Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi
EA-The Focus Special: The World That Donald Trump Damaged
UPDATES: US-Israel Wars, Day 72 — US and Iran Exchange Fire in Strait of Hormuz
UPDATE 0917 GMT:
At least three people have been killed in attacks by Israeli drones and warplanes in southern Lebanon on Sunday morning.
One person was slain in an Israeli raid on the town of Bedias. Two Syrian nationals were killed by a drone attack on a motorcycle on the main road between Qlailah and Deir Qanoun.
Assaults were also reported in Nabatieh, Deir Qanoun, Ras al-Ain, Qalawiyeh, al-Samaiya, Chaqra, Safad al-Batikh, and Jebchit.
UPDATE 0857 GMT:
A Qatar-based gas carrier has crossed the Strait of Hormuz for the first time during the US-Israel War.
The carrier Al-Kharaitiyat departed from the Qatari port of Ras Laffan and is scheduled to unload its cargo at Port Qasim in Pakistan.
The vessel appeared on Saturday in the Strait of Hormuz at around 4:30 p.m., about 24 nautical miles southeast of Iran’s Qeshm Island, then hid its signal for around 14 hours.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: Iran continues to make the Trump camp wait for an answer about an American counter-proposal over the US-Israel War.
The Trump Administration had said it expected Tehran’s response on Friday over issues such as Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s nuclear program, US sanctions, and guarantees against a future war.
But the Iranian Foreign Ministry repeated on Saturday that officials are studying the Trump camp’s reply to Iran’s 14-point proposals. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticized the Administration’s “destructive approach” to the diplomatic process.
Recent escalation by American forces in the Persian Gulf and their repeated violations of the ceasefire have increased suspicions regarding the American side’s intentions and seriousness on the path of diplomacy.
The Revolutionary Guards threatened, a day after US strikes on two Iranian tankers in the Gulf of Oman, “Any attack on Iranian tankers and commercial vessels will result in a heavy attack on one of the American centers in the region and enemy ships.”
On Sunday morning, a bulk carrier caught fire after being hit by an unknown projectile off the coast of Qatar, reported the UK Maritime Trade Operations center. The blaze was soon extinguished.
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani met Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Donald Trump’s envoy, real estate developer Steve Witkoff, in Miami, Florida on Saturday.
Qatar said in a statement:
His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed, during the meeting, the necessity for all parties to respond to the ongoing mediation efforts in a way that opens the door to addressing the roots of the crisis through peaceful means and dialogue, and leads to reaching a comprehensive agreement that achieves lasting peace in the region.
A “source familiar with the matter” said Qatar has been quietly operating as a go-between while Pakistan is the main channel for messsages between Washington and Tehran.
On Friday, al-Thani met Vice President J.D. Vance in the White House.
