US President Donald Trump told reporters earlier that a deal with Iran to end the war was "very possible" after "very good talks" held the previous day, the Guardian reports.
Repeating his usual claims about how desperate Iran is to reach a deal and how much the US has weakened Tehran's military capabilities.
"We'll see if they agree. And if they don't agree, they will agree very soon after that. That's the way things are," Trump added.
The US president, leaving the event in the East Room of the White House, was also asked about the takeover of enriched uranium from Iran.
"We're going to get it," Trump told a reporter.
When asked how the United States would do this, Trump repeated:
"We'll get it."
The United Arab Emirates said its ties and international and defense partnerships are "exclusively a sovereign matter," rejecting Iran's earlier statement that Abu Dhabi's cooperation with the US threatens Iran's security and national interests.
The UAE's Foreign Ministry said the Gulf state retains full sovereign, legal, diplomatic and military rights to respond to any "threat, accusation or hostile act."
The dispute between the two countries comes after the UAE said it had been the target of attacks from Iran in recent days, following four weeks of relative calm since the declaration of a US-brokered ceasefire.
Tehran has denied that it has carried out operations against the UAE in recent days, but has warned of a "devastating response" if any action against Iran is launched from the UAE.
A CMA CGM container ship was attacked while passing through the Strait of Hormuz, injuring crew members and damaging the vessel, while another ship of the French company left the Persian Gulf.
The ship "San Antonio" was hit on Tuesday, and the injured sailors were evacuated for medical treatment, said CMA CGM, the world's third-largest container shipping company.
Another CMA CGM ship, the Saigon, was sailing along the coast of Oman south of the capital Muscat, after navigation data showed it was inside the Gulf until Tuesday.
The company confirmed that the vessel had left the Gulf, according to Reuters.
US President Donald Trump said the situation in Iran was "largely under control" after telling the Iranian regime to accept a deal to end the war in the Middle East or face a new wave of US bombing "at a much higher level and intensity than before," in a post on the Truth Social network.
He also claimed that Tehran "very much wants to reach a deal," noting that the current naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz is "unbelievable."
"(Iran) is not able to transfer anything in either direction, so they are basically out of business. We'll see if they agree, and if they don't agree, they will agree very soon," Trump said.
The president added that Iran fired 111 missiles at the US aircraft carrier, but that all of them were intercepted.
A CMA CGM container ship was attacked while passing through the Strait of Hormuz, injuring crew members and damaging the ship, while another ship owned by a French group left the Gulf, as the conflict between the US and Iran continued to disrupt maritime traffic.
The ship San Antonio was hit on Tuesday and the injured sailors were evacuated for medical treatment, CMA CGM, the world's third-largest shipping line, said on Wednesday, declining further comment.
This was the latest attack on shipping since the outbreak of the war, which has left hundreds of ships at sea and disrupted 20 percent of global oil trade.
Washington launched an operation on Monday to help escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, allowing two US-flagged ships to leave the Gulf.
But US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the effort would be temporarily suspended for talks aimed at a broader deal with Iran. Sources said on Wednesday that the two sides were close to an initial agreement to end the conflict.
Tehran, meanwhile, has published a map of the waterway, expanding the zone it has claimed as under its control, Iranian state media reported.
INJURED CREW MEMBERS
Eight crew members of the San Antonio were injured, the UN's International Maritime Organization said, in the 32nd incident of this type since the outbreak of the war.
France was not specifically targeted, government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon said, adding that the crew members were from the Philippines.
A maritime security source said the ship was hit by an Iranian missile while attempting a night transit near Oman.
It was not clear whether the ship was sailing under the auspices of the now-suspended US escort ship operation to free the ships. The ship had not shown its location to tracking since early Tuesday.
TRANSIT WITHOUT COORDINATION WITH IRAN IS RISKFUL
Another CMA CGM ship, the Saigon, was sailing along the coast of Oman south of the capital Muscat, after being tracked as a ship inside the Gulf until Tuesday, ship data showed.
CMA CGM confirmed that the ship had left the Gulf, without further comment.
"While several ships successfully left the Gulf while Project Freedom was in effect, it was clear that transits without coordination with Iran posed significant risks," said Jakob Larsen, head of safety and security at shipping association BIMCO.
The Saigon is the second CMA CGM ship to leave the Gulf, following the Kribi a month ago, out of 14 ships that, according to their records, were captured at the beginning of the war.
Its destination was listed as Colombo, Sri Lanka, and like the San Antonio, the ship was sailing under the Maltese flag.
The Israeli army has carried out attacks on the southern suburbs of Beirut for the first time in weeks, since the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon came into effect on April 17.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) targeted an unnamed commander of Hezbollah's Radwan unit, the Guardian reports.
"The Israeli army carried out an attack in Beirut to target the commander of Hezbollah's Radwan unit, with the aim of neutralizing him. Radwan unit operatives under his command were responsible for attacks on Israeli communities and attacks on Israeli soldiers," Netanyahu said in a joint statement with Defense Minister Israel Katz.
Hezbollah has not commented so far.
Netanyahu previously said he would speak with Donald Trump later on Wednesday about the ongoing US-Iran negotiations to end the war.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued to carry out intensive air and artillery attacks and raids in southern Lebanon, claiming to be targeting Hezbollah targets. The attacks have killed dozens of people, while Israel continues to force residents across the area to flee their homes and villages.
Hezbollah claims it is retaliating with attacks in response to these "violations" of the ceasefire.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health says that since March 2, when Israel launched its unprecedented offensive, more than 2.700 people have been killed and more than 8.300 wounded.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that any agreement with Israel must contain guarantees, as Tel Aviv had "violated" the cessation of hostilities despite Hezbollah adhering to it.
Berry said the Iranian foreign minister confirmed that Lebanon would be part of any agreement the US reaches to end the war, adding that he hopes US-Iranian negotiations will soon have a "positive outcome."
US Central Command (Centcom) said that US forces in the Gulf of Oman "enforced blockade measures by disabling an Iranian tanker without cargo" that was attempting to enter an Iranian port earlier on Wednesday.
Centcom said that repeated warnings were sent to the Iranian-flagged ship, but that the crew did not act on them, after which US forces fired on the vessel and disabled it from a naval aircraft.
"US forces disabled the tanker's rudder by firing multiple rounds from a 20mm cannon from a US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft," the statement said.
"The Hasna is no longer sailing towards Iran. The US blockade against ships attempting to enter or depart from Iranian ports remains in full force."
US President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate and reach a deal, adding that the US is "doing very well" in Iran and that everything is "going very smoothly".
"We're doing very well in Iran. It's going very smoothly and we'll see what happens. They want a deal, they want to negotiate," Trump said at a White House event.
"We are dealing with people who very much want a deal and we will see if they can reach a deal that is satisfactory to us."
Iran said on Monday it was considering a new US proposal, after sources said Washington and Tehran were close to agreeing on a one-page memorandum that would end the Gulf War while leaving tough issues such as Iran's nuclear program for later.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would speak with Trump later tonight, adding that both agreed that all enriched uranium must be removed from Iran.
"There is full coordination between us, there are no surprises. We share common goals, and the most important goal is the removal of enriched material from Iran, all enriched material, and the dismantling of Iran's enrichment capacity," Netanyahu said.
Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said that Washington is trying to force Tehran to surrender through various means, including a naval blockade.
"The enemy, in its new strategy, seeks to destroy the cohesion of the country through naval blockade, economic pressure and media manipulation in order to force us to surrender," Ghalibaf said in an audio message posted on his official Telegram channel.
The influential speaker of Iran's parliament did not elaborate on the prospects for a peace plan with the United States, as Tehran continues to consider elements of the American proposal.
France on Wednesday deployed its aircraft carrier group to the Red Sea as part of planning for a potential mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz, urging Washington and Tehran to consider the proposal because of the global economic impact of their conflicting blockades.
Fresh exchanges of fire on Monday highlighted the gravity of the situation as the United States and Iran battle for control of the narrow waterway, a vital artery for global energy and trade, undermining a fragile four-hour ceasefire and intensifying rival naval blockades.
"The reason why we must make a renewed effort today is simple - the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues, the damage to the world economy is becoming more pronounced, and the risk of a prolongation of hostilities is too serious to accept," a French presidential office official told reporters at a briefing after the military announced the deployment of the aircraft carrier group.
Franco-British proposal in planning
France and Britain have been working on a proposal for several weeks that aims to lay the groundwork for safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz once the situation stabilizes or the conflict is resolved. The proposal would require coordination with Iran, and twelve countries have expressed their willingness to participate in the mission after several preparatory meetings.
The French military announced that the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier group, accompanied by an Italian and Dutch ship, is en route to the southern Red Sea.
The deployment plans to assess the regional operating environment, expand crisis management options to strengthen security, enable the integration of partner nation assets within a defense framework in accordance with international law, and help reassure maritime commerce stakeholders, the military said.
"What we propose is that Iran gets passage for its ships through the Strait of Hormuz, and in return commits to negotiations with the Americans on nuclear material, missiles and regional issues, and we propose that the Americans, for their part, lift their blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and, in return, get an Iranian commitment to negotiations," said an official from the French presidential office.
"Under those conditions, we could deploy a multinational force to secure convoys crossing the Strait of Hormuz, and that obviously requires that the Iranians not open fire on the ships."
The Strait of Hormuz is Iran's lever
It was unclear why Iran would consider such a proposal, given that control of the Strait of Hormuz was a key element in its negotiations with Washington to end the war.
"We collectively want to send a signal that we are not only ready to secure the Strait of Hormuz, but that we are also capable of doing so," the French official said.
"Now the question will be to get Iranian consent, American consent."
European states have largely been bystanders in the conflict between the US, Israel and Iran, but with shipping lanes in the Middle East affected and the price of oil fluctuating around $100 per barrel, European powers are faced with the question of how to defend their interests.
Their refusal to support US President Donald Trump's blockade has drawn sharp criticism from Trump, who has accused the countries of a lack of coordination with US-led efforts, and deploying resources in the region may be a way to alleviate those concerns.
More than 50 cargo ships have been turned back or diverted to ports due to the ongoing US naval blockade of Iran, the US military said.
The sanction remains in place despite Donald Trump pausing a naval mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and free stranded vessels, due to what he said was "great progress" towards reaching an agreement to end the war with Tehran.
"So far, 52 commercial vessels have been directed to turn around or return to port to comply with the measures," said a statement from US Central Command, which oversees US military operations in the Middle East.
Iran said on Monday it was considering a new US proposal, after sources said Washington and Tehran were close to agreeing on a one-page memorandum that would end the Gulf War while leaving tough issues such as Iran's nuclear program for later.
An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, quoted by the Iranian news agency ISNA, said Iran would soon deliver a response through Pakistan, which hosted the only peace talks during the war and has served as the main channel for messaging between the two sides since then.
In a social media post early this morning, US President Donald Trump did not detail any specific proposals, but said the war could be ended if “Iran agrees to deliver what was agreed upon.” He later told the New York Post that it was too early to think about face-to-face meetings to sign an agreement.
A Pakistani source and another source familiar with the mediation confirmed to Reuters information first reported by the American news outlet Axios about a proposed 14-point, one-page memorandum that would formally end the war.
The memorandum would be followed by talks on unblocking shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, lifting US sanctions on Iran and agreeing on limits on Iran's nuclear program, the sources said.
"We will finish this very soon. We are close," said a source from Pakistan.
There was no official comment from Israel, a wartime ally of Washington, which has been pressing the US to remain firm on its demands before any deal is reached. An Israeli source told Reuters that Israel was unaware that Trump was potentially close to a deal to end the war, and was instead preparing for an escalation of the fighting.
Reports of a possible agreement have led to a sharp drop in global oil prices, with futures for benchmark Brent crude falling about 11 percent to around $98 a barrel.
A source familiar with the mediation said the US negotiations are being led by Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner. If both sides agree to a preliminary deal, that would begin a 30-day period for detailed negotiations to reach a full agreement.
A full agreement would include the lifting of US sanctions and the release of frozen Iranian assets, the lifting of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran and the US, as well as certain restrictions on Iran's nuclear program, with the aim of a pause or moratorium on Iranian uranium enrichment.
Although the sources said the memorandum initially did not require concessions from either side, it did not mention several key demands that Washington had previously made that Iran had rejected, such as curbs on Iran's missile program and an end to support for allied militias in the Middle East.
The sources spoke of possible limits on Iran's future enrichment of uranium, but did not mention Iran's existing stockpile of more than 400 kilograms of the material, already enriched to near nuclear weapons levels, which Washington had previously demanded Iran hand over to end the war.
Even though the reported text appears to sidestep some demands that Iran has previously rejected, there are indications that Tehran could still demand more, the British agency points out.
In a post on the X platform, Iranian MP Ebrahim Rezai, spokesman for the powerful parliamentary committee on foreign policy and national security, described the text reported by Axios as “more of an American wish list than reality.”
"Americans in a losing war will gain nothing that they did not gain in direct negotiations," he wrote.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is in China, did not mention Trump's latest statements, but said Tehran insisted on a "fair and comprehensive agreement." Iran's Tasnim news agency quoted an unnamed source as saying that Iran still had objections to the US proposal.
Earlier, Trump, citing "great progress" in negotiations, announced a pause in "Project Freedom," a mission he announced two days earlier to guide ships through the blocked strait.
The mission did not lead to a significant restoration of traffic through the waterway, and it sparked a new wave of Iranian attacks on ships in the strait and targets in neighboring countries, particularly the United Arab Emirates.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said the military is ready to launch a new offensive against Iran if necessary.
Addressing soldiers today in the town of Hiam in southern Lebanon, where Israeli attacks continue despite the ceasefire, Zamir said they "have no limits when it comes to the use of force" and claimed that the IDF has killed more than 2.000 Hezbollah operatives since the start of the war with Iran, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports.
The military official also said that the IDF, in coordination with the US, maintains a list of targets ready for attack in Iran.
Reuters reports that an Israeli source said the country was not aware that Donald Trump was reportedly close to reaching a deal with Iran that would end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
On the contrary, Israel is preparing for an escalation of the conflict, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Ebrahim Rezai, spokesman for the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, dismissed an Axios report that the US and Iran were close to reaching a unilateral memorandum to end the war, calling it "an American wish list, not reality."
"The Americans will not gain in a lost war what they failed to achieve in direct negotiations. Iran has its finger on the trigger and is ready; if they do not surrender and make the necessary concessions, or if they or their minions attempt any provocation, we will respond harshly and in a way they will regret," he wrote in a post on the X network.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Bagaei also reacted to the Axios report, telling Iran's Isna news agency that Tehran was still considering the US proposal.
"Once Iran completes its assessment, it will convey its views to the Pakistani side," Isna reported, adding that the US demands cited in the Axios report "included excessive and unrealistic demands that Iranian officials have strongly rejected in recent days."
ISNA reports that the Iranian negotiating team is currently considering exclusively "ending the war", while the nuclear issue is not being discussed for now.
Axios, citing US officials, reported that Washington expects Tehran to respond to the proposal within 48 hours. Among the provisions is Iran's commitment to a moratorium on uranium enrichment. Donald Trump also threatened to continue the conflict if Iran "does not agree to what was agreed," without specifying what concessions were in question.
The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is heading to the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden as part of efforts by France and Britain to prepare for a future mission to assist freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, the French military said on Wednesday.
The French Armed Forces Ministry said in a statement that the aircraft carrier group passed through the Suez Canal on Wednesday, en route to the southern part of the Red Sea.
This French aircraft carrier strike group was deployed to the eastern Mediterranean shortly after the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, and could remain at sea for between four and five months.
US President Donald Trump has said it is "too early" to consider direct talks with Tehran, The Guardian reports, citing the New York Times.
Trump previously announced on social media that the war with Iran could soon be over and that oil and natural gas shipments could resume.
However, everything depends on whether Iran will accept the alleged agreement, the details of which the US president did not present.
"If they don't agree, the bombing begins," Trump wrote.
Lebanon's Health Ministry said four people were killed, while local media reported that the attack occurred before the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for the area, along with 11 other towns.
"Four people, including two women and an elderly man, were killed in an Israeli enemy attack on the Zelaya site in the West Bank," the ministry said.
Lebanese state media reported that the attack hit the home of the town's mayor, killing him and three members of his family.
Donald Trump has expressed optimism that the war with Iran "will be over" and that the Strait of Hormuz will be "open to all" if Iran accepts the US ceasefire proposal, writes The Guardian.
However, he also said that the US would continue the bombing campaign "at a much higher level and intensity" than before if Iran did not accept the conditions it claims have already been agreed upon.
"Assuming Iran agrees to what has been agreed, which may be a big assumption, the already legendary 'Epic Fury' will be over, and a very effective blockade will allow the Strait of Hormuz to be OPEN TO EVERYONE, including Iran. If they do not agree, the bombing will begin and, unfortunately, will be at a much higher level and intensity than before. Thank you for your attention on this matter!" Trump wrote on the Trut network.
The United States (US) and Iran are close to reaching an agreement on a memorandum of understanding on ending the war in the Persian Gulf, a source from Pakistan, the country mediating the negotiations, said.
A Pakistani source said that a report earlier published by Axios about the proposed memorandum was accurate. Axios cited two US officials and two other sources familiar with the discussions.
"We will complete it very soon. We are very close," said a Pakistani source.
Last month, Pakistan hosted the only peace talks between the two sides so far and has continued in that role as a mediator, conveying proposals between the sides.
Reports of a possible deal to end the war have sent oil prices plunging, with benchmark Brent crude falling more than 8 percent to around $100 a barrel. Global stock prices have also jumped on optimism that an end to the war that has disrupted energy supplies is near.
The White House, State Department and Iranian officials contacted by Reuters did not immediately respond to requests for comment. US broadcaster CNBC reported, citing Iran's Foreign Ministry, that Tehran was evaluating the 14-point US proposal.
Axios reported that the White House believes it is close to concluding a unilateral memorandum to end the war with Iran. The report came just hours after US President Donald Trump announced a pause in a three-day naval mission, which was supposed to ensure the safe passage of civilian ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump announced last night that he had made the decision to pause the mission at the request of Pakistan, which had been acting as a mediator between the US and Iran, "because tremendous progress has been made towards a full and final agreement with Tehran."
Axios reported that the US expects Iran to respond to several key points within the next 48 hours.
Among other provisions, as reported by Axios, the agreement would stipulate that Iran commit to a moratorium on uranium enrichment, the US would agree to lift sanctions and release billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets, and both sides would lift restrictions on transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
The 14-point memorandum, written on one page, is being negotiated by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and several Iranian officials, directly and through intermediaries, Axios reported.
In its current form, the memorandum would declare an end to the war in the region and the beginning of a 30-day period of negotiations on a detailed agreement to open the strait, limit Iran's nuclear program, and lift US sanctions, Axios reported.
Iranian restrictions on transit through the strait and the US naval blockade of Iran would be gradually lifted during that 30-day period, Axios reported, citing a US official who added that if negotiations failed, US forces could re-impose the blockade or resume military operations.
(Beta)
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