Cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz says attacked as Iran pushes for new peace deal – National
A cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz said it was attacked by several small vessels, according to the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center on Sunday, marking at least a dozen attacks in and around the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war with Iran.
All crew members aboard the unidentified northbound vessel were safe after the attack in Sirik, Iran, east of the road, the watchdog said. Iranian officials have asserted that they control the flow and that ships not affiliated with the United States or Israel can pass if they pay taxes.
There was no immediate claim about the attack, the first reported in the area since April 22, when a cargo ship reported being shot at, the watchdog said. The threat level in the area remains critical. Tehran effectively blocked the shipping by attacking and threatening the ships.
Iranian patrol boats, some powered by only two outboard motors, are small, fast and difficult to spot. President Donald Trump last month ordered the US military to “shoot and kill” small Iranian boats laying mines in the crisis.
A fragile three-week ceasefire appears to be holding, although Trump on Saturday told reporters that more strikes were still possible.
Iran made a new proposal to the US seeking to end the war
Iran’s latest proposal to the United States calls for the issues between them to be resolved within 30 days and aims to end the war rather than extend the ceasefire, according to media linked to the Iranian regime.
Trump on Saturday said he was reviewing the proposal but expressed doubt it would lead to an agreement, adding on social media that “they have not paid a big enough price for what they have done to humanity, and the world, in the last 47 years” since the Islamic Revolution there.
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Iran’s 14-point proposal also calls for the US to lift sanctions on Iran, end the blockade of US ships in Iranian ports, withdraw troops from the region and stop all conflicts, including Israel’s operations in Lebanon, according to Nour News and Tasnim organizations, which have close ties to Iran’s security organizations.
There was no mention in those reports, however, of Iran’s nuclear program and its enriched uranium, an issue long at odds with the US and one that Tehran would like to address later.
Iran sent its response through Pakistan, which hosted face-to-face talks last month between Iran and the United States.
Pakistan’s prime minister, foreign minister and army chief continue to urge the US and Iran to talk directly, according to two Pakistani officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Also on Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who oversaw previous talks before the war.
Iran stands firm on the issues of the Strait of Hormuz
Trump has offered a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas trade normally passes, as well as fertilizer that is badly needed by farmers around the world.
Iran’s grip on the crisis, which was imposed after the US and Israel declared war on February 28, has rattled global markets.
Tehran “will not retreat from our position in the Strait of Hormuz, and will not return to the pre-war situation,” the Deputy Speaker of Iran’s Parliament said on Sunday. Ali Nikzad, who does not have the power to make decisions in parliament, spoke during a visit to port facilities on the island of Larak.
The United States has warned shipping companies that they could face sanctions for paying Iran in any form, including digital goods, for safe passage.
Meanwhile, the US naval blockade since April 13 is depriving Tehran of the oil revenue it needs to shore up its ailing economy. US Central Command on Sunday said 49 commercial vessels had been told to turn back.
“We think they got less than $1.3 million in tolls, which is less than their previous oil revenue,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Besent told Fox News on Sunday. He said Iran’s oil reserves are filling up fast and “they will have to start shutting down the wells, which we think could be next week.”
In Tehran, the rial continues to depreciate
On Sunday, the second day of Iran’s working week, the rial weakened significantly against the US dollar. On Tehran’s Ferdowsi Street, the capital’s main exchange, the dollar was trading at 1,840,000 riyals.
Analysts say there are many chances that this money will continue to be in short supply.
The rial was trading at 1.3 million dollars in December, a record low at the time, and sparked widespread protests over the recession. Markets in Tehran remain unstable, with prices of some goods rising daily.
According to Iranian media reports, many factories did not renew their labor contracts after the Iranian new year in March, and significant numbers lost their jobs.
Yousef Pezeshkian, the son and advisor of President Masoud Pezeshkian, wrote on Telegram that the United States and Iran see themselves as the victors in the war and are not willing to back down.
The Nobel committee urges the treatment of Iran’s winners
The Norwegian Nobel Committee on Saturday urged Iran to immediately transfer former Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi for treatment by his medical team in Tehran after his health deteriorated significantly.
The committee said it is in contact with Mohammadi’s family and a lawyer, and the life of the 2023 prize winner is still in danger.
A human rights lawyer collapsed twice in prison on Friday in the northwestern city of Zanjan, his organization said, and was admitted to a local hospital. His lawyers said he is believed to have suffered a heart attack in late March.
–Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.
