Iran Sends Response to U.S. Peace Proposal as Tanker Clears Hormuz Blockade
Iran has delivered its reply to a U.S. proposal aimed at ending the war, CNBC reported Sunday, citing Iran’s IRNA state news agency. The response was forwarded to Pakistan, which is serving as mediator between the two sides.
Iran Channels Reply Through Islamabad
Tehran transmitted its answer to Washington’s framework for ceasing hostilities through Pakistani intermediaries. Under Iran’s terms, any initial negotiations would focus solely on stopping the fighting and would not touch more contentious questions, including the country’s nuclear program. No further specifics were immediately disclosed.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz said on ABC’s “This Week” that Washington had not yet formally received the response. He pointed to leadership uncertainty in Tehran as the primary obstacle to progress. Waltz noted that Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Supreme Leader, had been seriously wounded and remained in hiding, complicating communication with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard command structure. Waltz said diplomacy was nonetheless continuing and that the administration would await Tehran’s position.
A Narrow Strait Choking Global Energy Supply
Background on the Hormuz Crisis
Before hostilities broke out on February 28, the Strait of Hormuz handled roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply. Iran has since imposed a near-total block on non-Iranian commercial shipping through the waterway, triggering a global energy crisis and a wave of power outages across Pakistan following the halt to gas imports. The disruption has put sustained pressure on commodity markets and raised fears over broader economic fallout.
First Qatari Tanker Clears the Strait
In a significant, if limited, development on Sunday, the QatarEnergy-operated LNG carrier Al Kharaitiyat transited the strait and proceeded toward Pakistan’s Port Qasim. Shipping analytics firm Kpler confirmed the passage, marking the first Qatari LNG vessel to clear the chokepoint since the war began. Tehran reportedly cleared the transit as a confidence-building measure toward Qatar and Pakistan, both active mediators in the conflict. A second vessel, a Panama-flagged bulk carrier bound for Brazil, also passed through using a route designated by Iranian armed forces.
Drone Attacks Undercut Ceasefire Optimism
Despite those openings, the security picture across the Gulf deteriorated again on Sunday. The United Arab Emirates reported intercepting two drones launched from Iranian territory. Qatar condemned a drone strike on a cargo vessel in its waters. Kuwait activated air defenses after hostile drones entered its airspace. The incidents highlighted the fragility of a month-old ceasefire and cast doubt on whether either side is ready to fully stand down.
With President Donald Trump scheduled to visit China this week, pressure is mounting on Washington to contain the conflict before it further destabilizes global trade and energy markets. Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Miami on Saturday and separately urged Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi to stop using the strait as a lever of coercion.
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