Iran ceasefire holds despite exchange of fire

WASHINGTON: Washington said Iran had not ​breached a fragile ceasefire in the Middle East conflict on Tuesday, following an exchange of fire between the two sides the previous day as US forces attempted to force open the Strait of Hormuz. The US military said it had destroyed six Iranian small boats, as well as cruise missiles and drones, after President Donald Trump sent the navy to escort stranded tankers through the strait in a campaign he called 'Project Freedom'. Iran fired missiles at US ships and attacked the United Arab Emirates, a key regional ally of ⁠Washington, with missiles and drones. The UAE's defence ministry said on Tuesday its air defences were again dealing with missile and drone attacks coming from Iran.
Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad ⁠Baqer Qalibaf, said breaches of the ceasefire by the US and its allies had endangered shipping through the strait, which carries a large share of the world's oil and fertiliser supplies. 'We know well that the continuation of the current situation is unbearable for the United States, while we have not even begun yet,' he said in a social media post.
ATTACKS IN THE GULF
The narrow strait has been virtually shut since the United States and Israel began attacks on Iran on February 28, triggering disruptions that have pushed up commodity prices around the world. Several merchant ships in the Gulf reported explosions or fires on Monday, and an oil port in the UAE, which hosts a large US military base, ​was set ablaze by Iranian missiles. The UAE reimposed flight restrictions on its airspace on Tuesday.
Iran has effectively sealed off the strait by threatening to deploy mines, drones, missiles and fast attack craft. The United States has countered by blockading Iranian ports and mounting escorted transits for commercial vessels. The US military said two US merchant ships made it through the strait, without saying when, with the support ​of Navy guided-missile destroyers. Iran denied any crossings had taken place, though shipping company Maersk said the Alliance Fairfax, a US-flagged ship, exited the Gulf under US military escort on Monday.
The commander of US forces in the region said his fleet had destroyed six small Iranian boats, which Iran also denied. Iranian media quoted a military commander as saying US forces targeted civilian and cargo vessels, killing five civilians. Iran also said it fired warning shots at a US warship approaching the strait, forcing it to turn back.
General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that since the ceasefire was announced on April ‌7, Iran had fired at commercial vessels nine times and seized two container ships. He said Iran has attacked US forces more than 10 times. However, the attacks fell 'below the threshold of restarting major combat operations at ​this point', Caine told reporters.
UAE OIL PORT ABLAZE
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said peace talks were progressing with Pakistan's mediation, and warned the US and the UAE against being drawn into a 'quagmire.' He was travelling to ​Beijing on Tuesday for talks ⁠with his Chinese counterpart, his ministry said. Iranian authorities released a map of what they said was an expanded maritime area now under Iranian control, stretching beyond the strait to include sections of the UAE coastline.
The Iranian map included Fujairah and another Emirati port, Khorfakkan, both on the Sea of Oman which the UAE has relied on since the start of the conflict to bypass the blocked strait. After a day of reported drone ​and missile attacks inside the UAE on Monday, including one that caused a fire at Fujairah, an important oil port, the UAE said Iranian attacks marked ⁠a serious escalation and it ​reserved the right to respond. Iran's state television said military officials had confirmed they attacked the UAE in response to the 'US military's adventurism'.
PEACE EFFORTS STALLED
The war in the Middle East has already killed thousands and roiled the global economy. US and Iranian officials have held one round of face-to-face peace talks, but attempts to set up further meetings have failed. Trump has said the US-Israeli attacks aimed to eliminate what he called imminent threats from Iran, citing its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, its support for Hamas and Hezbollah and its 'menacing activities'.
Iranian state media said on Sunday that the US had conveyed its response to a 14-point Iranian proposal via Pakistan, and Iran was reviewing ​it. Neither side gave details. A senior Pakistani official involved in the talks said 'backdoor diplomacy' was continuing. 'We have put in a lot of efforts, actually both the sides have narrowed gaps ​on majority issues,' the source said. Tehran's proposal would defer talks on its nuclear energy and research programmes until after agreements to end the war and on shipping security. Trump said over the weekend he was still studying it, but would likely reject it. Trump has insisted Iran must surrender its enriched uranium stockpiles to prevent it producing a nuclear weapon - an ambition Tehran denies. — Reuters