Trump says Iran is negotiating but fears speaking out

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South Korean ships would be able to pass through the Strait of Hormuz if coordination was made, Iran’s ambassador to Seoul said on Thursday.

Saeed Kouzehchi said South Korea was not considered an enemy country.

He did not give a clear answer when asked about the safe passage of Korean ships linked to US companies.

Israel removed Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf from its hit list after Pakistan asked Washington not to target them, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing a Pakistani official.

"The Israelis had their ... coordinates and wanted to take them out, we told the US if they are also eliminated then there is no one else to talk to, hence the US asked the Israelis to back off," the official said.

Two people were killed and three others were injured in Abu Dhabi on Thursday after debris fell following the interception of a ballistic missile.

The Abu Dhabi Media Office said the incident occurred on Sweihan Road and also damaged several vehicles.

The identities of those killed had not yet been confirmed, it said.

Authorities urged the public to rely on official sources and avoid spreading unverified information.

Germany was ready to help secure any peace agreement between the United States and Iran, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday.

"We are ready to secure any peace," Pistorius said during a meeting with Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles.

"If it comes to a point where we have a ceasefire we will discuss every kind of operation to secure the peace and especially the freedom of navigation in the Hormuz Strait," he said.

A draft proposal to let Iran collect transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz has been prepared and would be sent to parliament’s research center next week for legal review, an Iranian lawmaker said on Thursday.

Mohammadreza Rezaei Kouchi said he had prepared the draft jointly with Tehran lawmaker Somayyeh Rafiei and that they planned to finalize it with a legal team.

UAE air defenses were responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran on Wednesday, the defense ministry said.

Sounds heard in different parts of the country were caused by air defense systems intercepting missiles and drones.

Search and rescue forces were heading to reported impact sites in central Israel, the Israeli military said on Wednesday.
The public was asked to avoid gathering in those areas and to keep following Home Front Command instructions.

Two people were lightly hurt in Kafr Qasim after an Iranian cluster bomb impact, Times of Israel reported, citing medics.

A 55-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman were treated after a bomblet struck a building in the central city, according to the report.

Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said on Wednesday it had intercepted and destroyed three drones in the country’s eastern region.

US President Donald Trump told aides in recent days he wanted to end the war in Iran within weeks and avoid a prolonged conflict, people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal.

He said privately he believed the war was in its final stage and urged advisers to stick to a four-to-six-week timeline, the people said.

White House officials planned a mid-May summit with China’s Xi Jinping expecting the war to end before the meeting, some of the people added.

Trump also told an associate the conflict was distracting from domestic priorities, according to one of the people.

A senior administration official said Trump floated securing US access to Iranian oil as part of a possible deal, though no planning was underway.

US officials said Trump remained reluctant to deploy ground troops, partly over concerns about casualties.

Another senior US official said Trump had directed the military to keep pressure on Tehran while leaving options open.