US Iran War Highlights: Fresh clash with US ‘likely’, says Iran official after Trump's discontent over Tehran's proposal

US Iran War Highlights: Updates to this blog have ended

Iran reportedstated on Saturday that it is ultimately up to the United States to decide whether to pursue a negotiated settlement or return to open conflict, adding that Tehran is prepared for either scenario.

"Now the ball is in the United States' court to choose the path of diplomacy or the continuation of a confrontational approach," deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi told diplomats in Tehran, reported state broadcaster IRIB.

"Iran, with the aim of securing its national interests and security, is prepared for both paths," he mentioned.

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, held a phone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, during which he was updated on the ongoing negotiations with the United States aimed at securing a lasting end to the conflict, reported Al Jazeera.

Al Thani reiterated Qatar’s support for mediation efforts to bring about a peaceful resolution to the war, and emphasized that ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is vital and should be reinstated without delay.

Lebanese armed forces commander General Rudolf Haykal and U.S. General Joseph Clearfield met in Beirut to discuss the security situation in Lebanon and regional developments, the army said on Saturday in a statement.

Iran’s mission to the UN on Saturday said the US is not complying with the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT), calling it “hypocritical behaviour”.

Weeks after Israel and Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire, Hezbollah on Saturday released a video which it says shows fighters targeting Israeli soldiers with rocket fire and artillery rounds in the town of al-Qantara in southern Lebanon.

Iraq could return its oil production and export levels to normal within a week once the crisis over the Strait of Hormuz ends, Deputy Oil Minister Basim Mohammed said on Saturday, as per Reuters.

He noted that current output is around 1.5 million barrels per day, with nearly 200,000 barrels per day being exported through Ceyhan. He also said two tankers have already been readied, while two additional shipments are expected depending on security conditions in the Strait, which Tehran has largely restricted amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran.

An India-linked tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas has successfully navigated the Strait of Hormuz, a rare transit that highlights ongoing efforts to ease a long-standing energy shortage, as per Bloomberg.

The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel Sarv Shakti, transporting about 45,000 tons of LPG commonly used for cooking, reportedly entered the Gulf of Oman after passing Iran’s Larak and Qeshm islands on Saturday, according to ship-tracking data.

A senior Iranian Foreign Ministry official said the “comfort, welfare, and progress of regional nations” depend on the United States getting out of the Gulf, as per Al Jazeera.

Hossein Noushabadi, director general for parliamentary affairs and law at the ministry, told the state-linked ISNA news agency that “foreigners have always cast greedy eyes” upon the strategic maritime “asset”, which he called “part of Iran’s identity and civilisation”.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the alliance is facing an “ongoing disintegration,” describing it as a “disastrous trend” as divisions deepen within NATO over the US-Israeli war against Iran. “The greatest threat to the transatlantic community are not its external enemies but the ongoing disintegration of our alliance. We must all do what it takes to reverse this disastrous trend,” Tusk said.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health reports that since Israeli attacks began two months ago (March 2 to May 2), a total of 2,659 people have been killed and 8,183 others injured across the country, as per Al Jazeera.

Representative of Iran's Supreme Leader in India Abdul Majeed Hakeem Ilahi on Saturday described the ongoing tensions between Iran and the Israel–US alliance as a situation of “no war, no peace", as per PTI. He also called for an immediate end to the conflict, stressing that global stability depends on those who initiated the hostilities.

China on Saturday said it would not adhere to US sanctions imposed on five companies accused of purchasing Iranian oil, according to its commerce ministry, as per AFP.

China remains a major buyer of Iranian crude, largely through independent “teapot” refineries that depend on discounted supplies from the Islamic republic.

The United States, aiming to cut off revenue to Tehran, has intensified sanctions targeting these refineries.

As the US naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz intensifies pressure on Iran’s oil trade, exports have dropped sharply in recent weeks and storage facilities are quickly reaching capacity, as per Bloomberg. A senior Iranian official reportedly said the country has already started reducing production.

However, there is an important factor Washington may be overlooking: Tehran has spent decades preparing for situations like this.

A senior Iranian military official said on Saturday that fresh clashes with the United States were “likely,” just hours after Donald Trump expressed dissatisfaction with Tehran’s latest negotiation proposal, as per AFP.

According to state media, Iran submitted the new proposal to mediator Pakistan on Thursday evening, though details of the draft were not disclosed.

China’s UN ambassador Fu Cong said that preserving the ceasefire and reopening the Strait of Hormuz are “urgent” priorities, as per Al Jazeera. He added that the matter would feature prominently on the agenda if the waterway remains closed during Donald Trump’s forthcoming visit to Beijing.

The UAE’s aviation authority announced that air traffic operations in the country have returned to normal, state news agency reports said on Saturday, after precautionary measures introduced on February 28 at the onset of the Iran conflict were lifted, as per Reuters.

The General Civil Aviation Authority said the decision came after a thorough review of operational and security conditions, carried out in coordination with relevant authorities.

An Iranian proposal, which has been dismissed so far by Donald Trump, suggested reopening shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and lifting the US blockade on Iran, while postponing discussions on Tehran’s nuclear programme to a later stage, a senior Iranian official said.

“Under this framework, negotiations over the more complicated nuclear issue have been moved to the final stage ‌to create a more conducive atmosphere,” the official told Reuters.

At least three people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of Louaizeh, according to the National News Agency (NNA), reported Al Jazeera.

Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Saturday killed at least seven people and left several others injured, as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continued despite an existing ceasefire, as per AP.

The strikes came shortly after Israel’s military issued fresh evacuation warnings to residents of nine villages in southern Lebanon.

Clashes between Israeli forces and Lebanon’s Hezbollah have persisted even though a ceasefire has been in effect since April 17.