Morning Briefing: May 4, 2026

Fatma Zehra Solmaz

Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Monday, including US President Donald Trump saying Iran’s proposal to end the war is “not acceptable,” Trump announcing that the US will help escort neutral ships through the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday, an Iranian lawmaker warning that any US plan for the strait would constitute a ceasefire violation, and the US military confirming that it will launch “Project Freedom” to secure transit in the waterway.

NEWS IN BRIEF

US President Donald Trump said he had studied Iran’s proposal to end the war and that he found it unacceptable.

“It’s not acceptable to me. I’ve studied it, I’ve studied everything — it’s not acceptable,” Trump told the Israeli media outlet Kan News.

The remarks follow his post on his social media platform Truth Social on Saturday, in which he said he would soon review the Iranian plan but expressed skepticism. He said Tehran had “not yet paid a big enough price for what they have done to humanity, and the world, over the last 47 years.”

US President Donald Trump said the United States would begin escorting neutral foreign vessels safely out of the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday morning Middle East time, describing the effort as a “humanitarian gesture” toward countries caught up in a conflict they have no part in.

Trump said ships from countries around the world had asked the US for help after becoming trapped in the waterway. He said he had instructed his representatives to inform those nations that the US Navy would use its “best efforts” to guide their ships and crews out of the restricted passage

A senior Iranian lawmaker warned that any US involvement in managing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would constitute a violation of the ceasefire, rejecting Washington’s proposed role in the waterway.

Ibrahim Azizi, the head of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said “any American interference in the new maritime regime of the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire.”

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces will “support merchant vessels seeking to freely transit” the Strait of Hormuz under President Donald Trump’s “Project Freedom.”

“U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces will begin supporting Project Freedom, May 4, to restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” it said in a post on the US social media platform X.

CENTCOM added that support for merchant vessels transiting the strait will include guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms and 15,000 service members.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• A vessel intercepted by the United States after attempting to breach a blockade on Iranian ports has been transferred to Pakistan for repatriation to Iran along with its crew, US media reported, citing US Central Command (CENTCOM).
• A tanker was struck by unknown projectiles in waters north of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Center.
• Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that US President Donald Trump must choose between an “impossible” war or a “bad deal” with Iran.
• An Israeli court extended the detention of Thiago de Avila and Saif Abukeshek, two volunteers aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, for two days.
• The US said the 49th vessel attempting to enter or exit Iranian ports had been redirected under its blockade.
• Iran said it has received a US response to its 14-point proposal to end the war and is currently reviewing it.
• At least four people were injured in a shooting near Lake Arcadia in the US state of Oklahoma, police said, according to local media reports.
• A plane carrying Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez made an emergency landing in Ankara due to a technical issue while en route from Madrid to Yerevan for a European Political Community meeting, Spain’s official news agency EFE reported.
• “Rebel groups” targeted internal security positions in Syria’s southern Suwayda province, Syrian media reported.
• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said “the United States is and will remain Germany’s most important partner” in NATO.
• Sirens sounded in northern Israel as the Israeli military said it intercepted aerial targets.
• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed that the US will not station any Tomahawk cruise missiles in Germany for the time being but stressed that this was not linked to his criticism of President Donald Trump.
• Israeli municipal authorities forced several Palestinian residents to carry out self-demolitions of their properties in occupied East Jerusalem, said local authorities and officials.
• Kenya’s National Police Service confirmed 18 deaths linked to landslides and flooding as heavy rains continued to pound several parts of the country, displacing families and damaging infrastructure.
• Australian police have charged a man with the murder of a five-year-old Aboriginal girl who disappeared and was later found dead.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store discussed the countries’ strategic partnership, including a drone deal, efforts to strengthen air defense and bilateral cooperation.
• Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova signed a joint declaration on a strategic partnership.
• Worsening insecurity has forced around 2,600 more civilians to flee the towns of Abu Haraz and Kazgil in Sudan’s North Kordofan state in two days, said the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
• Israel has expanded its occupation to 59% of Gaza and is preparing for the possible resumption of genocide in the Palestinian enclave, said Israeli Army Radio.
• The management of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) accused Ukraine of attacking the external radiation monitoring laboratory using a drone, creating a threat to the plant’s radiation safety.
• The Palestinian resistance group Hamas said its delegation is in Cairo holding meetings with mediators to develop pathways for the full implementation of the Gaza agreement.
• EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called for a full investigation into the killing of journalists in conflict zones, including Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon and parts of Africa.
• Measles and measles-like symptoms have claimed the lives of 10 more children in Bangladesh, said health authorities, bringing the death toll to 294 since mid-March.

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY

Syria’s Economy and Industry Minister Nidal al-Shaar issued a decision to form a Syrian-Egyptian business council as part of efforts to enhance economic cooperation between the two countries.

According to the SANA news agency, the decision includes the appointment of Ghassan Karim as chairman of the council, Ahmed Ragheb Agha and Muhammad Basil Radwan Samaqia as deputy heads and Wael Khair al-Nen as executive director.

• Asian Development Bank announces $70B plan for energy, digital infrastructure

The Asian Development Bank announced $70 billion in new energy and digital infrastructure initiatives through 2035.

“Energy and digital access will define the region’s future,” said the bank’s President Masato Kanda in a statement.

The Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative will link national and subregional power systems to enable the flow of renewable energy, while the Asia-Pacific Digital Highway aims to close digital infrastructure gaps and support AI-driven growth across the region.

Seven OPEC+ member countries announced a production adjustment of 188,000 barrels per day (bpd) starting from June.

Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman met virtually to review global market conditions and the outlook.

In their collective commitment to support oil market stability, they decided to implement a production adjustment of 188,000 barrels per day from the additional voluntary adjustments announced in April 2023.