DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) 鈥� The U.S. military said it intercepted Iranian attacks Thursday on three Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz and 鈥渢argeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces,” highlighting the fragility of between the two countries.
U.S. Central Command said in a social media post that U.S. forces intercepted 鈥渦nprovoked Iranian attacks鈥� and responded with self-defense strikes.
The U.S. military said no ships were hit. It said it doesn鈥檛 seek escalation but 鈥渞emains positioned and ready to protect American forces.鈥�
President Donald Trump told reporters in Washington that the ceasefire was holding despite the violence.
鈥淭hey trifled with us today. We blew them away,鈥� Trump said.
Meanwhile, Iranian state media said the country鈥檚 armed forces exchanged fire with 鈥渢he enemy鈥� on Qeshm Island in the strait. It is the largest Iranian island in the Persian Gulf, home to about 150,000 people. It also houses a water desalination plant.
Iranian state media also reported loud noises and defensive fire in western Tehran. In southern Iran, explosions were heard near Bandar Abbas, semiofficial Iranian news agencies Fars and Tasnim said. The reports did not identify the source of the blasts.
Earlier in the day, a shipping data company reported that Iran has created a government agency to vet and tax vessels seeking passage through the crucial .
The Iranian effort to formalize control over the channel raised new concerns about international shipping, with hundreds of commercial vessels bottled up in the Persian Gulf and unable to reach the open sea. Still, hope that the two-month conflict could soon be over .
U.S. administration has sent mixed messages
between the U.S. and Iran has largely held since April 8. between the two countries, hosted by Pakistan last month, failed to reach an agreement to end the war that began Feb. 28 when the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran.
Earlier Thursday, Tehran said it was examining the latest U.S. proposals for ending .
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the Islamic Republic was reviewing messages from Pakistan, which is mediating peace negotiations, but Iran 鈥渉as not yet reached a conclusion, and no response has been given to the U.S. side,鈥� Iranian state TV reported.
, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed Middle East peace efforts with Pope Leo XIV, whose opposition to the Iran war has led to open .
The Trump administration has sent on its strategy to end the war. The tenuous ceasefire and previous declarations that military operations were over have given way to if Tehran does not accept a deal that allows for resumption of oil and natural gas shipments disrupted by the conflict.
Trump reiterated those after Thursday’s exchange of fire.
鈥淭hey have to understand: If it doesn鈥檛 get signed, they鈥檙e going to have a lot of pain,鈥� he told reporters.
Asked how close the U.S. was to a deal with Iran, Trump said: 鈥淚t could happen any day,” but quickly added, 鈥淎nd it might not happen.鈥�
Pakistan says it expects a deal soon
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke by phone Thursday with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said.
鈥淲e expect an agreement sooner rather than later,鈥� Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said. 鈥淲e hope the parties will reach a peaceful and sustainable solution that will contribute not only to peace in our region but to international peace as well.鈥�
He declined to give a timeline.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, speaking in televised remarks, said Islamabad remained in 鈥渃ontinuous contact with Iran and the United States, day and night, to stop the war and extend the ceasefire.鈥�
Meanwhile, direct talks were scheduled next week in Washington, according to a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss plans for the closed-door meetings. The official said talks will be held May 14 and 15.
Iran creates agency to control passage at Hormuz
The report by shipping data firm Lloyd鈥檚 List Intelligence that Iran has established a new government agency to approve transit and collect tolls from shipping in the strait raised concerns over the freedom of navigation on which global trade depends.
The agency, called the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, is 鈥減ositioning itself as the only valid authority to grant permission to ships transiting the strait,鈥� Lloyd鈥檚 reported in an online briefing Thursday. Lloyd’s said the authority had emailed it an application form for ships seeking passage.
Iran has effectively closed the strait, a vital waterway for the shipment of oil, gas, fertilizer , while the U.S. is blockading Iranian ports. The disruptions have sent fuel prices skyrocketing and .
The new Iranian agency formalizes an existing vetting lane that takes vessels through the strait鈥檚 northern waters near the Iranian coastline. Iran controls which ships pass and, for at least some vessels, imposes a tax on their cargo.
Maritime law experts say Iran鈥檚 demands to vet or tax vessels violate international law. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea calls for countries to permit peaceful passage through their territorial waters.
The U.S. and its Gulf allies are pushing for the to support a resolution that condemns Iran鈥檚 chokehold on the strait and threatens sanctions. A prior resolution calling for reopening the strait was vetoed by Iran allies Russia and China.
Iran’s president reports lengthy meeting with new supreme leader
Top Iranian officials have said is playing a key role in overseeing negotiations with the U.S. But he has not appeared in public since he was wounded early in the war.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he met recently for more than two hours with Khamenei. In remarks aired Thursday on Iranian state television, Pezeshkian praised the supreme leader鈥檚 鈥渟incere鈥� behavior in what he said was a long in-person meeting.
Khamenei has only released a series of written statements since being named supreme leader in March, replacing his father, , who was killed during the war鈥檚 initial strikes.
Saudi official says kingdom did not support U.S. effort to reopen strait
Trump did not consult with U.S. ally Saudi Arabia before launching a short-lived effort this week to force open a shipping passage through the strait, according to a Saudi official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
鈥淲e told them that we are not part of this and that they can鈥檛 use our territories and bases for this,鈥� the official said Thursday.
The official said Saudi Arabia sent a message to Iran that the kingdom would not be involved in U.S. attacks related to Trump鈥檚 attempt to reopen the strait.
Trump suspended the effort, dubbed Project Freedom, during its second day Tuesday, saying pausing it would allow more time to reach a peace agreement. Only two American-flagged merchant ships are known to have passed through the U.S.-guarded route. The U.S. military said it sank six Iranian small boats threatening civilian ships.
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McHugh reported from Frankfurt, Germany, and Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. Associated Press journalists Sally Abou AlJoud, in Beirut; Elena Becatoros in Athens, Greece; Matthew Lee and Darlene Superville in Washington; Samy Magdy and Amir-Hussein Radjy in Cairo; Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Pakistan; Farnoush Amiri in New York; Nicole Winfield in Vatican City and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this report.
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