Overview of US-Iran conflict developments: the United States announces the end of "Epic Fury Operation," and the Hormuz "Freedom Plan" is temporarily paused

BlockBeats message. On May 6, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio told reporters: “Operation Epic Fury has ended, and we have achieved the objectives of the operation.” At the same time, Trump said in a post that the “Freedom Plan” that will divert ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz will be suspended in the short term. “Based on requests from Pakistan and other countries, and given that we have achieved major military victories in our actions against Iran, and that major progress has also been made toward a comprehensive final agreement reached with Iran’s representatives, both sides have agreed that while the blockade measures will continue to remain effective, the Freedom Plan (i.e., the operation allowing ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a period of time to see whether the agreement can ultimately be reached and signed. The latest developments in the conflict between the U.S. and Iran are as follows:

Iran:

Iranian President: Rational dialogue is still possible; maximum pressure will not succeed.

Iran’s top leader’s foreign affairs adviser: The U.S. and Iran are still in a state of war.
An official from the Iranian President’s Office denies rumors that the president has resigned.

Director of the Iranian President’s Office: There is no disagreement between the president and the commander of the Revolutionary Guards.

Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Navy Command warns ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz: Deviating from the designated routes will face “a resolute response.”

The Iranian military denies recent attacks on the UAE and warns that if the UAE takes any action against islands, ports, and coastlines under Iranian jurisdiction, Iran will deliver “an overwhelming response.”

The spokesperson of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denies the UAE’s accusations that Iran fired missiles and drones at it, and issued a statement saying that Iran’s defensive actions are entirely targeted at the United States.

United States

Trump: Iran still hopes to reach an agreement; Iran has not attacked ships protected by the U.S.
Rubio confirms that the U.S. military operation against Iran—“Epic Fury”—has ended.
Rubio: The new U.S. actions in the Strait of Hormuz are defensive in nature. If the U.S. is attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, it will respond with deadly force.
The U.S. military says Iran’s attacks have not yet reached the “threshold for restarting large-scale combat operations”; it is ready at any time to resume actions against Iran.

Sources: The U.S. and Israel are coordinating, or preparing to carry out a new round of strikes against Iran.

U.S. Defense Secretary: The U.S.-Iran ceasefire has not ended; the U.S. still holds the upper hand in negotiations.

The U.S. Defense Secretary said Trump does not need to seek congressional approval to continue U.S. military actions against Iran.

The U.S. military says the aircraft carrier “Bush” is transiting the Arabian Sea, carrying more than 60 fighter jets.

Trump says U.S. forces may need to enter Iran to obtain nuclear materials.

Strait of Hormuz

Iran reiterates its dominance over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iraq cuts oil prices significantly to attract buyers willing to transit the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. Defense Secretary: Two merchant ships and a U.S. destroyer successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian media: Iran has launched a new mechanism for managing passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. media: When U.S. merchant ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz, they are escorted by U.S. military personnel “guarding the convoy” on board.

Trump: No ships have passed through the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier, a ship tracking company said that an Iranian oil tanker may have broken through the U.S. blockade.