DUBAI, May 4: The United States kicked off an effort to “guide” stranded ships from the Iran-gripped Strait of Hormuz, as it tries to counter economic disruptions that outlasted the peak of fighting with no peace deal in sight.

A day after US President Donald Trump announced what he called “Project Freedom,” the Joint Maritime Information Centre said Monday that the US had set up an “enhanced security area” south of typical shipping routes and urged mariners to coordinate closely with Omani authorities “due to anticipated high traffic volume.” The Strait sits between Iranian and Omani territory.

The centre warned that passing close to the usual routes, known as the traffic separation scheme, “should be considered extremely hazardous due to the presence of mines that have not been fully surveyed and mitigated.”

The US-led maritime task force’s announcement marked the start of the effort to revive traffic and restore confidence among commercial vessels transiting the strait.

The disruption of the waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil typically passes has become one of the most enduring consequences of the war that the US and Israel launched Feb. 28. It has squeezed countries in Europe and Asia that depend on Persian Gulf supplies and added new volatility to energy prices for households and businesses worldwide.

New standoff over Strait

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Announcing the ship shepherding effort in a social media post Sunday, Trump promised “neutral and innocent countries “that we will guide their Ships safely out of these restricted Waterways, so that they can freely and ably get on with their business.”

US Central Command said the initiative would involve guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 aircraft and 15,000 service members. The Pentagon did not immediately answer questions about how they would be deployed.

Ships and seafarers, many on oil and gas tankers and cargo ships, have been stuck in the Persian Gulf since the war began. Crew members have described to The Associated Press seeing intercepted drones and missiles explode over the waters as their vessels run low on drinking water, food and other supplies.

“They are victims of circumstance,” Trump wrote, describing the effort as a humanitarian gesture “on behalf of the United States, Middle Eastern Countries, but, in particular, the Country of Iran.”

Trump also sounded a warning: “If, in any way, this Humanitarian process is interfered with, that interference will, unfortunately, have to be dealt with forcefully.”

As more ships reported coming under attack Sunday, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency called Trump’s announcement part of his “delirium.” Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security commission of Iran’s parliament, said on X that any interference in the strait would be seen as a ceasefire violation.

Trump spoke hours after Iran said it was reviewing the US response to its latest proposal to end the war and made clear these are not nuclear negotiations. The fragile three-week ceasefire appears to be holding.

Iran reviews US response to latest proposal

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Tehran is reviewing the US response to its latest proposal to end the war, Iran’s judiciary Mizan news agency cited Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei as saying Sunday.

But “at this stage, we have no nuclear negotiations,” Baghaei said. Iran’s nuclear program and enriched uranium have long been the central issue in tensions with the US, but Tehran would rather address it later.

Iran’s proposal wants other issues resolved within 30 days and aims to end the war rather than extend the ceasefire, according to Iran’s state-linked media. Trump on Saturday said he was reviewing the proposal but expressed doubt it would lead to a deal.

Iran’s 14-point proposal calls for the US lifting sanctions on Iran, ending the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, withdrawing forces from the region and ceasing all hostilities, including Israel’s operations in Lebanon, according to the semiofficial Nour News and Tasnim agencies, which have close ties to Iran’s security organisations.

Iran stands firm on the Strait of Hormuz

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Iranian officials have vowed the strait won’t return to its prewar conditions and moved to impose charges on transiting ships, but the US has warned shipping companies they could face sanctions for paying Iran in any form.

The US naval blockade since April 13 has been depriving Tehran of the oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy. The US Central Command on Sunday said 49 commercial ships have been told to turn back.

“We think that they’ve gotten less than USD 1.3 million in tolls, which is a pittance on their previous daily oil revenues,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News on Sunday, adding that Iran’s oil storage is rapidly filling up and “they’re going to have to start shutting in wells, which we think could be in the next week.” (AP)

ISLAMABAD, May 4:  Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar discussed the situation in West Asia and Islamabad’s diplomatic efforts for peace and stability in the region with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, officials here said on Monday.

Dar and Araghchi held a telephonic conversation late Sunday night, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

“The discussion focused on the regional situation and Pakistan’s ongoing diplomatic efforts for peace and stability in the region,” it said.

Araghchi appreciated Pakistan’s constructive role and its mediation efforts between the concerned parties.

Dar, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to promoting constructive engagement, underscoring that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable path toward peaceful resolution of issues and achieving lasting peace and stability in the region and beyond.

The development comes after US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he was reviewing a fresh Iranian proposal aimed at ending the conflict, while expressing scepticism about the prospects of a deal.

According to reports, Iran has sent a 14-point proposal via Pakistan in response to a nine-point US proposal.

Pakistan is mediating the peace talks between the US and Iran.

The Iran war, triggered by joint strikes by the US and Israel on February 28, has been on hold since April 8, with one round of peace talks having taken place in Islamabad since then.

Pakistan hosted the first round of direct talks between Iran and the US in Islamabad on April 11, but the two sides failed to reach an agreement to end the war.

On April 21, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire. (PTI)

COLOMBO, May 4:  An Indian Navy submarine, Sindhukesari, has arrived at the port of Colombo for Operational Turnarounds, the Sri Lankan Navy said in a statement issued on Monday.

The Sri Lankan Navy welcomed the Indian submarine with full naval traditions on its arrival on Sunday.

The submarine’s crew is scheduled to participate in a variety of programmes organised by the Sri Lanka Navy, including visits to several tourist attractions in the island nation.

“#INSSindhukesari, a submarine of the #IndianNavy, arrived at the Port of #Colombo for Operational Turnarounds and was welcomed by the @srilanka_navy with full naval honours,” High Commission of India in Sri Lanka posted on social media.

The navies of India and Sri Lanka have recently executed deep-sea dives, enhancing joint capabilities in underwater search, rescue and salvage operations, as part of a bilateral naval exercise held off the coast of Colombo. (PTI)

LOS ANGELES, May 4:  Filmmaker Spike Lee has defended “Michael”, the new biopic on ‘King of Pop’ Michael Jackson, against criticism that it does not show child abuse claims against the late singer.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the new biopic is a hit at the box office and features Michael Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson in the title role.

“First of all, if you’re a movie critic, and you’re complaining about the stuff, all this other stuff-but the movie ends at ’88. The stuff you’re talking about, accusations, happen (later),” Lee told CNN.

“So you’re critiquing the film on something that you want in, but it doesn’t work in the timeline of the film. But people showed up. Worldwide, people showed their love.”

The filmmaker said he misses Jackson, who died in 2009 at the age of 50 from acute propofol intoxication.

“I miss Mike. I miss Prince. I mean, these are my brothers. I worked with both of them. Both beautiful, beautiful people.”

Fuqua had also explained why he did not include the allegations of child sexual abuse against Jackson in this movie, saying they planned to do sequel to the story later.

“Unless you can truly take your time, let’s go back to the beginning and really show people who he was on the stage. He’s a superhero on the stage. Just like a human being, movies have the power of empathy to just say this is a human being. No one is perfect,” Fuqua told Deadline.

“It was important to take the audience through a process of how do you get to wherever it’s going to go in a second movie; for people to get a bigger idea of his personality and what shaped him.”

Jackson was charged with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of intoxicating a minor in 2003. He denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty before being acquitted on all counts in 2005. After his death in 2009, other accusers have come forward. (PTI)

EDMOND (US), May 4:  A shooting Sunday night at a party at a lake near Oklahoma City sent least 12 people to hospitals, according to police and hospital officials.

Edmond police spokesperson Emily Ward said authorities received reports of shots being fired at about 9 pm at a gathering of young people near Arcadia Lake. She said late Sunday that no arrests had been made yet.

“This is obviously a very terrifying situation and we understand the concern from the public and those involved and we are working extremely hard to find the suspects,” she said.

“We’re kind of all over the metro speaking with victims and witnesses,” Ward said.

She said that 10 people were taken to hospitals and others drove themselves. She said victims were in “various conditions”.

Nine people were at Integris Health Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City and three were at Integris Health Edmond Hospital, according to a hospital system spokesperson. The spokesperson said the patients were all still being assessed late Sunday night.

While police did not provide details about the party, a flyer seen on social media after the shooting suggested that an event called Sunday Funday had been scheduled near the lake Sunday evening.

Arcadia Lake, located around 13 miles (21 km) north of Oklahoma City, is an artificial reservoir used for flood control that is also a popular recreational spot that offers fishing, boating, picnicking and camping.

It’s located in Edmond, an Oklahoma City suburb with about 100,000 residents.

Forty years ago, Edmond was the site of one of the deadliest workplace shootings in US history. On Aug 20, 1986, postal worker Patrick Sherrill shot 20 co-workers, killing 14 of them. He then killed himself. (AP)