US, Iran appear no closer to ending war
Israel kills 7, wounds 15 others in Lebanon despite ceasefire
Vessels are seen Friday in the Strait of Hormuz off Musandam, Oman.
MIDDLE EAST
WASHINGTON — 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.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that Washington expected a response within hours. 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," U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement. The statement did not specifically mention Iran.
With U.S. President Donald Trump due to begin a longawaited visit to China this week, there was mounting pressure to draw a line under the conflict, which threw energy markets into turmoil and posed a growing threat to the world economy.
A Qatari tanker carrying liquid natural gas sailed toward the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday en route to Pakistan, according to LSEG shipping data. If it successfully transits the strait, it would be the first Qatari LNG vessel to do so since the conflict started.
Qatar will sell the LNG to Pakistan, a mediator in the war, according to two people familiar with the matter.
They said Iran approved the shipment to help build confidence with Qatar and Pakistan.
Tehran has largely blocked non-Iranian shipping through the strait since the war began Feb. 28 with U.S.-Israeli airstrikes across Iran. Before the war, one-fifth of the world's oil supply passed through the narrow waterway.
Speaking in Stockholm, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said European countries shared the U.S.-Israeli aim of stopping Iran from getting nuclear weapons and said they were working to bridge differences with Washington.
Britain said Saturday it deployed a warship to the Middle East in preparation for a potential multinational effort to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz once conditions allow.
The relocation of the HMS Dragon, an air defense destroyer, follows France's move to deploy its carrier strike group to the southern Red Sea, as the two countries work together on a defensive plan aimed at restoring confidence in the trade route.
Meanwhile, an Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese town of Saksakiyeh killed at least seven people, including a child, and wounded 15 Saturday, Lebanon's health ministry said.
The Israeli military said it struck Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in the town, accusing them of planning attacks against Israeli soldiers.
Israel also said it killed the commander of Hezbollah's elite Radwan force Wednesday in its first strike on Beirut's southern suburbs since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire was announced April 16.
A U.S. State Department official said representatives of Israel and Lebanon would hold a third round of talks between the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to Washington on Thursday and Friday.
Recent days saw the biggest flare-ups in fighting in and around the Strait of Hormuz since a ceasefire began a month ago, and the United Arab Emirates came under renewed attack Friday. The UAE said its air defenses engaged with two ballistic missiles and three drones from Iran, with three people sustaining moderate injuries.
There were also sporadic clashes between Iranian forces and U.S. vessels in the strait Friday, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported. The Tasnim news agency later cited an Iranian military source saying the situation calmed but warning more clashes were possible.
The U.S. military said it struck two Iran-linked vessels attempting to enter an Iranian port, with a U.S. fighter jet hitting their smokestacks and forcing them to turn back.
The U.S. imposed a blockade on Iranian vessels last month. However, a CIA assessment indicated Iran would not suffer severe economic pressure from a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports for about another four months, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter, raising questions over Trump's leverage over Tehran in a conflict that is unpopular with voters and U.S. allies.
A senior intelligence official characterized as false the "claims" about the CIA analysis, which was first reported by the Washington Post.
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 past week in response to Trump's announcement of "Project Freedom" to escort ships in the strait, which he paused after 48 hours.
Trump said Thursday the ceasefire, announced April 7, still held despite the flare-ups, while Iran accused the U.S. of breaching it.
"Every time a diplomatic solution is on the table, the U.S. opts for a reckless military adventure," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday.
The U.S. also ratcheted up sanctions to pressure Iran.
Days before Trump travels to China to meet President Xi Jinping, the U.S. Treasury announced sanctions against 10 individuals and companies, including several in China and Hong Kong, on Friday for aiding efforts by Iran's military to secure weapons and raw materials used to build Tehran's Shahed drones.
The Treasury said it was prepared to act against any foreign company supporting illicit Iranian commerce and could impose secondary sanctions on foreign financial institutions, including those connected to China's independent oil refineries.
