Iran intercepts US MQ-1 drone east of Strait of Hormuz - The Express Tribune
US Vice President JD Vance has contacted Iran's security chief in a bid to revive peace talks that could head off a renewed American assault on the country, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
Vance sent a letter to Mohsen Rezaei, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, the Journal reported, in a move one of the newspaper's sources said US President Donald Trump directed.
The letter β as well as subsequent talks between US and Iranian officials β focused on a possible framework for negotiations rather than specifics of a peace proposal, the Journal said.
Asked whether he had directed Vance to speak with Iran, Trump said: βNo, what it is is that they need help with medical supplies and various things.β
"He asked me what I thought. I said, if you want to do that, that's okay. Basically, it's getting supplies in to help people that are not well," he added.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it intercepted a US MQ-1 drone with its air defence system east of the Strait of Hormuz, according to Press TV on Thursday.
IRGC says it has intercepted and shut down another US MQ-1 drone using an advanced air defense system east of the Strait of Hormuz pic.twitter.com/0i9IpyO479
The report comes as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that Iran was in "close and ongoing contact" with intermediaries to review ideas that could ensure the implementation of Tehran's seven-day peace plan amid the current conflict with the United States.
"While our brave armed forces are fully prepared to defend the homeland, Iran continues to give diplomacy a chance to succeed. We remain in close and ongoing contact with intermediaries to review ideas that can ensure implementation of our seven-day plan in even less than a week," he said in a post on X.
A fire was reported aboard a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, 9 nautical miles north of Khasab, Oman, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said Thursday.
According to the UKMTO, the master of a third-party vessel reported seeing another vessel on fire.
The status of the crew remains unknown, and no damage assessment or environmental impact report was available at the time of the statement.
UKMTO advised vessels to transit the area with caution and report any suspicious activity as authorities investigate.
The incident comes amid rising tensions between Iran and the US over navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy and commodity supplies.
Regional mediators led by Qatar are working to restart negotiations between the US and Iran to prevent a resumption of the war, the Axios news site reported on Wednesday.
They are urging Tehran to allow UN inspectors to visit bombed nuclear sites in return for some relief from US sanctions, according to the report, which cited US, Israeli and regional sources.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkiye are supporting the effort, it said.
US President Donald Trump told Axios that talks with Iran are taking place through mediators but said he does not know whether they will succeed.
βWe need to finish the job β either through a deal or another way β we will find out if negotiations can succeed,β he said.
The report comes as Trump has threatened for weeks to launch large-scale strikes against Iran.
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