Iran is expected to respond on Thursday to a US proposal aimed at ending the conflict and establishing a framework for broader nuclear negotiations, according to media reports, as diplomatic efforts intensified amid continuing tensions in the Gulf.
Several ships were hit by suspected Iranian missiles and drones in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday and a UAE oil complex was set on fire. This follows the launch of Project Freedom by US military to end the blockade of the shipping route.
Global LNG exports fell to about 33 million tonnes in April 2026, the lowest in nearly two years, as Middle East tanker disruptions linked to the US-Israeli war with Iran impacted shipping flows.
US President Donald Trump said he will soon review Iran's new 14-point proposal for peace, adding that he “can’t imagine that it would be acceptable.”
The message attributed to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei comes as a recycled political narrative, built on repeating claims and falsehoods about the Arab Gulf states, in an attempt to impose a one-sided vision on a region undergoing major developmental and strategic transformations, writes Anwar Abdulrahman in a comment in the Gulf Daily News, our sister newspaper.
UAE has called for the immediate and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and for Iran to be held fully accountable for its unlawful obstruction of international navigation.
Iran has delivered its latest proposal for negotiations to end the war with US to Pakistan, a mediator, said IRNA news agency.
Confusion over the scope of the newly announced US-Iran ceasefire and Israel's military campaign in Lebanon continued to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, with industry operators adopting a cautious wait-and-see approach.
US President Donald Trump has hailed the ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran as a big day for world peace and said there is an opportunity to make big money.
Iran has said that the country’s military will coordinate safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz during the ceasefire.
