Iran responds to U.S. ceasefire proposal, saying talks must focus on permanently ending the war on all fronts

Iran has sent its response to the latest U.S. ceasefire proposal to Pakistani mediators and wants negotiations to focus on permanently ending the war, Iran’s state-run media said Sunday. State TV said Iran seeks to end the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and ensure the security of shipping. Washington’s latest proposal had addressed a deal to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and roll back Iran’s nuclear program, an issue that Tehran would rather discuss later. There was no immediate comment from the White House about Iran’s reply. President Donald Trump is giving diplomacy “every chance we possibly can before going back to hostilities,” the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, told ABC. Meanwhile, the fragile ceasefire was tested Sunday when a drone ignited a small fire on a ship off Qatar, while the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait reported drones entering their airspace. The UAE blamed Iran for its attack. No casualties were reported, and no one immediately claimed responsibility. The Qatari Foreign Ministry called it a “dangerous and unacceptable escalation that threatens the security and safety of maritime trade routes and vital supplies in the region.” Iran and armed allied groups have used drones to carry out hundreds of strikes since the war began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Feb. 28. Iran says it’s on ‘full readiness’ to protect nuclear sites Trump has reiterated threats to resume full-scale bombing if Iran does not accept an agreement to reopen the strait and roll back its nuclear program. Iran has mostly blocked the strategic waterway key to the global flow of oil since the war began, rattling world markets. The U.S. in turn has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports. On Friday, the U.S. struck two Iranian oil tankers that it said were trying to breach the blockade. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy has reiterated its warning that any attack on Iranian oil tankers or commercial vessels would be met with a “heavy ass