US waits for Iran's response

A state ​of relative calm prevailed around the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, after days of sporadic flare-ups, as the United States waited for Iran’s response to its latest proposals to ‌end more than two months of fighting and begin peace talks.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that Washington expected a response within hours. But a day later, there was no sign of movement from Tehran on the proposal, which would formally end the war before talks on more contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.

Rubio met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al‑Thani in Miami on Saturday and discussed the need to continue working together “to deter threats and ​promote stability and security across the Middle East,” US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
The statement did not specifically mention Iran.

With US President Donald Trump due to begin a visit ​to China next week, there has been mounting pressure to draw a line under the war, which has thrown energy markets into turmoil and posed a growing threat to the world economy.

Recent days have seen ​the biggest flare-ups in fighting in and around the strait since a ceasefire began a month ago, and the United Arab Emirates came under renewed attack on Friday.

CLASHES TEST CEASEFIRE

Tehran has largely blocked non-Iranian shipping through the strait since the war began with US-Israeli airstrikes across Iran on February 28. Before the war, one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passed through the narrow waterway.

On Friday, there were sporadic clashes between Iranian forces and US vessels in the strait, Iran’s semi-official Fars ​news agency reported. The Tasnim news agency later cited an Iranian military source saying the situation had calmed but warning more clashes were possible.

The US military said it struck two Iran-linked vessels attempting to ​enter an Iranian port, with a US fighter jet hitting their smokestacks and forcing them to turn back.

The U.S. imposed a blockade on Iranian vessels last month. But a CIA assessment indicated Iran would not suffer severe economic pressure ‌from a ⁠US blockade of Iranian ports for about another four months, according to a United States official familiar with the matter, raising questions about Trump’s leverage over Tehran in a conflict that has been unpopular with voters and US allies.

A senior intelligence official characterised as false the “claims” about the CIA analysis, which was first reported by the Washington Post.

Clashes extended beyond the waterway. The UAE said its air defences engaged with two ballistic missiles and three drones from Iran on Friday, with three people sustaining moderate injuries.

Iran has repeatedly targeted the UAE and other Gulf states that host U.S. military bases. In what the UAE called a major escalation, Iran stepped ​up attacks this week in response to Trump’s ​announcement of “Project Freedom” to escort ships in the ⁠strait, which he paused after 48 hours.

Trump said on Thursday the ceasefire, announced on April 7, was holding despite the flare-ups, while Iran accused the US of breaching it.

“Every time a diplomatic solution is on the table, the US opts for a reckless military adventure,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday.