A draft United Nations (UN) resolution on Iran threatens the country with sanctions and other measures if it does not stop obstructing ships in the Strait of Hormuz and disclose all mine placements to allow freedom of navigation.
The draft UN Security Council resolution, submitted by the United States and Gulf states and seen by the Associated Press (AP) today, also demands that Iran "immediately participate in and facilitate" UN efforts to establish a humanitarian corridor in the strait to allow the delivery of vital aid, fertilizer and other goods.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Iran today of continuing to "hold the global economy hostage" in an attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to attack ships, laying sea mines and trying to collect tolls "on the most important waterway in the world."
"The United States looks forward to voting on this resolution in the coming days and to receiving support from Security Council members and a broad base of co-sponsors," he said.
The proposed resolution, which is drafted under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter and could therefore be enforced militarily, threatens "effective measures proportionate to the gravity of the situation, including sanctions" if Iran fails to comply.
The new draft resolution affirms the right of all countries to defend their ships from attacks and provocations and orders others not to assist Iran in closing the straits or collecting tolls.
The draft also "welcomes continued efforts to de-conflict and coordinate safe and secure transit passage through the Strait of Hormuz, expresses support for continued efforts to achieve lasting peace in the region, and encourages member states in the region to strengthen dialogue and consultations in this regard."
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that peace between Israel and Lebanon was achievable, but that the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah was a problem, Reuters reported.
"Overall, I think a peace agreement between Lebanon and Israel is immediately achievable, and it should be. The problem with Israel and Lebanon is not Israel or Lebanon, it's Hezbollah," Rubio told reporters at the White House.
Reuters reports that the Lebanese government wants a permanent agreement with US ally Israel that would end the recurring cycle of Israeli invasions and strikes, but is not making a demand for a peace deal.
Israel says any agreement must permanently disarm Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran.
"What needs to happen in Lebanon, what everyone wants to see, is that you have a Lebanese government that has the ability to fight Hezbollah and destroy it," Rubio said.
Israel stepped up airstrikes on Lebanon after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel on March 2, three days after the start of the US-Israeli war against Iran. Israel then expanded its ground invasion into southern Lebanon.
Lebanon's health ministry said more than 2.600 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since March 2, while more than a million people have been displaced. Israel says 17 of its soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon, while two civilians have been killed in Hezbollah attacks.
Israel and Lebanon reached a fragile ceasefire in mid-April, which was subsequently extended until May.
However, Israel has maintained its occupation of southern Lebanon and demolished villages in the area, while Hezbollah continues attacks on Israeli forces.
Tehran says any deal to end the wider war with Iran must also halt Israeli attacks on Lebanon. Washington says the issues are separate.
Ten civilian sailors have died in the ongoing conflict in the Strait of Hormuz, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters today, Reuters reports.
Speaking at the White House, Rubio said the United States (US) will continue to deploy its resources to defend freedom of navigation in this crucial maritime route.
"They are isolated, they are starving, they are vulnerable and at least ten sailors have died as a result, civilian sailors," Rubio said, without giving further details.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Defense said on Monday that its air defense systems responded to missile and drone attacks from Iran, although Iran's Joint Military Command said that Iranian armed forces had not carried out any missile or drone attacks on the UAE in recent days, Reuters reported.
Reuters said it could not independently confirm the reports from either side.
Iranian military spokesman Hatam al-Anbiya also warned of a "devastating response" if any action is launched from the UAE against Iran.
It was the second consecutive day that the UAE has reported attacks, following four weeks of relative calm since the United States (US) announced a ceasefire.
The UAE's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the attacks were a serious escalation and posed a direct threat to the security of the state, adding that the UAE reserves its "full and legitimate right" to respond.
On Monday evening, the UAE said its air defense systems responded to missile and drone threats as firefighters battled a blaze at a major oil industrial zone after a drone attack that authorities said originated from Iran.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday dismissed Iran's military might and said Tehran "should wave the white flag of surrender" but was too proud to do so, Reuters reported.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House that Iran's military has been reduced to small arms with low-level firepower and that Tehran privately wants to reach a deal, despite what he claims is a rattling of weapons.
"They're playing around, but let me tell you, they want to make a deal. And who wouldn't, when your army is completely gone?" he said.
Trump praised the US blockade of Iranian ports in the region.
"It's like a piece of steel. Nobody is going to cause a blockade. And I think it works very well," he said.
When asked what Iran needs to do to violate the ceasefire, Trump said, "Well, you'll find out, because I'll tell you... They know what not to do."
"If this was a fight, they would stop it," Trump said.
Washington said today that Iran had not violated a fragile ceasefire in the Middle East conflict, following an exchange of fire between the two sides yesterday, when US forces tried to force open the Strait of Hormuz.
The US military said it had destroyed six small Iranian vessels, as well as cruise missiles and drones, after US President Donald Trump sent the Navy to escort blocked tankers through the strait in a campaign he called "Project Freedom".
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said today that the operation to protect commercial shipping was temporary and that the four-week ceasefire had not ended.
"We are not looking for conflict. At this point, the ceasefire certainly holds, but we will monitor the situation very, very carefully," he said at a press conference.
Hegseth said the US had successfully secured passage through the key waterway and that hundreds of commercial ships were waiting in line to pass, as Washington sought to break the blockade Iran has maintained over the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict began on February 28.
"We know the Iranians are uncomfortable with that fact. They said they control the strait. They don't control it," Hegseth said at a Pentagon news conference.
Asked whether the ceasefire with Iran was still in effect, Hegseth replied: "No, the ceasefire is not over."
"We said we would defend ourselves, and we did so resolutely, and that's exactly what we did. Iran knows that and, ultimately, the president can make the decision about whether anything escalated into a ceasefire violation," he said.
Iran fired missiles at US ships on Monday and attacked the United Arab Emirates, a key regional ally of Washington, with missiles and drones.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baker Ghalibaf said ceasefire violations by the US and its allies had threatened navigation through the strait, through which much of the world's oil and fertilizer supplies pass.
"We know full well that the continuation of the current situation is unbearable for the US, while we haven't even started," he said in a post on social media.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday's events showed there was no military solution to the crisis. He said peace talks were progressing with Pakistan's mediation and warned the US and UAE not to allow themselves to be dragged into a "swamp".
Araqchi is traveling to Beijing today for talks with the Chinese foreign minister, his ministry announced.
Iranian authorities have released a map they claim shows an expanded maritime zone now under Iranian control, extending beyond the strait and encompassing long stretches of the UAE's coastline.
After drone and missile attacks were reported inside the UAE on Monday, including one that caused a fire in Fujairah, a major oil port, the UAE said the Iranian attacks represented a serious escalation and that it reserved the right to respond.
The Iranian map included Fujairah and another Emirati port, Khor Fakkan, both of which are located in the Gulf of Oman and on which the UAE has relied since the beginning of the conflict to bypass the blocked strait.
Iranian state television said military officials confirmed they attacked the UAE in response to "the adventurism of the US military."
Israel is coordinating with the United States (US) regarding possible new attacks on Iran, the American television network CNN (CNN) reports, citing an unnamed Israeli official.
The CNN source said that any new attacks would be aimed at energy infrastructure and targeted assassinations of senior Iranian officials, adding that much of these plans were ready for execution ahead of the ceasefire in early April.
"The intention would be to conduct a short campaign to pressure Iran to make further concessions in the negotiations," an unnamed Israeli official told US television.
He added that Israel was skeptical about the Iran-US negotiations from the very beginning and that yesterday's Iranian attack on the United Arab Emirates accelerated preparations for a possible escalation of the conflict.
Over the past week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held small, tightly controlled security consultations, an Israeli source said.
Netanyahu also instructed ministers not to make public comments regarding Iran.
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The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kaine, said Iran continues to attack its neighbors, citing yesterday's attacks on Oman and the United Arab Emirates, the Guardian reports.
Speaking about Operation Freedom, Kane said Iran has fired missiles at commercial vessels several times and seized two container ships since the ceasefire was announced.
He stressed that the Iranian attacks were all below the threshold for resuming major combat operations at this time.
Kane says that around 22.500 sailors are trapped in the Strait of Hormuz and unable to pass through it, while international shipping is severely disrupted by conflicts and blockades.
According to reports, due to the Iranian blockade and disruption of passage through the strait, a large number of ships and their crews have remained stranded in the Persian Gulf region, causing huge logistical and security challenges for global trade.
Kane said commercial vessels in the region feel the presence of American military power around them, both at sea and in the air, and that the joint force is ready to "continue major combat operations" against Iran if ordered to do so.
The US will not have to enter Iranian airspace or waters as part of the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said.
"Hundreds of ships are waiting to pass" through the strait, he added. "This is a 'temporary mission' for the US," he stressed.
Hegseth said Iran would "face enormous firepower" if it attacked commercial shipping and that he expected the rest of the world to "take responsibility" for protecting this waterway "at the appropriate time."
Iranian state television quoted a military official as saying that Iran had no "pre-planned program" to attack oil facilities in the UAE, after the UAE accused Iran of a drone attack on an energy facility in Fujairah, the Guardian reports.
"What happened is the product of the adventurism of the US military, which tried to create a passage for illegal passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. The US military must bear responsibility for this," he said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's meeting with Pope Leo on Thursday will include a "frank conversation" about the policies of the Trump administration, said US Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch.
"Countries have disagreements, and I think one way to overcome them is... through brotherhood and authentic dialogue," Burch said.
"I think the secretary is coming here in that spirit. To have an open conversation about American policy, to engage in dialogue," Burch told reporters.
According to the Guardian, Rubio's visit, which coincides with the first anniversary of Leo's pontificate, comes weeks after Trump sharply criticized the Chicago-born pope for his condemnation of the unprovoked US-Israeli war against Iran, which is widely considered to have been launched illegally.
Trump called him weak and said he wasn't doing a very good job as pope.
Lav drew Trump's ire after suggesting that a "delusion of omnipotence" was fueling the US-Israeli war against Iran and calling the president's threat to destroy Iranian civilization "truly unacceptable" if Iran did not agree to US demands to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attacks on the UAE, a US ally, after the Gulf state was hit by a barrage of missiles and drones yesterday.
The UAE has come under repeated attacks from Iran for the first time since a ceasefire came into effect in early April. One of the attacks caused a fire at a key oil facility in Fujairah and injured three Indian nationals, authorities said, according to the Guardian.
In a post on X network this morning, Sharif expressed full solidarity with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
"Pakistan strongly condemns last night's missile and drone attacks on civilian infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates," he wrote.
"Pakistan stands firmly with our Emirati brothers and sisters, as well as the Government of the United Arab Emirates, at this difficult time. It is absolutely essential that the ceasefire is respected and maintained, in order to provide the necessary diplomatic space for dialogue leading to lasting peace and stability in the region."
Pakistan plays a key mediating role between Iran and the US, having hosted the first round of peace talks in Islamabad in April. It continues to relay messages between the two sides, even as a deal seems increasingly unlikely.
According to data from internet monitoring group NetBlocks, the internet outage in Iran has entered its 67th day, as the regime continues one of the longest national internet blockades ever recorded, according to the Guardian.
"The internet shutdown in Iran is now entering its 67th day, having passed 1.584 hours since the incident began. This digital censorship measure casts a veil of silence over the growing number of reported executions, denying victims visibility, accountability, and the basic right to be heard," NetBlocks said in a social media post.
High-ranking government officials receive "white" SIM cards, which allow them access to the global internet, while the vast majority of the population remains completely cut off.
Under pressure to mitigate the economic damage caused by the blockade, the government is now allowing less restricted internet access to a small number of professions, businesses, and regime-friendly media.
There was an earlier internet shutdown in January, during nationwide protests, which helped to cover up extreme violence against the Iranian population.
South Korea's Blue House said the presidential office is considering whether the country could participate in US President Donald Trump's new venture, which he has dubbed "Project Freedom," to help ships that are stuck in the Strait of Hormuz pass through, Newsis reports.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf announced this morning in a post on the X network that "the new equation of the Strait of Hormuz is in the process of solidifying."
"The United States and its allies have threatened the security of navigation and energy transit by violating the ceasefire and imposing a blockade; of course, their evil will weaken. We know very well that the continuation of the current situation is unbearable for America; while we have not even started," said Iranian chief negotiator Ghalibaf.
Iran, as reported by the Guardian, imposed a blockade on foreign shipping through the Strait of Hormuz shortly after the war began with a US-Israeli attack on February 28, which killed the country's former supreme leader.
On April 13, US President Donald Trump imposed a counter-blockade on ships using Iranian ports.
Trump's so-called "Project Freedom," which reportedly began yesterday, aims to use the US military to remove captured cargo ships from that strategic waterway.
However, this increases the likelihood of renewed war, as the Iranian military's central command has warned that it will target any US naval ship that approaches the strait.
The Israeli army has issued new orders for the forced displacement of the population in southern Lebanon – this time for the residents of the towns of Jabshit and Sarafand.
In a statement on social media, Arabic-language military spokesman Avichai Adraei said those residents should leave their homes "immediately and move away from villages and towns at least 1.000 meters, to open areas," the Guardian reports.
Hinting at the upcoming airstrikes, Adraei claimed that the IDF was "forced to act strongly against" Hezbollah, which he said had violated the US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon that went into effect in mid-April.
Hezbollah, which has been carrying out attacks on Israeli troops in Lebanon, said it would not stop attacks on Israeli soldiers inside Lebanon and on towns in northern Israel as long as Israel continues to violate the ceasefire.
Israel has been repeatedly accused of violating the ceasefire agreement, with attacks killing civilians and houses continuing to collapse, although the military claims it is only targeting Hezbollah sites.
Under the terms of the agreement, Israel was effectively given permission to continue its attacks on Lebanon, as it retained "the right to take all necessary measures in self-defense at any time against planned, imminent or ongoing attacks," according to the Guardian.
India's Ministry of External Affairs said the attack on Fujairah in the UAE - in which three Indian nationals were injured - was "unacceptable" and called for an immediate end to "targeting of civilian infrastructure and innocent civilians".
Officials in Fujairah announced yesterday that a fire broke out in the Fujairah Oil Industrial Zone, following what they said was a drone attack originating from Iran. Civil defense teams were immediately deployed to contain the fire, the Fujairah Media Office said.
The US and Iran launched fresh attacks in the Gulf on Monday as they battle for control of the Strait of Hormuz amid twin naval blockades, bringing the region back to the brink of full-scale war.
The fresh salvos of missiles and drones came after Donald Trump launched a new attempt to get the captured tankers and other ships through the vital energy and trade route, which has been virtually closed since the US-Israeli war against Iran began in late February.
On Monday, several merchant ships in the Gulf reported explosions or fires, the US said it had destroyed six small Iranian military boats – a claim Tehran denied – and Iran attacked the UAE with drones and missiles, setting fire to the oil port of Fujairah.
The US Central Command (Centcom) said two US-flagged merchant ships passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, while US Navy destroyers were operating in the Gulf. Shipping company Maersk later said one of its US-flagged commercial ships had successfully exited the strait under US military escort.
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