U.S. President Donald Trump predicted on ‌Wednesday night that the war ⁠in Iran will be over quickly, as he ‌seeks a deal to ‌end the ‌stalemate ⁠over the Strait of ⁠Hormuz and Tehran’s nuclear program.

“When you look at ‌the kind of things that are happening, we are doing ‌that for one very important reason: We ⁠cannot allow them to have a ‌nuclear weapon. So I think most people understand that. They understand that what ‌we are doing is right, and it’ll be over quickly,” Mr. ⁠Trump told a ⁠tele-rally for Georgia Republican Governor candidate ‌Burt Jones. 

-Reuters

White House officials are pressing China to use its influence with Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz just days before President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s highly anticipated summit in Beijing.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Chinese officials to use Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s scheduled visit to China to urge Tehran to release its chokehold on the critical waterway.

“I hope the Chinese tell him what he needs to be told,” Mr. Rubio said during a White House briefing Tuesday. “And that is that what you are doing in the strait is causing you to be globally isolated. You’re the bad guy in this.”

-AP

U.S. President Donald Trump launched a new operation on Monday (May 4, 2026) seeking to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, prompting Iran to lash out in an effort to keep control of the critical ‌energy shipping route.

A handful of commercial vessels were reported to have been hit and a UAE oil port was ablaze after an Iranian strike as Mr. Trump’s attempt to use the U.S. Navy to free up shipping provoked the war’s biggest escalation since ⁠a ceasefire was declared four weeks ago. The U.S. said it destroyed six small Iranian boats.

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