Iran says it has sent response to US peace proposal

TEHRAN: Iran has ​sent its response to a US proposal to begin peace talks to end the war, Iranian state media reported on Sunday, as two carriers were allowed to pass through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.
The response, sent to mediator Pakistan, focused on ending the war on all fronts, especially Lebanon, and on the safety of shipping through the strait, Iranian state TV said, without indicating how or when the vital waterway might reopen.
Pakistan has received ​Iran's ​response to the US proposal and the response has ⁠been sent to the US, a ‌Pakistani government ​official involved ⁠in the ​talks said.
The source ​did not provide further detail about the proposal.
This followed a US proposal to end fighting before starting talks on more contentious issues, including Iran's nuclear programme. There was no immediate US comment on the Iranian response.
After some 48 hours of relative calm following sporadic clashes last week, hostile drones were detected over several Gulf countries on Sunday, underlining ⁠the threat still facing the region despite a month-old ceasefire.
Still, the QatarEnergy-operated carrier Al Kharaitiyat passed safely through the strait and was heading for Pakistan's Port Qasim, according to data ⁠from shipping analytics firm Kpler, the first Qatari vessel carrying liquefied natural gas to cross the strait since the US and Israel started the war on February 28.
Sources said earlier the transfer, which offered a modicum of relief to Pakistan after a wave of power blackouts caused by a halt to vital gas imports, had been approved by Iran to build confidence with Qatar and Pakistan, both mediators in the war.
In addition, a Panama-flagged bulk carrier bound for ‌Brazil that had previously attempted to transit the strait on May 4, passed through, using a route designated ​by Iran’s armed forces, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency ⁠reported on Sunday.
As US President Donald Trump was due to visit China this week, there ​has been mounting pressure to draw a line under the ‌war, which has ignited a global energy crisis and poses a growing threat to the world economy.
But, despite diplomatic efforts to break a deadlock between the two sides and the passage of the two vessels, the threat to shipping lanes and the economies of the region remained high.
Tehran has largely blocked non-Iranian shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which before the war carried one-fifth of the world's oil supply and which has emerged as one of the central pressure points in the war.
Iranian lawmakers have said they are ​drafting a bill to formalise ‌Iran's ⁠management of the strait, with clauses including forbidden passage to vessels of 'hostile states'.
Recent days have seen the biggest flare-ups in fighting in and around the strait since a ceasefire began a month ago. SEE ALSO P6 & 7