President Donald Trump told CNN on Friday that his administration was expecting to hear back from Iran later that evening about a US proposal aimed at ending the conflict.
Asked by CNN’s Kristen Holmes whether he had received a response from Iran, Trump said, “We’ll hear from them supposedly tonight.”
Pressed on whether he believed the Iranians were slow-rolling negotiations, Trump replied that he did not know. “We’ll find out soon enough,” he said.
As at Saturday morning Eastern time, it is not clear if Iran has responded to the US.
The president’s comments came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US expected a response from Iran on Friday regarding a proposal intended to end the war.
Other headlines to know:
- Project Freedom: Trump told reporters that the US might resume a short-lived operation, named “Project Freedom,” that guided ships through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Attacks on vessels: US Central Command said on Friday the US military fired on and disabled two Iranian-flagged oil tankers as the ships tried to bypass the blockade. The attacks came after the US said it targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking its warships in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Exchange of fire: According to Iranian media, the US and Iran have been embroiled in a “limited exchange of fire” around the strait, while Trump maintains the ceasefire is still in effect. Rubio said that the latest US military action was “separate and distinct from Operation Epic Fury” and that the US would continue to respond “defensively.”
- Hezbollah attacks: Hezbollah said it attacked a military base in Israel on Friday, which appears to be the first time the Iranian-backed group has publicly claimed responsibility for a cross-border strike since a truce between Israel and Lebanon was ordered in mid-April.
- Port blockade: US Central Command said Friday that more than 70 vessels are being stopped from entering or leaving Iran’s ports amid the US blockade.
CNN’s Alejandra Jaramillo, Haley Britzky, Zachary Cohen, Billy Stockwell, Brad Lendon, Eleni Giokos, Tim Lister, Aida Karimi, Sana Noor Haq, Jennifer Hansler, Sarah Tamimi, Charbel Mallo, Eugenia Yosef, Kevin Liptak, Kaanita Iyer and Mustafa Qadri contributed to this report.
