Gulf fighting flares as CIA report says Tehran can resist blockade for 4 months

US and Iranian forces exchanged fire in the Gulf as Washington awaited Tehran's response to a proposal to end the war. A CIA assessment indicating Iran could withstand a blockade for months highlighted the limits of US pressure.

In Short

• Washington awaited Tehran's reply to a proposal to formally end fighting
• UAE air defences intercepted missiles and drones, with three people injured
• US forces struck two Iran-linked vessels near a port, officials said

Efforts to end the war between the US and Iran appeared to lose momentum on Friday as both sides exchanged fire in the Gulf, while a CIA assessment suggested Tehran could endure a naval blockade for several more months.

According to a US official familiar with the intelligence analysis, Iran would not face severe economic pressure from a US blockade of its ports for around four months, indicating Washington’s leverage over Tehran may remain limited despite mounting military and economic pressure.

The assessment, first reported by The Washington Post, came as tensions sharply escalated in and around the Strait of Hormuz, where some of the heaviest clashes since the April 7 ceasefire were reported this week.

The United Arab Emirates also faced renewed attacks on Friday, with authorities saying air defences intercepted two ballistic missiles and three drones launched from Iran. Three people suffered moderate injuries, officials said.

Washington is awaiting Tehran’s response to a US proposal aimed at formally ending the conflict before negotiations begin on broader issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme.

“We should know something today,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in Rome, according to Reuters. “We’re expecting a response from them.”

However, Iran’s foreign ministry said Tehran was still considering its response, with no formal reply announced by late Friday.

CLASHES CONTINUE IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ

Iranian and US forces were involved in sporadic clashes in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency. Tasnim later quoted an Iranian military source as saying the situation had calmed, though further confrontations remained possible.

The US military said it struck two Iran-linked vessels attempting to enter an Iranian port, with a fighter jet targeting the ships’ smokestacks and forcing them to retreat.

Iran has largely restricted non-Iranian shipping through the strategic waterway since the conflict began with joint US-Israeli airstrikes across Iran on February 28. Washington imposed a blockade on Iranian vessels last month.

Brent crude futures climbed above $101 a barrel amid the renewed tensions, although prices remained more than 6 per cent lower for the week.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the ceasefire was still largely holding despite recent flare-ups in the strait, which previously handled about one-fifth of global oil supplies.

IRAN ACCUSES US OF VIOLATING TRUCE

Iran accused Washington of undermining the ceasefire through continued military operations.

“Every time a diplomatic solution is on the table, the US opts for a reckless military adventure,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday.

Iran’s Mehr news agency reported that one crew member was killed, 10 others wounded and four missing after what it described as a US Navy attack on an Iranian commercial vessel late Thursday.

Rubio, after meeting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, questioned why European allies were not more strongly supporting US efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“Are you going to normalise a country claiming to control an international waterway?” Rubio said. “Because if you normalise that, you’ve set a precedent that’s going to get repeated in a dozen other places.”

US EXPANDS SANCTIONS PRESSURE

Alongside diplomatic efforts, the US also intensified sanctions targeting Iran’s military-industrial network.

The US Treasury announced sanctions on 10 individuals and companies, including entities in China and Hong Kong, accused of helping Iran obtain weapons components and raw materials used in the production of Shahed drones.

Treasury officials said Washington remained prepared to take further economic action against Iran’s military industrial base and any foreign companies facilitating Iranian trade, including airlines and financial institutions linked to China’s independent “teapot” oil refineries.

The sanctions announcement came days before Trump is expected to travel to China for talks with President Xi Jinping.

- Ends