Vessels sail through the Strait of Hormuz, off Musandam, Oman, on May 20, 2026 [Stringer/Reuters]By Elizabeth Melimopoulos and AFPPublished On 21 May 202621 May 2026
Iranian state media said on Thursday that the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is reviewing the United States’s response received via mediator Pakistan to Tehran’s latest proposal to end the war.
Iran’s ISNA news agency reported on Thursday that Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir will travel to Tehran later today as part of the ongoing Pakistani mediation efforts between Tehran and Washington.
This comes as Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said “all paths” to a diplomatic solution with the US “remain open from our side”, while warning that attempts to force Tehran into surrender through pressure or threats are “nothing but an illusion”.
Meanwhile, Iran’s newly established Persian Gulf Strait Authority has announced the creation of a “supervision area” in the Strait of Hormuz, saying vessels will now require permission to transit the strategic waterway.
Separately, global condemnation is growing after Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video appearing to taunt activists from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla while they were allegedly being mistreated by Israeli prison guards. Rights groups and critics accused Ben-Gvir of inflaming tensions as scrutiny intensifies over Israel’s treatment of detainees linked to pro-Palestinian activism.
Iran reviewing US response to proposal: Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran was reviewing Washington’s latest response to a proposed ceasefire framework after several rounds of message exchanges mediated by Pakistan. According to Iran’s Nour News Agency, the talks were based on Tehran’s original “14-point” proposal.
