DRONE STRIKES
Iran’s neighbour Kuwait also reported an attempted attack.
“At dawn today, the armed forces detected a number of hostile drones in Kuwaiti airspace, which were dealt with in accordance with established procedures,” the military posted on social media.
Iran has choked off the Strait of Hormuz – a vital route out of the Gulf for oil, gas and fertiliser, seeking to wield economic leverage over the United States and its allies.
The US Navy, meanwhile, is blockading and sometimes disabling or diverting ships heading to and from Iran’s ports.
Tension is rising as Washington waits for Tehran to respond to its latest offer of a deal to extend a truce to allow the foes to enter peace negotiations.
US President Donald Trump had said he was expecting Pakistani mediators to receive Iran’s answer on Friday, but none has been made public.
“The recent escalation of tensions by American forces in the Persian Gulf and their numerous actions in violating the ceasefire have added to suspicions about the motivation and seriousness of the American side in the path of diplomacy,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, according to Iran’s ISNA news agency.
Iran has set up a payment mechanism to extract tolls from shipping trying to cross the strait, but US officials have repeatedly stressed that it would be “unacceptable” for Tehran to control what had been an international waterway and the route of a fifth of the world’s oil exports.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Saturday with the leader of Qatar, a key intermediary. Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met the previous day with US Vice President JD Vance to discuss efforts to broker a permanent peace.
Iran has attacked sites in Qatar during the war, pointing to the wealthy emirate’s role as host of a major US air base.