EPA
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States of opting for a “reckless military adventure” whenever a “diplomatic solution is on the table.”
The Iranians “will never give in to pressure,” Araghchi said in a post on X, a day after each side accused the other of launching attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and the United States fired on more Iranian ships.
Despite the clashes, Trump said the ceasefire was intact. It is supposed to enable negotiations aimed at ending the war launched by the United States and Israel in February.
Iran is expected to respond to the US proposals on Friday, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“I hope it’s a serious offer, I really do,” Rubio said during a visit to Italy.
Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz and attacks US allies in the Gulf in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks. About 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas use this crucial waterway whose blockage has sent prices skyrocketing.
Earlier this week, Trump launched – then suspended – a US military operation to help free some 2,000 ships stuck in the region since February.
The United States also maintains a naval blockade of Iranian ports in order to pressure Tehran into accepting American terms – a move that has angered Tehran.
On Friday, US Central Command (Centcom) said US forces had neutralized two Iranian-flagged empty tankers attempting to enter an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman “in violation of the ongoing US blockade”.
US forces fired “precision munitions down their funnels, preventing non-compliant vessels from entering Iran,” the statement said.
Centcom said U.S. forces were preventing more than 70 tankers from entering or leaving Iranian ports.
Later Friday, the United States indicated it was ready to host a new round of talks between Israel and Lebanon next week aimed at ending clashes in Lebanon between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israeli forces.
A US State Department spokesperson said the “intensive” talks on May 14-15 would aim to ensure “lasting security for Israel, as well as the sovereignty and reconstruction of Lebanon.”
The United States and Israel say any peace deal requires full disarmament of Hezbollah, but the Shiite militant group rejects talks that began last month between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors in Washington. A fragile ceasefire was agreed, but was repeatedly broken by Israel and Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance met Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Washington on Friday to discuss Pakistan’s mediation efforts between the US and Iran.
The Qatari prime minister urged all parties to engage in negotiations to address the “root causes of the crisis” and achieve “lasting peace”, according to a statement from the country’s foreign ministry.
The latest US attacks on Iranian targets follow Thursday’s exchanges in the Strait of Hormuz, which both sides mutually reject.
Centcom accused Iran of launching missiles, drones and small boats against three of its warships, in what it called an “unprovoked attack.”
Iran’s top military command, meanwhile, said the United States had targeted an Iranian tanker and another ship approaching the Strait of Hormuz and carried out “air attacks” on several coastal areas.
One of the cargo ships attacked near Minab waters caught fire, according to Mohammad Radmehr, an official in the southern province of Hormozgan.
“Ten injured sailors have been transferred to the hospital, and local groups and search teams are trying to find out the fate of the other sailors,” Radmehr told Iran’s official Mehr news agency.
US President Donald Trump posted overnight on Truth Social that the US had destroyed several small boats, missiles and drones, adding that “great damage” had been “caused to the Iranian attackers”.
“Just like we took them out again today, we will take them down a lot harder and a lot more violently in the future, if they don’t get their deal signed, FAST!”
Additional reporting by Ottilie Mitchell
