Relative calm prevailed around the Strait of Hormuz early today 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 there have been no signs 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 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," the State Department said in a statement, which did not mention Iran.
A reporter for French broadcaster LCI, Margot Haddad, said yesterday that Trump had told her in a brief interview that he still expected to find out Iran's answer "very soon".
Qatari tanker approaches vital strait
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.
A Qatari tanker of liquefied natural gas was sailing toward the strait yesterday en route to Pakistan, according to LSEG shipping data, a move sources said was approved by Iran to build confidence with Qatar and Pakistan, both mediators in the war.
If completed, it would mark the first transit of a Qatari LNG vessel through the strait since the US and Israel started the war on February 28.
Tehran has largely blocked non-Iranian shipping through the narrow strait, which before the war carried one-fifth of the world's oil supply.
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.
On Friday, there were sporadic clashes between Iranian forces and US vessels in the strait, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported.
The US military said it struck two Iran-linked vessels attempting to enter an Iranian port, forcing them to turn back.
Ceasefire holding despite flare-ups, Trump says
Washington imposed a blockade on Iranian vessels last month. But a CIA assessment indicated Iran would not suffer severe economic pressure from a US blockade for about another four months, according to a US 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.
Trump said on Thursday the ceasefire 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.
The US has found little international support in the conflict. After meeting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday, Rubio questioned why Italy and other allies were not backing Washington's efforts to reopen the strait, warning of a dangerous precedent if Tehran were allowed to control an international waterway.
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 multinational mission.
