions, but the restrictions do not apply to other commercial ships.
Sweden warns of potential jet fuel shortage amid supply disruptions caused by Iran war
Sweden's government warned Tuesday of a potential jet fuel shortage in the Scandinavian country due to supply disruptions caused by the Middle East war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
"We want to provide an early warning that there is a risk of a jet fuel shortage. This is based on an assessment by the Swedish Energy Agency," Energy Minister Ebba Busch said at a press conference.
"Even if a lasting peace deal (between the United States and Iran) were to be in place tomorrow, it would likely still take time before oil and gas supplies are restored," Busch said, speaking alongside Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Energy Agency director Caroline Asserup.
There is currently no systemic shortage of jet fuel in the European Union. But concerns are rising as 20% of the jet fuel used by the EU normally transits through the Strait of Hormuz.
Kristersson said Sweden was less affected by the current energy crisis than many other countries overall, noting Swedish electricity production is largely based on nuclear, hydro and renewable energies. But it could be affected down the road if the conflict were to deteriorate and continue for a long time.
"We have seen no delivery disruptions" for now, she said. "What we are seeing, however, are price fluctuations, and it is due to these price movements that some companies, for commercial reasons, may sometimes decide to cancel flights."
Sweden and the Nordic countries have a relatively large refining capacity, mainly thanks to North Sea oil. This oil is now in higher demand, which has led to higher prices.
Japanese supertanker among 4 ships tracked entering Strait of Hormuz despite Iranian blockade
Four civilian ships appeared to leave the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday without Iranian interference, including a Japanese oil tanker carrying some two million barrels of crude from Saudi Arabia.
The Panama-flagged crude oil tanker Idemitsu Maru called at Saudi Arabia's Juamyah industrial port in early March, according to open source data from the MarineTraffic ship tracking website. For the past week it had remained anchored off the coast of Abu Dhabi in the Persian Gulf, until late Monday, when it sailed toward Iran's Larak island in the Strait of Hormuz.
On Tuesday morning, tracking data showed the vessel passing south of Iran's Larak island, which analysts say the regime had used as a "toll booth" to collect fees from some ships before military authorities declared the strait entirely closed again last week.
It was unclear whether the tanker's Japanese owner, Idemitsu Kosan Co, paid Tehran to secure the ship's transit.
The other three ships that appear to have left the Gulf via the strait include a Chinese-owned tanker, a container ship with links to Iran through its management company, and a Turkish cargo ship that had been stuck in Iraqi ports since the start of the war on Feb. 28. All three were at least partially loaded, according to the tracking data.
The Chinese oil/chemical tanker, which is part of the shadow fleet of ships used by Russia to transport Russian oil in breach of Western sanctions, switched off its location transponder before exiting the strait.
All four appeared to have passed through the Strait of Hormuz without incident by Tuesday, less than a week after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked and seized at least two commercial ships in the same part of the narrow waterway.
Israeli military warns residents in 16 more Lebanese towns and villages to evacuate
In its latest warning to Lebanese civilians to flee their homes, Israel's military told people in 16 towns and villages in the neighboring country to evacuate on Tuesday ahead of military operations.
Most of the locations appeared to be about 10 miles north of the border between northern Israel and southern Lebanon, over which Israeli forces have sent a significant ground force to occupy a swath of territory in recent weeks, which Israeli leaders say is necessary to remove the threat posed by the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah.
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Hezbollah and Israel have accused each other of violating a tenuous ceasefire brokered by the Trump administration between the Israeli and Lebanese governments since it was first signed several weeks ago.
"In light of Hezbollah's terrorist organization violating the ceasefire agreement, the Defense Army is forced to act against it with force," Israel Defense Forces spokesman Avichay Adraee said in his warning to residents of the Lebanese towns and villages, issued Tuesday via social media.
He said the Israeli army did not intend to harm civilians, and "for your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move away from the specified area" to the north.
Lebanese authorities say Israel's aerial and ground assault in the country has killed more than 2,500 people and displaced more than 1 million from their homes.
The Israeli government and military have said forces will remain in a buffer zone that spans the countries' border and extends at least six miles into Lebanese territory, and that residents will not be allowed to return home, until the Hezbollah threat is removed.
Oil prices keep ticking up, stocks mixed as White House mulls Iran's latest proposal
Oil prices jumped and stocks sank Tuesday as the White House cast doubt on President Trump's willingness to accept an Iranian proposal to mutually lift restrictions and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to end the eight-week-old war.
Oil prices rallied more than 2%, with Brent topping to top $111, to extend Tuesday's gains.
The White House said Mr. Trump and his team met Monday to discuss the offer, but spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the president had made his "red lines" clear. Sources told CBS News that Iran's offer did not include any immediate concessions on its contentious nuclear program, which Mr. Trump has made the cornerstone of his demands for a peace deal.
Hopes for a deal had been rising before last weekend, but Mr. Trump then scrapped plans for his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to travel to Islamabad for talks as it became clear Iran wasn't willing to engage on Washington's terms.
Iran's envoy to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani told a Security Council session the country would first need guarantees Washington and Israel would not attack again if it was to offer security assurances in the Gulf.
Stock prices were more mixed on Tuesday, with European shares opening with gains after a retreat in Asia.
The price of Brent crude before the war was around $70 per barrel, and it briefly shot to nearly $120 earlier in the conflict. Benchmark U.S. crude added $2.18 on Tuesday to trade at $98.55 a barrel.
In the U.S., the S&P 500 rose a modest 0.1% on Monday to another all-time high, while the Dow industrials dipped 0.1%. The Nasdaq composite index rose 0.2%. The outlook for Tuesday was slightly less optimistic, with futures for the S&P 500 slipping 0.1% and the Nasdaq down 0.4%.
CBS/AFP
Israeli spy chief says operations in Iran and Lebanon bringing info "from the heart of the enemy's secrets"
The head of Israel's Mossad has praised the spy agency's "groundbreaking" operations in the war against Iran and Hezbollah, saying it acquired intelligence "from the heart of the enemy's secrets."
"In the campaigns against Iran and Hezbollah, we worked shoulder-to-shoulder with the IDF, on both defense and offense," David Barnea said, referring to the Israeli military.
His remarks were delivered during a commendation ceremony at Mossad headquarters on Monday and published Tuesday.
"We acquired strategic and tactical intelligence from the heart of the enemy's secrets," Barnea said, adding that Mossad had "proved new, groundbreaking operational capabilities in target countries."
A ceasefire in the war with Iran, which began with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, has so far held.
Iranian-backed Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the war on March 2 by firing rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the initial U.S.-Israel strikes.
President Trump announced a ceasefire on the Lebanese front earlier this month, which has since been extended, though Hezbollah and Israel have continued exchanging fire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Hezbollah's rockets and drones remained a key threat that demanded ongoing action by the Israeli military, adding that Israel would continue to carry out strikes.
Hezbollah has said it is responding to what it considers Israeli ceasefire violations.
Barnea said the military and Mossad had changed Israel's "strategic posture" and "strengthened its might," but added that the agency would "not rest on our laurels."
"When we see a threat, we will act with full force," he said.
CBS/AFP
Deputy Iranian defense chief says war shows U.S. can no longer "impose its policies on independent nations"
Iran's deputy defense minister said Tuesday that his country's ability to withstand the U.S.-Israel attack reflected "a broader global shift away from a 'unipolar unjust order' toward a multipolar world," according to Iran's ANA news agency.
ANA said General Reza Talaei-Nik made the remarks during a visit to Kyrgyzstan, where he held meetings with the defense ministers of that country, Russia, Pakistan and Belarus.
"The United States is no longer in a position to impose its policies on independent nations," the agency quoted him as saying. "Iran's resistance has made this clear globally."
It said Talaei-Nik claimed Washington would "eventually be forced to abandon its 'illegal and irrational demands'" and accept an agreement to end the war.
Iran revises death toll from elementary school strike down to 155 from over 175
Iranian state media shared a breakdown on Tuesday of the death toll from an airstrike that hit an elementary school on the first day of the U.S.-Israel war against the Islamic Republic.
Seventy-three boys and 47 girls were killed in the Feb. 28 strike on an elementary school in the southern city of Minab, state broadcaster IRIB and local media reported.
Twenty-six teachers, seven parents, a school bus driver, and a pharmacy technician at the clinic next to the school were also killed, IRIB said in a Telegram post.
That put the death toll at 155 instead of the more than 175 that had been reported earlier by Iranian officials.
An American Tomahawk cruise missile hit the school, and a preliminary U.S. assessment suggested last month that the U.S. was "likely" responsible for the attack but that the school was not intentionally targeted. It may have been hit due to the use of dated intelligence which wrongly identified the area as still part of an Iranian military installation, a person briefed on the preliminary intelligence told CBS News in March.
President Trump initially suggested that Iran itself may have been responsible, despite Iran not having Tomahawk missiles.
Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi described the attack in a video address to the United Nations Human Rights Council as a "calculated, phased assault."
CBS/AFP
Rubio says "core issue" remains preventing Iran regime from "sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point"
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked in a Fox News interview about Iran's latest proposal to postpone discussions on its nuclear program but end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. lifts its blockade and ends the war.
"It's better than what we thought they were going to submit," Rubio said of the offer, while questioning whether it was genuine.
"They're very good negotiators," he said, "and we have to ensure that any deal that is made, any agreement that is made, is one that definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point."
"There's no doubt in my mind that at some point in the future if this radical clerical regime remains in charge in Iran, they will decide they want a nuclear weapon," Rubio said. "That fundamental issue still has to be confronted. That still remains the core issue here."
CBS/AP
White House says Iranian proposal to reopen Strait of Hormuz "being discussed"
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Trump met with his national security team Monday morning after Iran proposed a deal that would see both countries agree to the mutual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, but delay the nuclear conversation.
"The proposal was being discussed. I don't want to get ahead of the president or his national security team," Leavitt said. "What I will reiterate is that the president's red lines with respect to Iran have been made very, very clear."
Mr. Trump has been adamant that the objective of the war is now to ensure Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon. He's indicated that any deal to end the conflict must include a handover of the Islamic Republic's enriched uranium, which is currently thought to be buried under facilities badly damaged by U.S. strikes in June 2025, and an end to Iran's domestic enrichment program.
Leavitt said she didn't want to go so far as to say the administration was "considering" the Iranian proposal.
Source: “AOL Breaking”
