Mediators see progress in efforts to halt Iran war as drone attacks rattle region

Mediators have achieved progress in getting the United States and Iran back to negotiations regional officials said Monday after both sides paused attacks following a period of rapidly escalating tensions But scattered attacks by armed groups across the region underscored the lingering tensionsSaudi Arabia said it had shot down drones fired by Iranbacked militias in Iraq that had targeted its petroleum facilities Iranbacked Houthi rebels in Yemen meanwhile claimed to have attacked Saudi oil facilities as part of a separate but related conflict It was unclear if they referred to the same attackNeither the US nor Iran reported carrying out any attacks for three days a respite after about two weeks of sustained bombardments that led to increasing fears of a return to allout warUS President Donald Trump said Iran had asked for more discussions reaching out directly because weve been hitting them very hard Iran has said there are no direct talks underwayWere having good talks so well see what happens Trump told reporters Monday on Air Force One I think theres a good chance that something could happen And if it does good If it doesnt we go back to doing what we were doing two days agoThe two regional officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closeddoor talks said mediators led by Qatar and Pakistan were working to bridge the gap between Washington and Tehran to return to an interim ceasefire deal that had collapsed after exchanges of fireNo strikes over the weekendIn addition to the attack on Saudi Arabia two drone attacks were reported against a Kurdish Iranian dissident group in Iraq on Monday and Jordan said it had shot down two drones without saying where they originated There were no reports of casualties or damageIran and Ukraine meanwhile have been publicly feuding since Ukraine fired on at least one Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea over the weekend Iran which said a sailor had been killed in the attack is an important ally of Russia in its war against Ukraine and helped Moscow build up its drone expertiseThe US paused attacks after targeting Iranian coastal areas and infrastructure in a nearly twoweek escalation sparked by Irans firing at ships trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz a crucial waterway for global oil shipments Iran had responded to the strikes with missile and drone attacks on countries hosting US troops killing at least three service members at a base in Jordan and one in IraqIran halted its attacks following the American pause Tehrans army spokesperson told Iranian state TV on SundayQuestions about US munitions stockpileThe Iran war has drawn down the US stockpile of key weapons systems like missiles and interceptors analysts sayAsked if the US munitions stockpile was running low Trump said both that it was in very good shape and Id like to have more to be honest Experts have questioned how long both the US and Iran can afford to keep up attacksGen Dan Caine chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has told Trump that the state of the countrys stockpile could have an impact on military operations in Iran a US official saidThe official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations said this message was delivered as part of Caines regular duties of providing military advice and options to TrumpCaine told lawmakers at a hearing last week that airpower has its limits in achieving military objectives The US military has employed airstrikes almost exclusively against IranRegional officials cite progress in talksOne of the regional officials who spoke to AP on Monday described the progress made in mediation efforts as significant He said mediators were working with Iran and Oman on a mechanism for managing vessels transit through the Strait of Hormuz the flashpoint for the latest strikes and counterstrikesIrans Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said during a news conference in Tehran on Monday that mediators may convey messages to us from the American side but that there were no direct negotiationsHe said Iran and Oman which lies on the other side of the Strait of Hormuz talked Friday and Saturday on how to manage ship traffic through the waterwayThey aim to develop mechanisms to ensure safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz while respecting the sovereign rights and sovereignty of both coastal states as well as Irans security and national interests Baghaei said He stressed that the waterway remains closedTehran has asserted that the interim deal with the US allows it to manage shipping on the waterway and potentially charge fees and it has objected to US efforts to support an alternative route that passes close to Oman The strait was open to all without fees before the warThe US military on Monday said its recently reimposed naval blockade against Iran continued with 17 commercial ships redirected two disabled and two boardedThe 60day period established by the interim deal in midJune is now well into its second half and major issues that were meant to be negotiated notably Irans nuclear program at the heart of tensions have been set aside as mediators try to keep both sides talkingShipping traffic on the strait is at a 3week lowConcerns have grown about shipping through another crucial waterway in the region the Bab alMandeb strait to the Red Sea The Houthis last week threatened a blockade of Saudi shipping there and fired on at least one Saudi tankerGlobal energy supplies and the economy remain in the balance as gasoline prices have risen againCommercial shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz was at a threeweek low a maritime body overseen by the US Navy said Sunday adding that no new attacks had been confirmed in the past 72 hours It said traffic remained steady through Bab elMandebNetanyahu says he fully backs Trumps effortsMeanwhile Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he plans to meet with Trump in Washington on Tuesday They last met in Washington in February weeks before they launched the war that killed Irans senior leaders including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali KhameneiThe Iranianbacked Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon fired at Israel two days after the war began and Israel responded with airstrikes and a ground invasionThe US State Department said Monday that the next round of talks between Israel and Lebanon will take place next week in Rome with a focus on expanding pilot zones in which Israeli forces will withdraw and turn over security to the Lebanese Armed ForcesTalks between the two countries have been going on for months in an effort to eliminate the Hezbollah movement as a force in LebanonThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever