Kamal Ghorui
Iran has sent its response to the latest United States ceasefire proposal through Pakistani mediators, seeking negotiations focused on a permanent end to the war across the region, including in Lebanon, where Israel continues military operations against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group. However, US President Donald Trump swiftly rejected Tehran’s position, calling it “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!” without providing further details.Iranian state television reported that Tehran wants any agreement to include guarantees for regional security and safe maritime navigation. The latest US proposal reportedly included measures aimed at ending the conflict, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and rolling back Iran’s nuclear programme.Trump earlier accused Iran of “playing games” with Washington for nearly five decades, writing on social media: “They will be laughing no longer!”US ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Washington was still pursuing diplomacy despite rising tensions.“Trump is giving diplomacy ‘every chance we possibly can before going back to hostilities,'” Waltz told ABC.Iranian state media also reported that the country’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, met senior military officials and “issued new and decisive directives for the continuation of operations and the powerful confrontation with the enemies.” No further details were disclosed.The fragile ceasefire came under renewed strain after drone attacks targeted Gulf waters and regional airspace. A drone ignited a small fire aboard a vessel near Qatar, while the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait reported drones entering their airspace. The UAE said it shot down two drones and blamed Iran. No casualties were reported.Qatar’s foreign ministry described the maritime incident as a “dangerous and unacceptable escalation that threatens the security and safety of maritime trade routes and vital supplies in the region.”Kuwaiti military spokesperson Brig Gen Saud Abdulaziz Al Otaibi said Kuwaiti forces responded to drones but did not specify their origin.Iran and allied armed groups such as Hezbollah have carried out hundreds of drone strikes since the conflict escalated following US and Israeli attacks on February 28.Trump has repeatedly warned that the US could resume large-scale bombing if Tehran refuses to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and scale back its nuclear activities. Iran has largely restricted movement through the strategic waterway since the war began, disrupting global oil, gas and fertiliser markets.The US military has meanwhile blockaded Iranian ports since April 13, claiming it turned back 61 commercial vessels and disabled four others. On Friday, US forces struck two Iranian oil tankers allegedly attempting to breach the blockade.Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy warned that any attack on Iranian commercial shipping would trigger a “heavy assault” on US military bases and enemy vessels in the region.Another major obstacle in negotiations remains Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The International Atomic Energy Agency has said Iran possesses more than 440 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60 per cent purity, close to weapons-grade level.In remarks published late Saturday, Iranian military spokesperson Brig Gen Akrami Nia said Iranian forces were on “full readiness” to protect uranium storage sites.“We considered it possible that they might intend to steal it through infiltration operations or heli-borne operations,” he told IRNA news agency.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the conflict could not end unless Iran’s enriched uranium was removed from the country.“Trump has said to me, ‘I want to go in there,’ and I think it can be done physically,” Netanyahu said in excerpts from an interview with CBS.Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow’s proposal to remove Iran’s enriched uranium as part of a negotiated settlement remained under consideration.According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, most of Iran’s highly enriched uranium is believed to be stored at the Isfahan nuclear complex, which was targeted during US-Israeli strikes last year and faced further attacks this year.Iran also warned against a proposed French-British maritime security initiative in the Strait of Hormuz after hostilities end.“The presence of French and British vessels, or those of any other country, for any possible cooperation with illegal U.S. actions in the Strait of Hormuz that violate international law will be met with a decisive and immediate response from the armed forces,” Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on social media.French President Emmanuel Macron said the initiative would not involve a military deployment but rather an international mission aimed at securing shipping lanes once conditions stabilise.The latest tensions follow a series of attacks on vessels in the Persian Gulf over the past week. A US-led effort to guide commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz was also temporarily suspended.Meanwhile, South Korea said preliminary investigations found that two unidentified objects struck the South Korean-operated vessel HMM NAMU within a minute while it was anchored in the strait last week, causing an explosion and fire. Officials said responsibility for the incident remains undetermined.
