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US Military Intercepted Iranian Attacks05/08 06:12
The U.S. military said it intercepted Iranian attacks Thursday on three Navy
ships in the Strait of Hormuz and "targeted Iranian military facilities
responsible for attacking U.S. forces," highlighting the fragility of the
month-old ceasefire between the two countries.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- The U.S. military said it intercepted
Iranian attacks Thursday on three Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz and
"targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces,"
highlighting the fragility of the month-old ceasefire between the two countries.
U.S. Central Command said in a social media post that U.S. forces
intercepted "unprovoked Iranian attacks" and responded with self-defense
strikes.
The U.S. military said no ships were hit. It said it doesn't seek escalation
but "remains positioned and ready to protect American forces."
President Donald Trump told reporters in Washington that the ceasefire was
holding despite the violence.
"They trifled with us today. We blew them away," Trump said.
Meanwhile, Iranian state media said the country's armed forces exchanged
fire with "the enemy" on Qeshm Island in the strait. It is the largest Iranian
island in the Persian Gulf, home to about 150,000 people. It also houses a
water desalination plant.
Iranian state media also reported loud noises and defensive fire in western
Tehran. In southern Iran, explosions were heard near Bandar Abbas, semiofficial
Iranian news agencies Fars and Tasnim said. The reports did not identify the
source of the blasts.
Earlier in the day, a shipping data company reported that Iran has created a
government agency to vet and tax vessels seeking passage through the crucial
Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian effort to formalize control over the channel raised new concerns
about international shipping, with hundreds of commercial vessels bottled up in
the Persian Gulf and unable to reach the open sea. Still, hope that the
two-month conflict could soon be over buoyed international markets.
U.S. administration has sent mixed messages
The ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has largely held since April 8.
In-person talks between the two countries, hosted by Pakistan last month,
failed to reach an agreement to end the war that began Feb. 28 when the U.S.
and Israel launched strikes against Iran.
Earlier Thursday, Tehran said it was examining the latest U.S. proposals for
ending the war.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the Islamic
Republic was reviewing messages from Pakistan, which is mediating peace
negotiations, but Iran "has not yet reached a conclusion, and no response has
been given to the U.S. side," Iranian state TV reported.
At the Vatican, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed Middle East
peace efforts with Pope Leo XIV, whose opposition to the Iran war has led to
open sparring with Trump.
The Trump administration has sent mixed messages on its strategy to end the
war. The tenuous ceasefire and previous declarations that military operations
were over have given way to new threats of bombing if Tehran does not accept a
deal that allows for resumption of oil and natural gas shipments disrupted by
the conflict.
Trump reiterated those after Thursday's exchange of fire.
"They have to understand: If it doesn't get signed, they're going to have a
lot of pain," he told reporters.
Asked how close the U.S. was to a deal with Iran, Trump said: "It could
happen any day," but quickly added, "And it might not happen."
Pakistan says it expects a deal soon
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke by phone Thursday with his
Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said.
"We expect an agreement sooner rather than later," Pakistani Foreign
Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said. "We hope the parties will reach a
peaceful and sustainable solution that will contribute not only to peace in our
region but to international peace as well."
He declined to give a timeline.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, speaking in televised remarks, said
Islamabad remained in "continuous contact with Iran and the United States, day
and night, to stop the war and extend the ceasefire."
Meanwhile, direct talks between Israel and Lebanon were scheduled to resume
next week in Washington, according to a U.S. official speaking on condition of
anonymity to discuss plans for the closed-door meetings. The official said
talks will be held May 14 and 15.
Iran creates agency to control passage at Hormuz
The report by shipping data firm Lloyd's List Intelligence that Iran has
established a new government agency to approve transit and collect tolls from
shipping in the strait raised concerns over the freedom of navigation on which
global trade depends.
The agency, called the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, is "positioning itself
as the only valid authority to grant permission to ships transiting the
strait," Lloyd's reported in an online briefing Thursday. Lloyd's said the
authority had emailed it an application form for ships seeking passage.
Iran has effectively closed the strait, a vital waterway for the shipment of
oil, gas, fertilizer and other petroleum products, while the U.S. is blockading
Iranian ports. The disruptions have sent fuel prices skyrocketing and rattled
the global economy.
The new Iranian agency formalizes an existing vetting lane that takes
vessels through the strait's northern waters near the Iranian coastline. Iran
controls which ships pass and, for at least some vessels, imposes a tax on
their cargo.
Maritime law experts say Iran's demands to vet or tax vessels violate
international law. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea calls
for countries to permit peaceful passage through their territorial waters.
The U.S. and its Gulf allies are pushing for the U.N. Security Council to
support a resolution that condemns Iran's chokehold on the strait and threatens
sanctions. A prior resolution calling for reopening the strait was vetoed by
Iran allies Russia and China.
Iran's president reports lengthy meeting with new supreme leader
Top Iranian officials have said Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is playing a
key role in overseeing negotiations with the U.S. But he has not appeared in
public since he was wounded early in the war.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he met recently for more than two
hours with Khamenei. In remarks aired Thursday on Iranian state television,
Pezeshkian praised the supreme leader's "sincere" behavior in what he said was
a long in-person meeting.
Khamenei has only released a series of written statements since being named
supreme leader in March, replacing his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was
killed during the war's initial strikes.
Saudi official says kingdom did not support U.S. effort to reopen strait
Trump did not consult with U.S. ally Saudi Arabia before launching a
short-lived effort this week to force open a shipping passage through the
strait, according to a Saudi official who was not authorized to discuss the
matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
"We told them that we are not part of this and that they can't use our
territories and bases for this," the official said Thursday.
The official said Saudi Arabia sent a message to Iran that the kingdom would
not be involved in U.S. attacks related to Trump's attempt to reopen the strait.
Trump suspended the effort, dubbed Project Freedom, during its second day
Tuesday, saying pausing it would allow more time to reach a peace agreement.
Only two American-flagged merchant ships are known to have passed through the
U.S.-guarded route. The U.S. military said it sank six Iranian small boats
threatening civilian ships.
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