Iran submits latest proposal to end war

Bart Jansen, Christopher Cann,

Rachel Barber, Zachary Schermele

and Michael Loria

USA TODAY

President Donald Trump showed no signs of trying to obtain congressional approval for the war in Iran despite reaching the 60-day deadline to do so, and a maritime blockade remained in effect as the president expressed doubt about Iran’s efforts to offer an acceptable deal.

Iranian state media reported May 1 that the country had sent its latest proposal to end the war to Pakistani mediators a day earlier. Trump declined an earlier proposal because it failed to meet U.S. demands that Iran agree to end its nuclear program.

Trump sounded pessimistic about reaching a peace agreement with Iran, saying Tehran’s leaders have 'tremendous discord' and that he is not satisfied with their counterproposals.

'Iran wants to make a deal, but I’m not satisfied with it,' he told reporters at the White House on May 1. 'They’ve made great strides, but I’m not sure if they ever get there.'

He said negotiations have continued by phone.

'There is tremendous discord. They’re having a tremendous problem getting along with each other in Iran,' Trump said. 'The leadership is very disjointed.'

'They all want to make a deal, but they’re all messed up,' he added.

Though U.S. forces remain in the region, Trump told members of Congress in a May 1 letter that American hostilities in Iran 'have terminated.'

'On April 7, 2026, I ordered a 2-week ceasefire. The ceasefire has since been extended,' he wrote in the letter, which was obtained by USA TODAY.

'There has been no exchange of fire between United States Forces and Iran since April 7, 2026,' Trump wrote. 'The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated.'

The letter did not mark an official end to the war, especially with troops still stationed in the Middle East. Instead, it was mostly part of the White House’s efforts to assuage the concerns of lawmakers who believe Trump’s actions now need congressional approval.

Under the War Powers Act, a president must receive approval from Congress by Day 60 of a war or begin withdrawing troops. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on April 30 said the federal law does not apply to the war with Iran because a temporary ceasefire 'pauses' the count.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, who has been leading Senate Democrats’ opposition to the Iran war, didn’t buy that argument.

'I do not believe the statute would support that,' he said.

Gas prices hit 4-year high

As members of Congress went on recess, tanker traffic remained at a standstill in the Strait of Hormuz as the United States and Iran restricted shipping on the critical trade route, raising global energy costs.

The average cost for a gallon of regular gasoline rose to $4.39 on May 1, its highest level in four years according to AAA. Overnight, gas prices jumped more than 9 cents. Over the past week, they were up more than 30 cents.

Gas prices have surged since the start of the war with Iran, rising a record 21.2% in March, according to Labor Department data. Trump said April 30 that he would be willing to enforce the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports for several months as Iran continues to block traffic in the Strait of Hormuz with no peace deal in sight.

National average gas prices in 2026 still haven’t reached their all-time high, which occurred in 2022 when they exceeded $5 per gallon. But rising costs are causing pain at the pump for some Americans already struggling to afford their bills. The longer the increases persist, the greater the risk higher gas prices will translate into higher costs for other goods that rely on fuel for transportation.

Gunmen approach ship off Yemen

A commercial vessel off Yemen reported being approached by a skiff with black hull carrying seven armed people, according to a British service that tracks shipping security.

The incident May 1 involved a bulk carrier southwest of Al Mukalla, Yemen, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations service. Authorities are investigating.

Much of the world’s attention during the war with Iran has been focused on the Strait of Hormuz, but militants harass shipping vessels elsewhere in the region, too.

War hampers aid to refugees

According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the organization’s refugee agency, the cost of sending some aid to Sudan has more than doubled since the Iran war disrupted shipping, pushing up costs and delaying deliveries, Reuters reported. The U.N. routinely describes the humanitarian crisis in Sudan as the world’s largest.

Heightened insecurity around key Persian Gulf shipping routes, including the Strait of Hormuz, along with port congestion, rising fuel prices and higher insurance premiums have hampered aid deliveries, particularly to Africa, the agency said.

'People in dire need are receiving things that are ready later than what’s needed,' agency spokesperson Carlotta Wolf told reporters in Geneva.

Costs for moving 2,018 metric tons of relief items from Dubai to Sudan and neighboring Chad via overland routes have more than doubled, rising to $1.87million from $927,000, Wolf said.

U.S. threatens more sanctions

Reuters reported that the U.S. Treasury warned that any shippers paying tolls to Iran for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, including charitable donations to organizations such as the Iranian Red Crescent Society, are at risk of punitive sanctions.

Tehran has proposed fees or tolls on vessels passing through the strait as part of proposals to end the war.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said in its advisory that Iranian demands may include several payment options, including fiat currency, digital assets, offsets, informal swaps or other in-kind payments, such as charitable donations to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Bonyad Mostazafan or Iranian embassy accounts.

A man watches as Lebanese first responders search for human remains among the rubble on May 1, the day after a house was targeted in an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh.

AFP via Getty Images