Washington insists its month-long ceasefire with Iran is continuing to hold despite renewed hostilities and the recent exchanges of fire. The US says it is awaiting Iran’s response to its latest ceasefire proposal to end the war.
A tenuous ceasefire appeared to be holding Saturday after the United States struck two Iranian oil tankers, while the country that hosts the US Navy’s regional headquarters said it arrested dozens of people it alleged were linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
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Attacks on Friday cast doubt on the month-old ceasefire that the United States insists is still in effect. Washington is awaiting an Iranian response to its latest proposal for a deal to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and roll back Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme.
The US military said on Friday that its forces had disabled two Iranian tankers that were trying to breach a US naval blockade of Iran’s ports, imposed in response to Tehran’s continued closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The US Central Command posted video of the tankers as their smokestacks were struck by an American fighter jet on Friday. Earlier in the week, an American military jet shot out the rudder of a tanker Washington said was attempting to evade its blockade.
Hours earlier, the military said it thwarted attacks on three Navy ships and struck Iranian military facilities in the strait.
Despite the attacks, US President Donald Trump has insisted the ceasefire is holding. He has also has reiterated threats to resume full-scale bombing if Iran doesn’t accept an agreement to reopen the strait and accept all of Washington’s demands, promising increased intensity.
Bahrain detains dozens linked to IRGC
Meanwhile, in the small Gulf island of Bahrain, the nation's Ministry of Interior said on Saturday it had arrested 41 people it alleges are part of a group affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
It said investigations are ongoing to take further action against anyone affiliated with the group but did not provide further details. Bahrain has carried out dozens of arrests of Iran-tied individuals since the war on Tehran began on 28 February.
Bahrain is led by a Sunni Muslim monarchy but, like Iran, its population is majority Shiite. Rights groups have said that the kingdom has used the war between Iran and the US, which bases its Fifth Fleet in the country, as an excuse to crackdown on dissent at home.
Calls for restraint
As tensions escalate there's been a flurry of diplomacy across the globe.
Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday that it, as well as Saudi Arabia, is calling for continued diplomatic efforts to reach a “sustainable, long-term agreement” to end the war.
Egypt and Qatar’s top diplomats have also have reiterated that diplomacy is the only path forward, according to a readout of a Saturday phone call between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has facilitated a round of direct talks between Washington and Tehran to end the war, said his country has been in contact with the US and Iran “day and night” in an effort to extend the ceasefire and reach a peace deal.
Iran hits back at Washington
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi slammed the US over its renewed attacks in the past few days, and in a post on X, refuting Washington’s assessments of Iran’s strike capabilities, and expressing his country’s preparedness to resume hostilities.
“Every time a diplomatic solution is on the table, the U.S. opts for a reckless military adventure. Is it a crude pressure tactic? Or the result of a spoiler once again duping POTUS into another quagmire? Whatever the causes, outcome is the same: Iranians never bow to pressure,” he wrote.
“Also the CIA is wrong. Our missile inventory and launcher capacity are not at 75% compared to Feb 28. The correct figure is 120%,” he noted. “As for our readiness to defend our people: 1,000%”
The top Iranian diplomat said on Wednesday that Tehran was looking forward to China's support for a "new post-war" regional framework following its conflict with the United States.
Reiterating Iran's trust in China, Araghchi said on social media that his country "looks forward to" Beijing "supporting the establishment of a new post-war regional framework that can balance development and security".