Hegseth: Straits of Hormuz shipping lane is clear
5/5/202642 min
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth says the ceasefire in the Gulf is 'not over' despite attacks in Strait of Hormuz
Also in the programme: Son of last and only Lebanese leader to meet an Israeli premier, says current Lebanese President Joseph Aoun should meet with Benjamin Netanyahu, despite the risks; and Chinese Wu Yize becomes second youngest winner of snooker's world championship.
(Photo: U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth holds briefing on the Iran war, at the Pentagon in Washington. Credit: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
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First 90 secondsTim Franks· Host0:00
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Tim Franks· Host0:20
[short musical transition] Hello and welcome to News Hour. It's coming to you live from the BBC World Service Studios in Central London. I'm Tim Franks. We're beginning with what feels like a split screen. There are the placid waters around the Strait of Hormuz to the west, an even more static picture, that of hundreds of tankers becalmed, unable to move. The other image is very different, albeit metaphorical, that of something much more precarious, a conflict teetering on the brink, warnings that a full-scale shooting war may be about to reignite. What is certain is that on Monday, Iran and the US traded fire after President Trump launched what he called Project Freedom, his effort to help commercial ships through the waterway in the face of Iranian threats. That seems so far to have made little difference to maritime traffic, but military tensions have definitely been raised. Within the last hour, there's been an update from the US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth.
Pete Hegseth· Soundbite1:23
Two US commercial ships, along with American destroyers, have already safely transited the strait,