Relative calm reigned on Saturday around the Strait of Hormuz after several days of sporadic clashes, while the United States awaited 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 stated on Friday that Washington expected a response within hours. However, a day later, There was no sign of movement from Tehran on the proposal, which would formally end the war before talks. on more controversial issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.
With President Donald Trump scheduled to begin a long-awaited visit to China next week, Pressure has mounted to end the conflict, which has plunged energy markets into turmoil and poses a growing threat to the global economy.
In recent days there have been the greatest escalations in fighting in the Strait of Hormuz and its surroundings since the ceasefire began a month ago, and the United Arab Emirates suffered new attacks on Friday.
Clashes test ceasefire
There were sporadic clashes between Iranian forces and US ships in the strait on Friday, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported. The Tasnim news agency later quoted an Iranian military source as saying the situation had calmed down but warning that new clashes were possible.
The US military said it attacked two Iranian-linked ships trying to enter an Iranian port and that an American fighter hit their funnels, forcing them to turn around.
Tehran has largely blocked non-Iranian maritime traffic through the strait since the war began with US and Israeli airstrikes across Iran on February 28.. Before the war, a fifth of the world’s oil supply passed through this narrow waterway.
The United States imposed a blockade on Iranian ships last month. However, according to a US official familiar with the matter, a CIA assessment indicated that Iran would not come under serious economic pressure from the US blockade of Iranian ports for about four months. raising questions about Trump’s influence over Tehran in a conflict that has been unpopular with voters and US allies.
A senior intelligence official described “claims” about the CIA analysis, which was first published by the Washington Post, are false.
Clashes spread beyond the waterway. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) said its air defenses engaged two ballistic missiles and three drones from Iran on Friday, and that three people suffered moderate injuries.
Iran has repeatedly attacked the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states that host US military bases. In what the United Arab Emirates called a serious escalation, Iran stepped up attacks this week in response to Trump’s announcement of “Project Freedom” to escort ships in the strait, which it suspended after 48 hours.
Trump affirmed on Thursday that the ceasefire, announced on April 7, It remained in force despite outbreaks of violence, while Iran accused the United States of failing to comply with it.
“Every time a diplomatic solution is proposed, the United States opts for a reckless military adventure”Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi declared on Friday.
DIPLOMACY AND SANCTIONS
The United States has found little international support in the conflict. After meeting with the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, Rubio questioned why Italy and other allies were not backing Washington’s efforts to reopen the strait.warning of the dangerous precedent that would be set by allowing Tehran to control an international waterway.
In statements made in Stockholm, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that European countries shared the goal of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and noted that they were working to bridge differences with Washington.
While continuing with diplomatic channels, The United States has also tightened sanctions to pressure Iran.
Days before Trump travels to China to meet with President Xi Jinping, the US Treasury on Friday announced sanctions against 10 people and companies, including several in China and Hong Kong, for aiding the Iranian military’s efforts to seize weapons and raw materials used to build Tehran’s Shahed drones.
The Treasury said in a statement that it was ready to act against any foreign company that supported illicit Iranian trade and which could impose secondary sanctions on foreign financial institutions, including those linked to China’s independent oil refiners.
