Iran says it has sent response to US peace proposal

Iran has sent its response to a US proposal for peace talks to end the war, Iranian state media has reported, as two ⁠ships were allowed to pass through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.

The response focused on ending the war on all fronts, especially Lebanon, and on the safety of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state TV said, without indicating how or when the vital waterway might reopen.

It followed a US proposal to end fighting before starting talks on more contentious issues, including Iran's nuclear programme.

Pakistan, which has been mediating talks over the war, forwarded the Iranian response to the US, a Pakistani official said.

There was no immediate US comment.

Despite a month-old ceasefire in the conflict and after some 48 hours of relative calm, hostile drones were detected over several Gulf countries, underlining the threat still facing the region.

Still, the Qatar Energy-operated carrier Al Kharaitiyat passed safely through the waterway and was heading for Pakistan's Port Qasim, according to data from shipping analytics firm Kpler.

The ship is the first Qatari vessel carrying liquefied natural gas to cross the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel started the war on 28 February.

Sources said earlier the transfer, which offered a modicum of relief to Pakistan after a wave of power blackouts caused by a halt to gas imports, had been approved by Iran to build confidence with Pakistan and with Qatar, another mediator.

In addition, ‌a Panama-flagged bulk carrier bound for Brazil that had previously attempted to ⁠transit the strait on 4 May passed through, using a route designated by Iran's armed forces, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

With US President Donald Trump due to visit China this week, there has been mounting pressure to draw a line under the war, which has ignited a global energy crisis and poses a growing threat to the world economy.

Tehran has largely blocked non-Iranian shipping through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, which before the war carried one-fifth of the world's oil supply and has emerged as one of the central pressure points in the war.

Iran set up a payment mechanism to extract tolls from shipping crossing the strait, but US officials have stressed it would be "unacceptable" for Tehran to control the waterway.

Addressing whether combat operations against Iran were over, Mr Trump said in remarks aired today: "They are defeated, but that doesn't ‌mean they're done."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the war was not over because there was "more work to be done" to remove enriched uranium from Iran, dismantle enrichment sites and address Iran's proxies and ballistic missile capabilities.

The best way to remove the enriched uranium would be through diplomacy, Mr Netanyahu said in an interview with CBS News' 60 Minutes programme, ⁠without ruling out removing it by force.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a social media post that Iran would "never bow down to the enemy" and would "defend national interests with strength".

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with the leader of Qatar yesterday, a key intermediary.

Qatar's Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met the previous day with US Vice President JD Vance to discuss efforts to broker a permanent peace.

Despite diplomatic efforts to break ‌a deadlock, the threat to shipping lanes and the economies of the region remained high.

The United Arab Emirates said it intercepted two drones coming from ⁠Iran, while Qatar condemned ‌a drone attack that hit a cargo ship coming from Abu Dhabi in its waters.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said the bulk carrier reported being struck by an unknown projectile.

"There was a small fire that has been extinguished, there are no casualties. There is no reported environmental impact," it said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Iran's Fars news agency reported "the bulk carrier that was struck near the coast of Qatar was sailing under a US flag and belonged to the United States".

And, in a social media post, the spokesperson for the Iranian parliament's national security commission warned the United States: "Our restraint is over as of today."

"Any attack on our vessels will trigger a strong and decisive Iranian response against American ships and bases," Ebrahim Rezaei said.

Kuwait also said its air defences had dealt with hostile drones that entered its airspace.

Recent days have seen the biggest flare-ups in fighting in and around the waterway since a ceasefire began: the UAE came under renewed attack on Friday and sporadic clashes were reported between Iranian forces and US vessels in the strait.

Iran's military chief Ali Abdollahi met the country's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and, according to Iranian state television, received "new directives and guidance for the continuation of operations to confront the enemy".

Earlier, Iran's Revolutionary Guards threatened to target US interests in the Middle East if its tankers come under fire, as had been the case on Friday when a US fighter jet fired on and disabled two Iran-flagged vessels in the Gulf of Oman.

"Any attack on Iranian tankers and commercial vessels will result in a heavy attack on one of the American centres in the region and enemy ships," the IRGC said.

Clashes have also continued in southern Lebanon between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, despite a US-brokered ceasefire announced on 16 April.

Hostilities between Israel and ⁠Hezbollah reignited on 2 March when the Lebanese group opened fire after Tehran came under US-Israeli attack.

The latest talks between Israel and Lebanon are due to start in Washington on 14 May.

Iran has choked off the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route out of the Gulf for oil, gas and fertiliser, seeking to wield economic leverage over the United States and its allies.

The US Navy, meanwhile, is blockading and sometimes disabling or diverting ships heading to and from Iran's ports.

The US has also found little international support, with NATO allies refusing calls to send ships to open the Strait of Hormuz without a full peace deal and an internationally mandated mission.

Britain, which has been working with France on a proposal to ensure safe transit through the strait once the situation stabilises, said yesterday it was deploying a warship to the Middle East in preparation for such a mission.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on social media that any stationing of British, French or other warships around the Strait of Hormuz under the pretext of "protecting shipping" would be an escalation and would be met by force.

In response, French President Emmanuel ‌Macron said France was standing ready to help the international mission, but "we have never envisaged a military deployment to re-open Hormuz".