Iran expected to respond to US war proposal: Iran is expected to submit its response to mediators on a US proposal aimed at ending the war on Thursday (May 7), CNN reported, citing a regional source. The move comes after US President Donald Trump said that Washington had “very good talks” with Tehran over the past 24 hours.

Trump halts Strait of Hormuz naval escort plan after Saudi Arabia denied airspace: Trump halted the naval operation, aimed at escorting the ships through the Strait of Hormuz, after Saudi Arabia declined to permit the US aircraft involved in the mission to take off from or fly through the Gulf kingdom’s skies, according to NBC News. The report, citing US officials, stated that Saudi and other Gulf countries were surprised at Trump’s announcement of ‘Project Freedom’. It said that the US president spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman but was unable to reach a solution.

‘War will be over quickly,’ says Trump: Trump predicted the war in Iran would end quickly as his administration intensified efforts to secure a deal addressing the Strait of Hormuz crisis and Tehran’s nuclear programme. “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,” Trump told a tele-rally for Georgia Republican governor candidate Burt Jones.

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