The US has unleashed new strikes on Iran, on a military site near the Strait of Hormuz that a Washington official said was a threat to American forces.
The official told Reuters the US military shot down four Iranian attack drones and struck a ground control station in the port city of Bandar Abbas that was about to launch another.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard responded to the attack by targeting a US airbase from which it said the strike had been launched, as hopes faded over a potential deal to end the conflict.
The war between the United States and Iran, three months old today, has several times come tantalisingly close to a resolution, only for a proposed deal to collapse at the last minute. Pakistan and Qatar have acted as go-betweens in peace talks, but neither has been able to deliver a resolution.
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he was “not satisfied” yet with the terms of the deal being discussed with Iran, saying Tehran was “very much intent” on reaching an agreement but “so far they haven’t gotten there”.
It came after Iranian state media reported what it said were details of a draft deal, which the White House branded a “complete fabrication”.
Here are the five issues needing to be resolved in order to secure a peace deal in the war.
Trump spoke with cabinet members including Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)Who controls the Strait of Hormuz?
Around 20 per cent of the world’s oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz before the conflict began on 28 February – when US and Israeli strikes on Iran killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and other top officials.
The Strait was governed not by any one nation, but by international maritime law – its primary shipping lanes divided between the territorial waters of Iran and Oman. Since the war began, the vital waterway has effectively been shut, sending energy prices soaring across the world.
Vessels anchored at the Strait of Hormuz (Photo: Reuters)Trump on Wednesday dismissed an Iranian state TV report that it had obtained an unofficial draft agreement that looked at restoring traffic through the Strait to prewar levels within a month, with Iran and Oman jointly managing traffic. “Nobody’s going to control [the Strait],” he said at a cabinet meeting. “It’s international waters and Oman will behave just like everybody else or we’ll have to blow them up. They understand that, they’ll be fine.”
Earlier this week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “The straits have to be open. They’re going to be open one way or the other, so they need to be open. What’s happening there is unlawful, it’s illegal, it’s unsustainable for the world, it’s unacceptable.”
Will Iran give up any of its nuclear programme?
Iran’s nuclear programme and international concerns over its possible pursuit of a nuclear weapon underlie all tensions in the region. During the latest negotiations, there was discussion of Tehran giving up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Recent negotiations looked at Iran diluting some of the uranium and transferring the rest to a third country, potentially Russia or China – although Trump said on Wednesday that would make him “uncomfortable”.
A satellite image shows a closer view of Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility after it was hit by a US strike in March (Photo: Handout via Reuters)He suggested this week that the enriched uranium “will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place.”
Iran has about 972 pounds of uranium that is enriched up to 60 per cent purity, just below weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Iran says it has an “inalienable” right to nuclear technology. On Sunday, President Masoud Pezeshkian told state TV the country was ready “to assure the world that we are not after a nuclear weapon.”
Last week, Trump said on social media that “our relationship with Iran is becoming a much more professional and productive one. They must understand, however, that they cannot develop or procure a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb.”
Will the US offer any sanctions relief or unfreezing of assets?
Speaking at his cabinet meeting, Trump said Iran would not receive any sanctions relief as a result of the latest negotiations, despite Tehran’s demands. “We’re not talking about any easing of sanctions or giving money,” Trump said.
Later on Wednesday, Reuters reported that the US had imposed sanctions on the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, the body Iran has set up to manage the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump says the US will not be releasing any Iranian assets (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)Iran reportedly wants $US12bn (£8.9bn) in funds unfrozen and released from banks around the world.
“We have control of money that they claim is theirs,” Trump said at the cabinet meeting. “We’ll keep control of that money. When they behave properly, and when they do what’s right, we’ll let them have their money. But right now, we’re not doing that.”
Would the US reduce its military footprint in the area?
There are no US military bases in Iran, but several surrounding countries host US service personnel, including Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Responsible Statecraft, a website analysing military affairs, says some of these US bases could become a liability.
“Closing US bases would … reduce a key source of exposure and create space for a more balanced approach to regional security — one that emphasises de-escalation, diversification, and greater self-reliance,” the website wrote.
“A useful contrast is Pakistan, which has managed to balance security cooperation with regional partners and the US while avoiding the liabilities associated with hosting a permanent US military presence.”
A resident carries belongings as she walks through the rubble of her home in Lebanon, destroyed in an Israeli airstrike earlier this week. (Picture: Mohammed Zaatari/AP)What can be done about the war between Israel and Hezbollah?
As the US and Iran try to hammer out a deal for peace, the war between Israel and Lebanese-backed militants Hezbollah continues. On Wednesday, the Israeli military told residents across southern Lebanon to leave as it expands its operations there, in another challenge for Trump.
It was the first warning since Trump declared a ceasefire on 17 April, and came as Israeli troops crossed the Litani River, edging closer to the southern city of Nabatiyeh. Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has also intensified in the town of Zawtar al-Sharqieh.
The war started on 2 March after Hezbollah fired rockets towards northern Israel in solidarity with Iran. More than a million people in Lebanon have since been displaced, and over 3,200 people killed in Israeli strikes, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
The Israeli military said it has struck 550 targets since the start of the week. Hezbollah has vowed to fight until the war ends in Lebanon and Israel withdraws its troops.
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