The US said it shot down a pair of Iranian drones threatening the Strait of Hormuz, the latest escalation of violence as the war reached its 100th day on Sunday with no end in sight.
It happened as Pakistan, the mediator, conveyed a message to Iran’s supreme leader after weeks of indirect talks marred by tit-for-tat threats and sporadic gunfire.
Efforts to turn a cease-fire into a long-term settlement have repeatedly failed, while the fighting has shaken global markets and increased domestic pressure on US President Donald Trump ahead of the 2018 elections.
However, there were signs of renewed diplomatic efforts over the weekend, with Pakistan’s interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, visiting Tehran.
According to Iranian state media, Naqvi arrived on Saturday with a “special letter” from Pakistan’s army chief to Iran’s Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, as well as a message from the prime minister “regarding the current situation.”
Following a single round of direct negotiations in Islamabad, Pakistan’s military leader, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, has played an important role in mediating talks between Iran and the United States.
“I think it’s a very important message,” said Naqvi, a frequent visitor to Iran.
His travel occurred as US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the destruction of two Iranian drones “that threatened international maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz,” just hours after reporting the strike on four additional drones and coastal surveillance radar stations.
Tehran fired a barrage of missiles at US allies Bahrain and Kuwait on Saturday, prompting an outraged response from the Gulf monarchies and putting more strain on the tenuous ceasefire reached on April 8.
Iran’s foreign ministry described the latest US strikes as “flagrant” violations and condemned Washington’s “hostile and provocative behavior.”
Mohsen Rezaei, Iran’s supreme leader’s military adviser, previously told CNN that negotiations with the US “are at a deadlock, and Trump must break this deadlock” as he urged for the release of approximately $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets.
However, Washington may seek to use those monies to pay for the damage caused by Iranian strikes on Gulf allies.
The US “Treasury will utilize all tools available to allow Iranian assets to be made available to our Gulf allies to support rebuilding and repairs for any future damage caused by Iran,” a source familiar with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s thinking said.
Lebanese army leader Rodolphe Haykal, meanwhile, left on Saturday for his own talks in Pakistan as Beirut seeks a permanent resolution to the war between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
On March 2, Hezbollah launched an attack on Israel, drawing Lebanon into the war. Iran has emphasized during peace talks with Washington that the battle in Lebanon and the Gulf War are intrinsically linked.
On Saturday, Lebanon said that an Israeli strike in the country’s south had killed three of its soldiers. Israel’s military said it was “reviewing the incident” and claimed its campaign in Lebanon was aimed against Hezbollah, not government forces.
Lebanon’s health ministry reported that an Israeli strike on Saksakiyeh in the south killed two women and injured 22 others.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military revealed the deaths of two troops.
The ceasefire agreed in April did not end the bloodshed in Lebanon, and a new conditional truce agreement announced this week was openly rejected by Hezbollah.
On Sunday, Israel’s military said it intercepted two rockets fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory.
