A night and morning of twists and turns at the White Housepublished at 13:24 BST

13:24 BST

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

Donald Trump's announcement that Project Freedom was being put on hold yesterday caught many by surprise - particularly after top officials spent the day discussing the plan and its goals.

Soon after, reports in Axios and Reuters suggested that a framework of a deal was right around the corner, which would have marked a significant milestone for the US president.

But now, Trump appears to himself be cautioning that a deal may well not come soon.

In his most recent Truth Social post, Trump says that any agreement by the Iranians is "a big assumption" and that a failure to come to a deal will result at bombardments "at a much higer level and intensity" than was the case during Operation Epic Fury.

We don't know much about the president's thinking on where things stand. It may well be that Project Freedom was, in part, an effort to calm panicky global markets with a promise of renewed freedom of commerce and navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

But as things stand, the situation remains very similar to what it was last week, with more than 1,000 ships still stuck in the Persian Gulf.

The plight of the majority of the sailors on those ships remains unchanged, despite Project Freedom's stated objective of coming to their aid.

• There are different estimates for how many ships and sailors are stranded; a Pentagon briefing on Tuesday said there were 22,500 mariners stuck on 1,550 vessels, while the BIMCO (Baltic and International Maritime Council) shipping association told the BBC today there were about 1,000 stranded ships with some 20,000 seafarers on board.

Image source, Reuters

US President Donald Trump has posted on social media about the latest developments between the US and Iran.

On his Truth Social platform, he says the Iran war and blockade could end with a deal, but bombing could intensify if Iran doesn't agree to one.

If Iran "agrees to give what has been agreed to" - which he describes as "a big assumption" - then Operation Epic Fury will be at an end, he says.

Trump adds the US Blockade would also "allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran".

The president also threatens that bombing will resume if Iran doesn't agree to a deal, "and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before".

• As we heard earlier, Axios is reporting that the White House believes it is close to a memorandum of understanding with Iran on ending the war

Image source, Getty Images

Claim, counterclaim and denial ensued after President Donald Trump announced "Project Freedom". Now it's been paused, let's revisit how two days of confusion played out.

Trump announces: The US would begin a military operation to "guide" trapped ships out of the Gulf, he writes in a Truth Social post late on Sunday. More than 15,000 service members and 100 aircraft will support the plan, US Central Command (Centcom) says.

Iran responds: In a statement on Monday, Tehran's central command says that Iran has full control of the strait, and threatens to target "any foreign armed force" that tries to approach or enter.

US military claims success: Centcom says later on Monday that two US-flagged merchant vessels "successfully transited" through the strait.

Pushback from Iran: The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) calls the report about the two US vessels "outright lies". It also separately says it fired against "hostile enemy destroyers" in the strait after the Americans "disregarded" warnings. Centcom denies this.

Trump says the US sinks several Iranian 'small boats': Centcom later on Monday adds that these were destroyed with helicopters. Iran doesn't comment.

One ship confirms exit: Shipping company Maersk confirms to the BBC that one of its vessels exited the Gulf that day, accompanied by the US military, late on Monday evening.

Iran warns US: Also late on Monday evening, Iran's foreign minister says the US "should be wary" of being dragged "back into a quagmire".

US claims shipping lane 'is clear': "No, the ceasefire is not over", US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth tells a Tuesday press conference. The "lane is clear" in the strait, he says, and Iran is "embarrassed" by the passage of two ships.

Trump announces 'Project Freedom' pause: He says the operation is on hold following "great progress" in talks with Iran, in a Truth Social post on Tuesday evening. His comments follow an announcement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Operation Epic Fury - the joint US-Israeli offensive against Iran - is over.

What’s known about French ship struck in Strait of Hormuz?published at 12:05 BST

12:05 BST

By Paul Brown

BBC Verify has looked into the recent movements of the container ship struck in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday evening, after French shipping firm CMA CGM said one of its vessels was targeted.

Tracking data indicates San Antonio left Khalifa Port in the United Arab Emirates on 2 May en route to Mundra Port in India.

The ship’s transponders were switched off at 07:24 GMT yesterday at which point it was around 15 nautical miles (17 miles; 28km) off the coast of the UAE.

UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported a vessel had been hit by "an unknown projectile" within the Strait of Hormuz at 18:30 GMT yesterday.

This morning, CMA CGM issued a statement confirming that San Antonio had been targeted, resulting in injuries to the crew and damage to the vessel. Injured crew members have been evacuated, according to the statement.

The incident is reported to have occurred hours before US President Donald Trump declared a pause to "Operation Freedom", aimed at guiding commercial ships safely through the strait.

We are working to establish the ship's current location.

Carrie Davies
Pakistan correspondent

The prime minister of Pakistan, which has acted as a mediator between the US and Iran for peace talks, has welcomed Donald Trump's pause of the US operation guiding ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

Shehbaz Sharif says he is "grateful to President Donald Trump for his courageous leadership and timely announcement".

While Trump's social media post detailing the pause mentioned Pakistan "and other countries", Sharif says the request was also made by Saudi Arabia.

He says Pakistan is hopeful that what he calls "the current momentum" will lead to a lasting agreement.

There are no outward indications at the moment that Pakistan is gearing up to host another round of talks.

Trump said in his post that the pause was to see "whether or not the agreement can be finalised and signed" between the US and Iran.

Iran has portrayed the pause as a victory. Reposting the US president’s comments, Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan said: "Once Beaten, Twice Shy."

Image source, Reuters

Negotiations between the US and Iran will likely see traffic returning to the Strait of Hormuz in some way, but Iran's nuclear programme will "continue to be a challenge", says a former MI6 chief.

Sir John Sawers, who headed the intelligence agency between 2009 and 2014, tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme that both the US and Iran want to find a way out of the current conflict, but sticking points between the two nations will not be able to be resolved "in a single negotiation".

"The deal is going to have to be to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to traffic on some basis or other and then deal with the nuclear issues later," he says.

A fresh twist for the markets to contend with - and a hint of cautious optimismpublished at 11:19 BST

11:19 BST

Dharshini David
Deputy economics editor

The Brent oil price has fallen by around 6% from $108 a barrel to $102 a barrel on the reports that the White House believes it is getting close to an agreement with Iran on a one-page memorandum of understanding.

That would, it's claimed, declare an end to the war in the region and start a 30-day period of negotiations on a deal to re-open the strait, limit Iran's nuclear programme and lift US sanctions.

While reports suggest this is the nearest to agreement that both sides have been since the conflict began, the response in the markets has been relatively cautious, underscoring that nothing has been settled as yet.

The US is believed to be awaiting response from Iran on several key points within the next 48 hours.

European stock markets have extended their gains following the reports, while US shares are expected to open sharply up.

Amid the twists of recent weeks, Brent crude remains over 40% higher than before the war in the Middle East.

Even if they were to drop off sharply, their elevated level over the last couple of months is expected to filter through to prices in many areas, from travel to food, for many months to come.

Image source, Reuters

As we've just heard, Axios is reporting that the White House believes it could be closing in on a memorandum of understanding with Iran.

Here's a reminder of how talks between the US and Iran have played out in recent weeks:

• A two-week ceasefire was due to end on 22 April, and led to high-level negotiations being held in Pakistan - which later collapsed over key issues such as Iran's nuclear programme and passage through the Strait of Hormuz
• US President Donald Trump extended the ceasefire anyway, and maintains that his representatives are having "very positive discussions with the country of Iran"
• Tehran put forward a 14-point plan for peace, Iranian media reported, and on Sunday Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said "talks are making progress", while warning the US against "being dragged back into quagmire"

• A representative of Pakistan, which has acted as a mediator, told the BBC on Tuesday that his country was continuing to exchange messages between the US and Iran - with Trump later saying "great progress" had been made toward a "final agreement"

The report from Axios describes the White House proposal as a one-page 14-point memorandum of understanding; it's not yet clear how closely this memo aligns with Iran's earlier proposal.

Axios is reporting that the White House believes it is close to a memorandum of understanding with Iran on ending the war.

The news outlet cites two US officials and two other sources it describes as briefed on the issue, who are all unnamed in the report.

It describes the memorandum as a one-page, 14-point memo which could set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations. Among the provisions it lists are a suspension on Iranian nuclear enrichment, the lifting of sanctions, and restoring free transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

Ending nuclear enrichment and reopening the strait have been key sticking points in the negotiations so far.

Axios cites sources as saying that many of the terms laid out in the memo would be contingent on a final agreement being reached.

The US expects a response in the next 48 hours, and nothing has been agreed yet, it reports, citing sources.

The BBC has approached the White House for comment - Iran has not yet commented.

Another industry expert who's spoken to the BBC says the number of ships and seafarers still stuck at sea is a huge concern.

Jakob Larsen, chief safety and security officer for the BIMCO (Baltic and International Maritime Council) shipping association, tells the Newshour programme there are about 1,000 stranded ships with some 20,000 seafarers on board.

He says: "We didn't see a whole lot of ships move out during 'Project Freedom' so as far as we are concerned the situation is largely unchanged."

Seafarers are very worried as they are trapped in the Gulf "with no prospects really for getting out safely", he says.

They have provisions and can generate fresh water, but want the situation resolved sooner rather than later, he adds.

• There are different estimates for how many ships are stranded; a Pentagon briefing on Tuesday said there were 22,500 mariners stuck on 1,550 vessels.

Image source, Reuters

The US and Iran apparently getting closer to agreeing a deal is "one of the reasons" the US suspended its "Project Freedom" operation to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz, says one expert.

Ali Vaez, Iran project director for the International Crisis Group think tank, says Trump's choice was between continuing an operation that was "clearly not delivering the results" or suspending that operation and seeing if there was a "diplomatic way out".

He tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the Iranian response to Project Freedom – including shooting at ships and attacks on the UAE – likely persuaded Trump that this operation was "not going to solve the problem" and could "drag him back into a war".

On the seemingly rapid American U-turn, Vaez says in his view "there is no real policy process in this administration".

"The president makes decisions based on impulse more than process, therefore there are inconsistencies that happen all the time," he says.

Hormuz transit remains dangerous despite 'project pause'published at 09:27 BST

09:27 BST

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

The US "Project Freedom" - announced with great fanfare and now halted after less than 48 hours - was unlikely to ever be the panacea that unblocked the Strait of Hormuz.

It was framed by President Donald Trump as "a humanitarian gesture" to help release the estimated 20,000 seafarers trapped inside the Gulf as a result of the double blockade by the US and Iran.

But Iran viewed it as a violation of the 8 April ceasefire agreement and it attacked the first escorted transit by the US Navy of two US merchant vessels. The US military says its helicopters destroyed six Iranian fast boats in response; Iran denied this.

Getting two ships through the strait is – forgive the pun – just a drop in the ocean.

In normal times, before this war began, around 140 vessels a day were passing through the strait.

Not even the huge and powerful US Navy has the capacity to escort that number so this would have been primarily a coordination and overwatch operation.

But there is no getting round the fact that the IRGC Navy retains enough drones, missiles, mines and fast boats to threaten any vessel passing its coastline.

So without a deal with Tehran, the Strait of Hormuz will remain a dangerous place to transit.

There have been 26 attacks on vessels in the Middle East since the start of the Iran war, according to marine authority UKMTO (UK Maritime Trade Operations).

It says since 28 February, it has received reports of 46 incidents "in and around" the Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz.

Of these, 26 were attacks, and 18 were reports of "suspicious activity", in addition to two reported hijackings.

Image source, Royal Thai Navy

Paul Pradier
Reporting from Paris

French shipping group CMA CGM says this morning that one of its vessels, the San Antonio, was the target of an attack on Tuesday while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in injuries among crew members and damage to the vessel.

The injured crew members from the attack have been evacuated and are being provided with medical care, the company says in a statement.

"CMA CGM is closely monitoring the situation and remains fully mobilized alongside the crew."

• While the company did not specify who attacked the vessel, Iran has said it will target any ships that attempt to transit the Strait of Hormuz without its permission.

While a lot of attention is on the Strait of Hormuz today, there's still active conflict in Lebanon.

The Israeli military has hit 25 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon over the past 24 hours, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) says in an update.

IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee has also issued a new evacuation warning to residents of several towns across southern Lebanon, adding anyone near Hezbollah facilities or combat "exposes their life to danger".

Lebanon's National News Agency has reported multiple airstrikes across the south of the country over the past 24 hours.

• A ceasefire remains in place between Israel and Lebanon, but Israel says it retains its "right to take all necessary measures in self-defence, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks".

Image source, Reuters

Image source, MarineTraffic

There is little movement around the Strait of Hormuz again today according to ship-tracking website MarineTraffic.

The precise movements of ships in the area has been difficult to verify throughout the conflict, with some ships turning off their transponders, and with GPS interference thought to be producing unreliable information.

Under normal circumstances, roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) passes through the waterway.

It also sees about one-third of the world's fertiliser trade, as well as vital imports to the Middle East, including food, medicines and technological supplies, pass through.

But Iran has severely limited traffic through the vital shipping route since the war began in February, while the US has launched its own blockade on Iranian ports.

The Pentagon said on Tuesday that around around 22,500 mariners on 1,550 vessels are stuck in the Gulf. There has been growing concern over dwindling supplies and the effects on sailors' physical and mental health.

Image source, Reuters

As we've been reporting, Trump said the US operation to guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz would be paused on Tuesday evening.

"Project Freedom" was announced by the US president on Sunday, with Trump saying it was a "humanitarian gesture" to help the seafarers stuck in the Gulf.

US Central Command (Centcom) said it was "essential" to regional security and the global economy.

Iran responded by saying it would attack US forces if they entered the strait, with Iranian media later reporting a US warship had been hit by two missiles.

This claim was denied by Centcom, which said two US-flagged merchant vessels had successfully passed the strait with the US Navy.

Trump also said US forces had struck seven Iranian "small boats" he said had tried to attack commercial ships - disputed by Iran - with the US president later telling Fox News that Iran would be "blown off the face of the Earth" if it attacks US vessels.

On Tuesday, Iran's chief negotiator and parliamentary speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf accused the US of breaching the ceasefire.

Later in the day, the US president announced the operation would be paused for a "short period", saying it followed "great progress" made towards an agreement with Iran, and after a request from Pakistan, which has been acting as a mediator between the US and Iran.

The US military says around 22,500 mariners on 1,550 commercial vessels are stuck in the Gulf.

Separately to Donald Trump's newly-paused operation to guide boats out of the Strait of Hormuz, the US military has been enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports - and the US president says this will "remain in full force".

It was announced in mid-April, when US forces said they would intercept or turn back vessels travelling to or from Iran's coast.

Speaking after the blockade was announced, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine said it would target "any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran", including "dark fleet vessels carrying Iranian oil".

On Tuesday, US Central Command gave an update on this blockade, saying that it had redirected 51 vessels to date.

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

We've not yet had an official response from senior figures in the Iranian regime to Trump's "pausing" of the US operation to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

But several Iranian media outlets have framed the US announcement as a victory for Iran.

The hardline Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), writes that "Trump has retreated" and that the US president had tried "to cover up the failure" of the operation.

While Iran's state-run IRNA news agency calls it "America's defeat" and says that Trump has used his "last card".

Image source, Reuters

As we've been reporting, Trump posted on Tuesday announcing that he was pausing the military operation, first announced on Sunday, to guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

Here's his post in full:

Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed. President DONALD J. TRUMP