Iran War: Operation Epic Fury Is 'Over', Says Rubio
Welcome to DW's coverage of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East on Wednesday, 6 May, 2026. You can catch up on Tuesday's developments here.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by editors
Trump says Project Freedom 'paused' to see whether Iran deal can be reached
US President Donald Trump said "Project Freedom" will be paused while the US strives to finalize a deal with Iran.
"Project Freedom" is the US effort to escort stranded ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
"Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
At the same time, Trump said the US naval blockade on Iranian ports will remain in effect.
USA: Gasoline prices up 50% since start of Iran war
The price of gasoline in the United States has increased by 50% since the US and Israel went to war with Iran in February, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA), which said that the price of a gallon of regular gasoline hit an average of $4.48 (€3.83) on Tuesday.
The price of crude oil, which is the main ingredient in gasoline, has been climbing because the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world"s crude oil normally passes, has effectively been shut, leaving oil tankers stranded.
"After the announcement of the initial ceasefire, there was optimism that this could be the beginning of the end of the conflict," Rob Smith, director of global fuel retail at S&P Global Energy, told the Associated Press.
"But no matter what a government says or what any market person thinks, upward pressure is being exerted on prices every day the Strait of Hormuz is constrained. And it is still severely constrained."
Iran 'categorically' denies recent attacks on UAE
The Iranian military on Tuesday "categorically denied" launching any attacks on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this week, dismissing claims to the contrary as "completely unfounded."
The UAE said earlier on Tuesday that its air defense systems were engaging missiles and drones coming "from Iran" for the second consecutive day, weeks into a fragile ceasefire.
"The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran did not launch any missile or drone operation against the United Arab Emirates these past days," the Iranian military's central command said in a statement.
"If such an action had been taken, we would have announced it firmly and clearly," it added, warning that any attacks launched from Emirati territory against Iran would be met with a "firm response."
Iran has targeted the UAE more than any other country during the war, hitting not only US assets in the country but also energy and civilian infrastructure.
In its statement on Tuesday, the Iranian military issued a warning to the UAE, saying in reference to the United States and Israel: "Your country, as an Islamic land, must not become a haven for the Americans and the Zionists, their forces and military equipment."
Rubio: Offensive operations against Iran 'over'
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that offensive operations against Iran have ended.
"The operation is over – Epic Fury – as the president notified Congress, we're done with that stage of it," he told reporters at the White House, insisting that the United States was now only taking defensive action in enforcing its blockade of Iranian ports.
"We are only responding if attacked first. This is a defensive operation," he said. "If no shots are fired at these ships and no shots are fired at us, we're not firing shots, but if we're fired on we will respond."
Rubio also confirmed that ten civilian sailors have died during the ongoing conflict in the Strait of Hormuz.
"They're isolated, they're starving, they're vulnerable and at least 10 sailors have died as a result, civilian sailors," he said, without providing additional details.
Source: DW
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