The Iranian clock is ticking and unusual reports are also coming from the Yemen area. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which monitors maritime risk reports, said on Saturday that multiple vessels had reported “suspicious activity” in the Gulf of Aden, which separates Yemen from Africa.
According to the agency, it received “multiple reports” of small boats approaching vessels and of a larger boat with two outboard engines seen carrying ladders and weapons.
“Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO,” UKMTO said, adding that authorities have opened an investigation into the incidents.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir, acting in his role as a mediator in talks between Iran and the United States, continues a series of meetings in Tehran aimed at preventing a return to war.
After arriving on Friday evening, he met for hours late into the night with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. On Saturday, he met the speaker of parliament leading the talks, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and President Masoud Pezeshkian. He later met Araghchi again.
Another mediator is Qatar, whose foreign ministry published details of a call between its prime minister Mohammed Al Thani and Araghchi. The conversation, it said, focused on “ongoing efforts to achieve peace and reinforce regional security and stability”.
According to Qatar, Al Thani stressed to Araghchi that freedom of navigation is a fundamental principle not open to compromise.“It is not open to compromise and that closing the Strait of Hormuz or using it as a pressure tool would only deepen the crisis and endanger the vital interests of the countries in the region,” he said.
Iranian reports said Araghchi also spoke on Friday with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.
However, the Revolutionary Guards continue to their own course, maintaining control over maritime passage through Hormuz, alongside what they describe as an American blockade on Iran.
In a statement released at 12:00, the Revolutionary Guards said that in the past 24 hours, 25 vessels had passed through the strait, including oil tankers, container ships and commercial vessels. It said the ships crossed only after receiving the necessary approvals and coordination of security provided by the Revolutionary Guards navy.
The main points of dispute in the negotiations appear to be enriched uranium, which according to unverified reports Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf insists must not be removed from Iran, and freedom of navigation in Hormuz.
Iran continues to demand first a preliminary agreement to end the war, and only afterward negotiations on core disputes such as the nuclear issue.
According to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, “the U.S. insistence on a complete ban on uranium enrichment in Iran is an idea that has moved beyond reach after the recent war against Iran. The war did not weaken Iran’s nuclear will, and U.S. and Israeli military actions did not cause Tehran to retreat but strengthened its determination to maintain enrichment. Zero enrichment is equivalent to total surrender from Iran’s perspective. The American demand for the complete dismantling of enrichment capability is nothing less than unconditional surrender, and no agreement can be signed on such terms. The only way forward for Washington is to accept the reality of enrichment on Iranian soil.”
On Friday, the Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported, citing a source in Pakistan’s foreign ministry, that “Washington and Tehran are not showing sufficient flexibility on key issues, and the army chief’s visit to Tehran may be a last effort to prevent the return of war to the region.”
U.S. also preparing for war
CBS reported that the administration is preparing for a new military strike against Iran, although no decision has yet been made. Some military and intelligence officials reportedly cancelled their Memorial Day weekend plans.
Defense and intelligence officials have also begun updating emergency readiness lists for U.S. facilities abroad, while forces deployed in the Middle East are rotating as part of an effort to reduce the U.S. military footprint in the region amid fears of possible Iranian retaliation.
Meanwhile, Axios reported that Trump, who on Friday evening said he would skip his son Donald Jr.’s wedding in the Caribbean and remain at the White House due to the situation and the “during this important period of time”, has become increasingly frustrated in recent days.
Earlier in the week he reportedly cancelled a major strike he said was due to take place the following day, in order to give diplomacy another chance. A source close to Trump said he raised the possibility of a “final” operation involving extensive strikes, after which he would declare victory and end the war.
The President of the United States on the situation with Iran
(Video: TheWhiteHouse)
Another U.S. official described the negotiations as an “agonising” process, saying drafts are being passed back and forth “every day” with no significant progress.
Araghchi, for his part, told UN Secretary-General António Guterres that the U.S. is undermining negotiations through “excessive demands”, while reiterating Iran’s commitment to diplomacy. He also spoke with Oman’s foreign minister Badr al-Busaidi, who stressed the importance of restoring safe maritime navigation.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Munir’s arrival in Iran signals a “critical juncture” in the talks, but it remains unclear which direction they are heading, despite reports of a “final draft” for a short memorandum of understanding that would end the war and defer core disputes, primarily the nuclear issue, to later negotiations.
Journalist Lawrence Norman reported, citing his sources, that the draft is not accurate. The paper also reported, citing Middle Eastern sources, that although mediators are trying to accelerate talks toward a breakthrough, if none is achieved the war could resume within days.