Iran says it has sent its response to US proposals to end the war.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that his country – which has acted as a mediator – had received the Iranian response, but could not reveal any details. He did not specify whether the proposal had already been transmitted to the US.
The United States has also not made public the details of its proposals, but reports suggest they focus on a 14-point memorandum of understanding, which could lead to negotiations over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
A ceasefire aimed at facilitating talks to end the war launched by the United States and Israel in February has largely been respected, despite occasional exchanges of fire.
US media outlet Axios reported that the one-page, 14-point US memorandum includes provisions such as suspending Iranian nuclear enrichment, lifting sanctions and restoring free transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
He cited two US officials and two other sources – all unnamed – whom he described as briefed on the matters. According to these sources, many of the terms set out in the memorandum would depend on a final agreement being reached.
Iran’s ISNA news agency said Iran’s response is focused on “ending the war and maritime security” in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has continued to block the sea lane, causing global oil prices to rise.
For its part, the United States has been imposing a blockade of Iranian ports to pressure Tehran to accept its conditions, a move that has angered Iran.
On Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian did not directly reference the proposal, but said: “We will never bow our heads before the enemy, and if the idea of dialogue or negotiation arises, it does not mean surrender or withdrawal.”
US President Donald Trump again predicted this week that the war in Iran will end “quickly” and said most people “understand” his goal of ending Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Shiite country’s stockpile of enriched uranium must be “eliminated” before the war against Iran can be considered over.
“There are still enrichment facilities that must be dismantled,” Netanyahu said in an excerpt of an interview that will air on CBS’s ’60 Minutes’.
Iran had previously warned its neighbors that they must comply with the sanctions imposed by the United States.
Military spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz would face “serious consequences” if they did not cooperate with Tehran first, the Irna news agency reported.
Akraminia noted that the Americans “will never be able to turn this vast expanse of the northern Indian Ocean into a true blockade by covering it with their fleet.”
Tehran has taken advantage of its effective protection over the sea route – through which around a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas normally circulates – in the war, which began with attacks by the United States and Israel on February 28.
It has warned – and in some cases attacked – vessels trying to cross the strait.
The United States maintains a significant military presence throughout the Gulf, with bases in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Oman.
It was announced on Saturday that Britain’s Proper Navy would send a warship to the Middle East, where it could join an international mission to safeguard shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who along with French President Emmanuel Macron is promoting the mission, has stated that it will only take place once the fighting in the region stops.
In response, Iran warned on Sunday of a “decisive and immediate response” to any French or British deployment in the strait.
Macron later claimed that France had “never contemplated” a naval deployment, but rather a security mission that would be “coordinated with Iran.”
Iran has also retaliated against America’s Arab allies in the Gulf.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO), which oversees international shipping routes, reported that a bulk carrier was “hit by an unknown projectile” about 23 nautical miles (43 km) northeast of Doha, Qatar, causing a small fire but no casualties.
The Iranian Fars agency later cited an unidentified source who stated that the ship “sailed under the American flag and belonged to the United States.”
Also on Sunday, Kuwait reported that drones had entered its airspace and that the military “had acted against them.”
Hours later, the United Arab Emirates said its air defenses intercepted two drones coming from Iran.
Defense ministers from more than 40 countries will meet on Monday to discuss UK-led plans to protect shipping in the strait.
John Healey and his French counterpart, Catherine Vautrin, will co-chair the meeting, at which the coalition partners are expected to detail how they could monitor maritime traffic once hostilities cease.
Donald Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on May 6 that if Iran did not accept a deal, “the bombing will begin, and it will be, unfortunately, at a much greater level and intensity than before.”
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