US expects Iranian response Friday amid clashes in Strait of Hormuz

WASHINGTON - The United States said it expects Iran to respond to its latest proposal to end their war imminently, as clashes in the Strait of Hormuz threatened to further fracture a monthlong ceasefire.

Iran has still given no indication whether it will accept President Donald Trump's plan, sent Wednesday, which proposes that the Islamic Republic reopen the strait and the U.S. end a blockade on Iranian ports over the next month.

Tehran's response is "under review," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei told the semi-official Tasnim news agency, without giving a timeline.

The one-page document implies Iran's acceptance would end the 10-week war, which has killed thousands of people across the Middle East and sent energy prices soaring, even though the two sides would still need to negotiate a deal over Iran's nuclear program.

Oil edged higher, with investors weighing whether renewed clashes would derail the fragile ceasefire. Global benchmark Brent crude settled around $101 a barrel, but still notched a weekly drop of about 6%.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance met with the Qatari prime minister Friday to discuss bilateral relations and the situation in Iran with a focus on liquefied natural gas markets and regional stability, according to a person familiar. The White House and vice president's office didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

Qatar has served as a regional mediator between the United States and Iran. Axios reported earlier on the meeting.

Trump faces intense domestic and international pressure to end the war, with Americans increasingly opposed to it and frustrated by soaring gasoline prices. China is among the powers amplifying calls for an immediate reopening of the strait and an end to hostilities, ahead of a scheduled summit between President Xi Jinping and Trump in Beijing next week.

Tensions worsened with a second day of clashes in the strait, with U.S. forces carrying out airstrikes on two empty Iranian oil tankers. They were trying to break the blockade and enter one of the country's ports, U.S. Central Command said Friday.

Iran said the action had violated the ceasefire agreement.

The skirmishes highlight "the confusion and inability of the ruling authorities in the United States to properly understand the situation and find a reasonable solution to exit their self-created impasse," Iran's foreign ministry posted on social media.

Trump has threatened more intense strikes if Iran refuses his terms. Iran effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas typically flows, after the war erupted with U.S. and Israeli strikes in late February.

Here's more related to the war:

-Iran said it seized a tanker in the Gulf of Oman, which appeared to be a sanctioned vessel carrying the Islamic Republic's own oil.

-The United States on Thursday targeted missile and drone launch sites in Iran that it said were responsible for attacking three American warships. No vessels were hit, according to a Centcom statement.

-The United Arab Emirates said Iran fired two ballistic missiles and three drones at it on Friday, causing three moderate injuries. The UAE was also targeted Monday by Iran.

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(With assistance from John Bowker and Josh Wingrove.)

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