Iran War

President Donald Trump has announced "Project Freedom," a humanitarian effort to guide specific ships safely out of the restricted Strait of Hormuz. Trump said the move comes as a number of ships are currently stranded due to ongoing disputes in the Middle East. In a post on social media, Trump explained that the move will come as a gesture of goodwill, but any interference with what he described as a ‘humanitarian process’, will be met with a forceful response. 

President Donald Trump spoke about a potential new deal with Iran while being questioned by reporters in Florida. He said that he was reviewing the most recent Iranian proposal to end the conflict, "I'll let you know about it later." Trump also went on to address the debate over whether the United States would be better off without an agreement, while also confirming that a deal could still be in the works. "They told me about the concept of the deal. They're going to give me the exact wording now,” he explained. 

We are learning more as Iran appears to maintain their focus on the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S. Navy’s blockade on Iranian ports continues. A number of analysts are tracking how the war has impacted oil prices and raised the cost of food, fuel, and other products that are made from petroleum as a result. LiveNOW’s Alexandra Goldberg is speaking with James Bikales, an energy reporter at POLITICO, as the U.S. says shipping companies could face sanctions for making payments to Iran in exchange for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. 

We learned more this week as President Donald Trump recently rejected Iran’s latest proposal to end the war as the conflict enters its third month. "They want to make a deal, I’m not satisfied with it, so we’ll see what happens," Trump said Friday. He went on to call Iran’s leadership, "very disjointed." LiveNOW’s Austin Westfall is speaking with retired Marine Corps intelligence officer and strategic risk assessment professional Hal Kempfer after reports that the United States is working to fast track a number of arms deals for partners in the Middle East. 

We watched earlier today as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was questioned about the Iran war before Congress. Secretary Hegseth spent much of the day testifying about the military’s budget. This comes as President Donald Trump reportedly rejected Iran's offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the United States ends its blockade. LiveNOW’s Austin Westfall is speaking with national security analyst Hal Kempfer as Hegseth says, “this budget grows our force by almost 50,000." 

LiveNOW’s Alexandra Goldberg is speaking with McGill University lecturer Julian Karaguesian after the United Arab Emirates announced it was leaving OPEC this week. OPEC, or the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, was formed in 1960 as a reaction to Western domination of the oil industry. The United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday that it will leave OPEC effective May 1. They have previously pushed back against OPEC quotas in recent years. 

According to reports on Friday, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are headed to Pakistan. "The Iranians want to talk," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, adding that Vice President JD Vance was "on standby" to also travel to the region if help is needed in negotiating a deal between Iran and the United States. LiveNOW’s Austin Westfall is learning more about stability in the Middle East ahead of the peace talks with Ashley Webster from FOX Business. Webster is coming to us live from Tel Aviv.