A U.N. maritime agency has paused the evacuation of ships through the Strait of Hormuz after the British military said a vessel was hit Thursday by a projectile off the coast of Oman. The head of the International Maritime Organization said the plan to move stranded ships through the strait will be on hold until the agency can confirm safety guarantees for the ships on the evacuation list and in the region. It was unclear who launched the projectile or the type of vessel that was targeted. The report of a strike came hours after Iran threatened vessels to stop using a U.N.-approved route through the strait without Tehran's permission.
By MUNIR AHMED, DAVID RISING and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press
The U.S. and Iran disputed whether Tehran had agreed to allow U.N. inspections of its nuclear sites. As officials negotiated over how to permanently end the war in Iran, a separate plan emerged Tuesday to break the shipping bottleneck through the Strait of Hormuz. The disagreement over nuclear inspections came as Iran's president met with Pakistani mediators and technical teams from the U.S. and Iran continued talks in Switzerland. A United Nations agency said a plan was underway to move stranded ships and their thousands of crew members through the strait — a vital passage for energy supplies that Iran had blocked after the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28.
By AAMER MADHANI, JAMEY KEATEN, SEUNG MIN KIM and JOSH BOAK Associated Press
Vice President JD Vance says his lengthy talks with senior Iranian officials in Switzerland created a good foundation for a final deal to end the Iran war. Vance made the comment Monday after initial talks with Iran's parliamentary speaker. Vance and U.S. officials claimed progress on multiple fronts, including the establishment of measures to ensure the Strait of Hormuz stays open and that a ceasefire holds in the fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon. Iran noted "major progress" to end the fighting in Lebanon and called that the first real test of the negotiations.
By MICHELLE L. PRICE, MATTHEW LEE, JON GAMBRELL, SAMY MAGDY and MIKE CATALINI Associated Press
A memorandum of understanding to be signed Friday by the United States and Iran calls for Tehran to at minimum dilute its enriched uranium and would waive but not permanently end sanctions on the country. That's according to U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to read the draft language, which Iran has not released. The deal would also open the Strait of Hormuz toll-free for two months and affirm a commitment to Lebanon's territorial integrity in the face of Israel's invasion against Hezbollah. U.S. officials dictated the language to journalists on Wednesday after days of secrecy.
