US, Iran no closer to ending war as Tehran’s response awaited
Written by: Idrees Ali, Erin Banco and Hatem Maher
WASHINGTON/CAIRO, May 9 (Reuters) – Relative calm prevailed around the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday after days of sporadic flare-ups as the United States awaited a response to Iran’s latest offers to end more than two months of conflict and begin peace talks.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that Washington expected a response within a few hours. But a day later, there was no sign of movement from Tehran on a proposal that would formally end the war before talks on more contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.
As US President Donald Trump begins his long-awaited visit to China next week, pressure is mounting to draw a line under the conflict that has roiled energy markets and poses a growing threat to the world economy.
Recent days have seen the biggest flare-up in fighting in and around the Strait of Hormuz since the ceasefire began a month ago, with the United Arab Emirates coming under attack again on Friday.
CONFLICTS TESTED
There were sporadic clashes between Iranian forces and US ships in the strait on Friday, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported. Tasnim news agency later quoted an Iranian military source as saying the situation had calmed down but warned that further clashes were possible.
The US military said that two Iranian-linked ships trying to enter the Iranian port were hit, and a US warplane hit the funnels of these ships and forced them to turn back.
Tehran has largely prevented non-Iranian ships from passing through the strait since the start of the war with US-Israeli air strikes on Iran on February 28. Before the war, one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passed through the narrow waterway.
The US imposed a blockade on Iranian ships last month. But according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter, the CIA assessment showed that Iran would not face serious economic pressure for about four more months from the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports; This has raised questions about Trump’s influence on Tehran in a conflict that is unwelcome by voters and U.S. allies.
A senior intelligence official said “claims” about the CIA analysis, first reported by the Washington Post, were false.
The fighting spilled beyond the waterway. The UAE said its air defenses engaged two ballistic missiles and three drones from Iran on Friday, leaving three people with moderate injuries.
Iran has repeatedly targeted the UAE and other Gulf states that host US military bases. In what the UAE described as a major escalation, Iran stepped up its attacks this week and paused them 48 hours later in response to Trump’s announcement of a “Project Freedom” to escort ships in the strait.
While Trump said on Thursday that the ceasefire declared on April 7 was still valid despite the flare-ups, Iran accused the United States of violating the ceasefire.
“Whenever a diplomatic solution is on the table, the United States prefers a reckless military adventure,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday. he said.
USA CONTINUES DIPLOMACY, INCREASES SANCTIONS
The United States found little international support in the conflict. After meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Rubio questioned why Italy and other allies did not support Washington’s efforts to reopen the strait and warned that it could set a dangerous precedent if Tehran was allowed to control an international waterway.
Speaking in Stockholm, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that European countries share the goal of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and are trying to bridge differences with Washington.
While the US continued diplomacy, it also increased sanctions to put pressure on Iran.
Days before Trump travels to China to meet with President Xi Jinping, the U.S. Treasury on Friday announced sanctions against 10 individuals and companies, including those in China and Hong Kong, for aiding the Iranian military’s efforts to secure weapons and raw materials used to build Tehran’s Shahed drones.
The Treasury said in a statement that it was ready to take action against any foreign company supporting Iran’s illicit trade and could impose secondary sanctions on foreign financial institutions, including those linked to China’s independent oil refineries.
(Reporting by Reuters Newsrooms; Writing by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by William Mallard, Alexandra Hudson)
