Welcome to our live coverage of US politics and the war with Iran.
The UK has announced it is sending a naval destroyer to the Middle East as part of “prudent planning” for a British- and French-led coalition to facilitate shipping in the Strait of Hormuz once a durable ceasefire is reached.
The British defence ministry said HMS Dragon – “one of the most advanced warships in the world” – would strengthen the confidence of commercial vessels and support mine clearance efforts.
It comes after Iran questioned the seriousness of American diplomacy on Saturday in the wake of renewed naval clashes in The Gulf, while keeping Washington waiting for a response to its latest negotiating position.
US President Donald Trump had said on Friday that he was expecting Iran’s response to Washington’s latest proposal on a deal to extend a fragile truce and launch peace talks – “supposedly tonight”.
But, if Iran did send the talks’ Pakistani mediators a response, there was no public sign of it, and Tehran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called into question the reliability of the US leadership, in a call with his Turkish counterpart.
“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,” he said.
Tehran is furious about the violent confrontation that occurred on Thursday, local time, between the US and Iran on and around the Strait of Hormuz.
A senior military figure said the US had “crossed the point of no return” and a response would occur.
Yet Iran’s foreign ministry has said the country remains in “nominal ceasefire situation”.
It at once shows how fragile the current truce is and also how Iran appears to be run by several disjointed parts of the hierarchy with wildly different interpretations of the conflict.
Mr Trump said the clash was a “love tap”.
Read on for more updates