CNN: Iran and Oman are close to finalizing a proposed framework for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran’s deputy foreign minister said. The agreement would not automatically reopen the waterway, he warned. Iran has also denied any direct negotiations with the US.
In Saudi Arabia: The kingdom is bracing for “multiple coordinated attacks” by Iraqi militias working with Iran-backed Houthi rebels, a Saudi official told CNN, as the Middle East conflict threatens to broaden in the region. Earlier, the Yemeni militant group said it carried out a “large-scale” military operation against Saudi troops…
Trump grows angry over reports on depleted munitions — believing it weakens him in Iran negotiations
President Donald Trump has privately complained in recent days that disclosures on the dwindling US munitions stockpile make the United States look weak at a critical juncture, senior US officials said, as he repeatedly threatens additional military action to try and motivate Iran to agree to a deal…
Trump Orders Leak Probe After Venting About Media Coverage of Munitions Stockpile
Trump made the demand after weeks of media headlines describing depleted munitions levels associated with the war, according to administration officials, despite administration assurances that the U.S. has what it needs to fight Tehran and world powers such as Russia and China. The president’s frustration with the war has grown, advisers say, as he sees few good options to force Iran into dismantling its nuclear program or more broadly bringing an end to the conflict…
Iran warns Gulf states: tell Trump to desist or we hit you hard
The warning envisaged attacks on the energy facilities, oil fields, refineries, electricity grids, water infrastructure, transport networks and other strategic assets of Washington’s closest Arab allies, according to a senior Iranian official…
Can Iran’s Diminished Diplomats Deliver a Hormuz Deal?
Arab mediators working on a deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz said they fear the country’s diplomats, who are under pressure from hard-liners in Tehran, lack the clout to guarantee compliance even if an agreement is reached…
Trump’s Iran dilemma: He’s stuck in war with no exit in sight
Trump is caught between an emerging interim deal being negotiated by Iran and Oman that would give Tehran control over the Strait of Hormuz it never possessed before the war, or following through on his warnings of sharp escalation, risking a more prolonged crisis…
Iranian parliamentary committee reviews draft bill to bar US, Israeli ships from Hormuz, Fars says
The draft bill would impose fines of up to 20% of a ship’s cargo value for violations of the proposed restrictions…
Houthi Strikes on Yemeni Military Threaten to Reignite Civil War
The Iranian-backed militia said it had targeted the armed forces in two resource-rich provinces, as escalating violence in Yemen imperils a fragile truce…