Pakistani, Saudi FMs discuss Doha mediation efforts

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday that US Central Command had brought insecurity to the region, after CENTCOM said it led a regional security dialogue with defense leaders from 12 nations in Bahrain.

“Has CENTCOM brought security or insecurity to our region? The answer is clear,” Araghchi said in a post on X.

“Our Powerful Armed Forces have proven that outsiders cannot even protect themselves,” he added.

Araghchi said peace in the region could only be sustained if it was “comprehensive and inclusive, with no outside interference.”

Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz continued to rebound last week despite Iranian strikes on two commercial vessels, though crossings remained far below pre-war levels, the Associated Press reported Thursday, citing Lloyd’s List Intelligence and Windward.

At least 258 ships transited the waterway last week, up from 138 the previous week, according to marine data and analysis company Lloyd’s List Intelligence.

Traffic has slowed since Iranian strikes on June 25 and 27, but at least 80 more ships passed through the strait from Monday to Wednesday, according to Lloyd’s and shipping data and analysis firm Windward.

Iran’s attacks “seem to have been forgotten,” Richard Meade, editor-in-chief at Lloyd’s, said during a webinar Thursday.

Before the war, about 130 vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz each day, the report said.

US House Speaker Mike Johnson said President Donald Trump could get a fresh start on the 60-day deadline for congressional approval if the paused conflict with Iran flares up again.

“I suppose it would have to restart entirely,” Johnson told USA TODAY, referring to the War Powers Act deadline.

The law requires the president to withdraw troops from combat zones if Congress does not authorize their deployment within 60 days. That deadline passed nearly two months ago, with no request from Trump to Congress.

Johnson said he hoped Iran would “come to their senses” and allow the Strait of Hormuz to remain open for commerce.

He added that members of Congress were closely watching the negotiations and what comes next.

Iran rejected statements by Bahrain, the United States and several Western members of the UN Security Council on Thursday, saying they overlooked what Tehran described as unlawful US and Israeli attacks on Iran.

“I categorically reject the baseless allegation made by the United States once again the representative of the United States has resorted to lies and disinformation against Iran,” Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said.

“I also reject the unfounded accusation made by certain Western members of the Council and the representative of Bahrain,” he added.

Iravani said Bahrain and some Western members had sought to shift blame from what he described as aggression against Iran.

He said Iran’s recent strikes were defensive measures aimed at US military facilities and bases in the region, after US attacks on Iran.

"Defensive measures were directed against US military facilities and bases and assets in the region from which attacks against Iran were launched,” he said.

Iravani said Tehran remained committed to implementing the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, including provisions on the Strait of Hormuz.

US Ambassador to the UN Michael Waltz warned Thursday that President Donald Trump’s patience with Iran was “not unlimited,” as he accused Tehran of holding the world economy hostage by disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Iran cannot, and we cannot allow it to, hold the world’s economy hostage,” Waltz told an emergency UN Security Council meeting on escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf after recent Iranian attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait.

Waltz said Iran had stopped ships from transiting the Strait of Hormuz regardless of whether they were carrying “fertilizers to farmers in Africa, aid to Sudan, fuel to Japan” or were involved in the conflict.

He said Iran must stop attacks on its neighbors and keep the international waterway open, adding that the UN Trade and Development agency had found Iran’s closure of the Strait would have lasting effects on 61 developing economies.

Despite diplomatic efforts, including a memorandum of understanding signed two weeks ago, Iran had not shown “a basic level of decency and respect,” Waltz said.

“I cannot stress enough the possibility of real transformative positive opportunity for the nation and people of Iran is on the table,” he said, adding: “But President Trump’s patience is not unlimited.”