Iran has sent its response to the latest US ceasefire proposal through Pakistani mediators, and wants negotiations to focus on ending the conflict permanently warBut President Donald Trump quickly dismissed it as “completely unacceptable!” No details.
State television said Iran was seeking to end the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where Israel is fighting the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, and to ensure shipping security. The latest proposal presented by Washington dealt with reaching an agreement to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and stop the Iranian nuclear program.
Trump had previously accused Tehran on social media of “playing games” with the United States for nearly 50 years, adding: “They will not laugh anymore!”
US Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, previously told ABC that Trump was giving diplomacy “every possible chance before returning to hostilities.”
Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen or heard in public since the war began, “issued new and decisive directives to continue operations and strong confrontation with enemies” during his meeting with the head of the Joint Military Command, state radio reported, without details.
Drone attacks target the Arab Gulf states
The fragile ceasefire was tested when a drone started a small fire on a ship off Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait reported drones entering their airspace. The UAE said it shot down two drones and blamed Iran. There were no reports of injuries, and no group immediately claimed responsibility.
The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the attack on the ship as a “dangerous and unacceptable escalation that threatens the security and safety of maritime trade routes and vital supplies in the region.” The UK Maritime Trade Operations Center did not provide any details about the ship’s owner or origin.
Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense spokesman, Brig. Brigadier General Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi said that the forces responded to the drones, but he did not say where they came from.
Iran and allied armed groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon have used drones to carry out hundreds of strikes since the war began with US and Israeli attacks on February 28.
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The ceasefire is being tested by drones
Meanwhile, the fragile ceasefire was tested when a drone started a small fire on a ship off Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait reported drones entering their airspace. The UAE accused Iran. There were no reports of injuries, and no group immediately claimed responsibility.
The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the decision as “a dangerous and unacceptable escalation that threatens the security and safety of maritime trade routes and vital supplies in the region.”
Iran and allied armed groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon have used drones to carry out hundreds of strikes since the war began with US and Israeli attacks on February 28.
Iran says it is “fully prepared” to protect nuclear sites
Trump repeated his threats to resume large-scale bombing if Iran does not accept an agreement to reopen the Strait and halt its nuclear program. Iran has largely closed the strategic waterway that is key to the global flow of oil, natural gas and fertilizer since the war began, shaking global markets.
The US military, in turn, has closed Iranian ports since April 13, saying it had returned 61 commercial ships and disabled four. On Friday, it bombed two Iranian oil tankers that it said were trying to break through the blockade. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy says that any attack on Iranian oil tankers or commercial ships will be met with a “violent attack” on American bases in the region and enemy ships.
Another sticking point in the negotiations is Iran’s highly enriched uranium. The UN nuclear agency says Iran has more than 440 kilograms (970 pounds) enriched to 60% purity, a short technical step from weapons grade.
In an interview published late Saturday, an Iranian military spokesman said forces were “fully prepared” to protect sites where uranium is stored.
“We thought it was possible that they intended to steal it through infiltration or helicopter operations,” the brigadier general said. General Akrami Nia told IRNA news agency.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an excerpt from a CBS interview broadcast on Sunday that the war is not over because enriched uranium must be taken out of Iran. “Trump said to me: ‘I want to go there, and I think I can do it physically,'” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Moscow’s proposal to take enriched uranium from Iran to help negotiate a settlement is still on the table.
The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency told The Associated Press last month that the majority of Iran’s highly enriched uranium is likely located at its nuclear complex in Isfahan. The facility was hit by US-Israeli air strikes in the 12-day war last year and has faced less intense attacks this year.
Iran warns against any French-British efforts in the Strait
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister warned of planned Franco-British efforts aimed at supporting maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz after the end of hostilities.
Kazem Gharibabadi said on social media: “The presence of French and British ships, or the ships of any other country, for any possible cooperation with the illegal American actions in the Strait of Hormuz that violate international law, will be met with a decisive and immediate response from the armed forces.”
French President Emmanuel Macron responded by saying that this would not be a military deployment, but rather an international mission to secure shipping as soon as conditions allow.
Several attacks occurred against ships in the Arabian Gulf over the past week, and American efforts to “direct” ships through the strait quickly stopped.
South Korea announced preliminary results of an investigation that said two unidentified objects struck the South Korean-operated ship HMM Namu about a minute apart while it was anchored in the strait last week, causing an explosion and fire. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said officials had not yet determined who was responsible.
—Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad; Melanie Liedman in Tel Aviv, Israel; Tong Hyung Kim in Seoul; Julia Frankel in Jerusalem; Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report.
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