Iran says it has sent response to US peace proposal

WASHINGTON/CAIRO – Iran has sent its response to a US proposal to begin peace talks to end the war, the IRNA news agency reported on May 10, as a single Qatari gas tanker was allowed to pass through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.

The IRNA report said the response, sent to mediator Pakistan, would focus at this stage on ending the war, but no details were immediately available.

After about 48 hours of relative calm following sporadic clashes last week, hostile drones were detected over several Gulf countries on May 10, underlining the threat still facing the region despite a month-old ceasefire.

But the QatarEnergy-operated carrier Al Kharaitiyat passed safely through the strait and was heading for Pakistan’s Port Qasim, according to data from shipping analytics firm Kpler, the first Qatari vessel carrying liquefied natural gas to cross the strait since the US and Israel started the war on Feb 28.

Sources said earlier the transfer, which offered a modicum of relief to Pakistan after a wave of power blackouts caused by a halt to vital gas imports, had been approved by Iran to build confidence with Qatar and Pakistan, both mediators in the war.

The proposal put forward by the US would formally end the war before the start of talks on more contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme.

Qatari tanker approaches vital strait

With US President Donald Trump due to visit China next week, there has been mounting pressure to draw a line under the war, which has thrown energy markets into turmoil and posed a growing threat to the world economy.

But despite diplomatic efforts to break a deadlock between the two sides and the passage of the Qatari gas tanker, the threat to shipping lanes and the economies of the region remained high.

On May 10, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said it intercepted two drones coming from Iran, while Qatar condemned a drone attack that hit a cargo ship coming from Abu Dhabi in its waters. Kuwait said its air defences had dealt with hostile drones that entered its airspace.

Tehran has largely blocked non-Iranian shipping through the narrow strait, which before the war carried one-fifth of the world’s oil supply and has emerged as one of the central pressure points in the war.

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, who discussed Pakistan’s mediation efforts to end the war with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Miami on May 9, told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that using the Strait of Hormuz as a “pressure tool” would only deepen the crisis.

He told Mr Araghchi in a phone call that freedom of navigation should not be compromised, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said on May 10, without specifying the exact date of the call.

Recent days have seen the biggest flare-ups in fighting in and around the strait since a ceasefire began a month ago, and the UAE came under renewed attack on May 8.

On May 8, there were sporadic clashes between the Iranian forces and US vessels in the strait, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported.

The US military said it struck two Iran-linked vessels attempting to enter an Iranian port, forcing them to turn back.

A bulk carrier reported being struck by a projectile north-east of Doha, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on May 10. A small fire was extinguished, with no casualties or environmental impact, UKMTO said.

The authorities were investigating the source of the projectile.

Vessels whose states follow US sanctions against Iran will face difficulties crossing the strait, Iranian army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said on May 10, according to semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Iranian lawmakers have said they are drafting a Bill to formalise Iran’s management of the strait with clauses, including forbidden passage for vessels of “hostile states”.

Ceasefire holding despite flare-ups, says Trump

Washington imposed a blockade on Iranian vessels in April.

But a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) assessment indicated Iran would not suffer severe economic pressure from a US blockade of Iranian ports for about another four months, according to a US official familiar with the matter, raising questions about Mr Trump’s leverage over Tehran in a conflict that has been unpopular with voters and US allies.

A senior intelligence official characterised as false the “claims” about the CIA analysis, which was first reported by The Washington Post.

Mr Trump said on May 7 that the ceasefire was holding despite the flare-ups, while Iran accused the US of breaching it.

The US has found little international support in the conflict, with NATO allies refusing calls to send ships to open the Strait of Hormuz without a full peace deal and an internationally mandated mission.

After meeting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on May 8, Mr Rubio questioned why Italy and other allies were not backing Washington’s efforts to reopen the strait, warning of a dangerous precedent if Tehran were allowed to control an international waterway.

Britain, which has been working with France on a proposal to ensure safe transit through the strait once the situation stabilises, said on May 9 that it was deploying a warship to the Middle East in ​preparation for such a multinational mission. REUTERS