Iran war live: Trump says Hormuz operation paused amid US, Tehran talks

Teresa Regina de Avila e Silva, the mother of Global Sumud Flotilla activist Thiago Avila, who remains detained in Israel after being abducted in international waters of Greece, has died in Brasília at the age of 63, the flotilla has announced in a post on X.

“She was a woman of remarkable joy and great strength,” the flotilla said.

“She faced years of serious illness with courage, serenity, and dignity, driven by an unwavering will to live and surrounded by the unconditional dedication of her family.”

The flotilla said that Thiago’s two-year-old daughter carries her grandmother’s name.

Thiago Avila and Saif Abu Keshek from Spain have been held in Israel since being separated from the rest of the flotilla’s group after their vessel was intercepted by the Israeli navy on the high seas.

An Israeli court on Tuesday granted the state’s request to extend their detention until Sunday, May 10.

The extension was based on “secret evidence” that Abu Keshek, Avila and their lawyers were not permitted to review, according to human rights workers.

Teresa Regina de Ávila e Silva, Thiago's mother, passed away in Brasília.

We express our deepest condolences to Teresa's family and loved ones.

She was 63 years old, a woman of remarkable joy and great strength. She faced years of serious illness with courage, serenity, and… pic.twitter.com/YcgQHiYtJX

— Global Sumud Flotilla (@gbsumudflotilla) May 5, 2026

The IRGC’s move to make vessels follow a designated route in the Strait of Hormuz sets a “horrible precedent worldwide”, said Mark Kimmitt, former US assistant secretary of state for political and military affairs.

Kimmitt said this “new security architecture” would see the Iranians “force concessions and payments” from vessels in the key waterway.

“I don’t think the world is going to stand for it,” he told Al Jazeera.

Watch the interview below:

On Lebanon, there have been important signals from both Secretary of State Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

What they have said, in no uncertain terms, is that they do not want the Lebanon-Israel conflict to turn into a full-scale front.

The United States is still backing Israel’s right to strike Hezbollah, but what we heard from the secretary of state on Tuesday is that he believes a diplomatic resolution between Israel and Hezbollah, or Lebanon, is imminently achievable.

He is arguing, however, that the obstacle is Hezbollah.

So, the United States is once again taking the side of its traditional ally, Israel, pointing the finger at Hezbollah, and essentially trying to isolate it both diplomatically and politically.

There is little effort on the part of the United States to influence Israel in any way.

The onus is being placed squarely on Hezbollah to prevent this from becoming a full-scale front.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Beijing as the head of a diplomatic delegation from Tehran.

During the visit, Araghchi is scheduled to discuss and exchange views with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on bilateral relations as well as regional and international developments.

The US president has essentially just paused “Project Freedom”, the effort by the United States to use its military, air and naval assets to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

What we know is that there has been a running dialogue between the United States and Iran for many weeks now, with Pakistan shuttling messages back and forth.

Even though the direct talks in Islamabad resulted in no deal, that conversation continued. And now, as a result of that conversation and, in fact, in the last three hours, since Secretary of State Marco Rubio was speaking here at the White House, it appears some progress has been made.

What the United States is essentially doing is preserving its maximum military leverage, the blockade of Iranian ports remaining in effect while pausing the US ships escorting commercial vessels through the strait, in order to further the dialogue that could lead to a diplomatic resolution.

Both sides are saying very little about where the sticking points are or where progress has actually been made.

• Trump has said that the US military operation escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz will be paused for a short period, citing a request from Pakistan and progress towards a final deal with Iran, though the naval blockade of Iranian ports will stay in place.
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran has a “high pain threshold”, but not an “unlimited pain threshold”, and called on Tehran to return to the negotiating table.
• Hezbollah and Israel continued to trade blows, with Hezbollah carrying out attacks on Israeli targets in southern Lebanon, including the town of Rashaf, while Israeli strikes killed two people in Deir Kifa.
• Iran’s army spokesperson denied striking the UAE, saying Tehran had been subjected to “unfair media attacks, baseless accusations, and propaganda”, after the UAE said it was attacked for a second day on Tuesday.
• The IRGC Navy warned vessels that transiting the Strait of Hormuz via any route it has not authorised will result in a “decisive response”.

Hello, and welcome to our coverage of the ceasefire in the United States and Israel’s war on Iran, and Israel’s war on Lebanon.

Stay with us for the latest developments, reactions and analysis from across the Middle East and beyond.

You can find our updates from Tuesday, May 5, here.