Trump holds phone call with Netanyahu - Axios

Iran is insisting on receiving half of its frozen assets upon signing a memorandum of understanding with the United States, Al Arabiya reported, citing a diplomatic source.

The source said Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s trip to Qatar was aimed at discussing mechanisms to release the frozen assets.

Tehran is demanding that the remaining half be transferred within 60 days, the report said, adding that Iran has sought the release of about $24 billion in frozen assets during the negotiations.

US official sources denied that the US Navy had resumed helping ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz, Al Arabiya reported on Tuesday.

The denial followed a Wall Street Journal report saying the US Navy had restarted assisting vessel crossings through the strategic waterway.

US Central Command said on Tuesday that US forces had redirected 108 commercial vessels as part of enforcement of the US blockade against Iran.

CENTCOM released an image of a US sailor standing watch in the pilothouse aboard the USS John Finn, a guided-missile destroyer transiting the Arabian Sea in support of the blockade.

The US Navy has restarted assisting vessel crossings through the Strait of Hormuz, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing US military officials.

The officials said a Greek supertanker carrying two million barrels of crude was guided by the US Navy as it crossed the waterway off Oman’s coast.

The ship had been stuck in the Persian Gulf since early March and is now heading to India to deliver its cargo.

The renewed effort was said to be a part of “Project Freedom,” a US initiative to guide ships through the vital shipping corridor.

The US Navy plans to help about a dozen vessels, including supertankers and container ships, cross Hormuz in the coming days, the report said.

US President Donald Trump is expected to hold a cabinet meeting at Camp David on Wednesday as talks with Iran near a critical stage, the New York Post reported on Tuesday.

All cabinet members, including outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, are expected to attend the meeting at the presidential retreat in Maryland, the report said.

The meeting location could change because of bad weather, it added.