TEHRAN (AFP): The United States said it shot down a pair of Iranian drones threatening the Strait of Hormuz, the latest escalation of violence as the war reached its 100th day on Sunday with no end in sight.
It came as mediator Pakistan delivered a message to Iran's supreme leader, following weeks of indirect talks marked by tit-for-tat threats and sporadic exchanges of fire.
Efforts to turn a ceasefire into a lasting settlement have repeatedly stalled, while the war has rattled global markets and increased pressure on US President Donald Trump at home ahead of midterm elections.
But there were signs of fresh diplomatic efforts over the weekend with Pakistan's interior minister Mohsin Naqvi visiting Tehran.
Naqvi said upon his arrival Saturday that he would deliver a "special letter" from Pakistan's army chief to Iran's Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, and a message from the prime minister "regarding the current situation", according to Iranian state television.
Pakistan's military leader Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir has played a key role in mediating talks between Iran and the US, following a single round of direct negotiations in Islamabad.
"I think it's a very important message," said Naqvi, a frequent visitor to Iran.
His trip came as US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it destroyed two Iranian drones "that threatened international maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz", hours after announcing it struck four other drones and coastal surveillance radar sites.
- 'Deadlock' -
Tehran on Saturday fired a salvo of missiles at US allies Bahrain and Kuwait, drawing a furious response from the Gulf monarchies and piling pressure on the shaky ceasefire agreed on April 8.
Iran's foreign ministry denounced the latest US strikes as "flagrant" violations while condemning Washington's "hostile and provocative behaviour".
Mohsen Rezaei, military adviser to Iran's supreme leader, had earlier told CNN that negotiations with the US "are at a deadlock, and Trump must break this deadlock", as he called for the release of some $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets.
But Washington instead may seek to use those funds to pay for damage wrought by Iranian strikes on Gulf allies.
The US "Treasury will utilise all tools available to allow Iranian assets to be made available to our Gulf allies to support rebuilding and repairs for any future damage caused by Iran", a source familiar with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's thinking said.
Lebanese army chief Rodolphe Haykal meanwhile left on Saturday for his own talks in Pakistan, as Beirut also seeks a permanent end to the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Lebanon was drawn into the war when Hezbollah attacked Israel on March 2. Iran, in its peace negotiations with Washington, has insisted the fighting in Lebanon and the war in the Gulf are inextricably linked.
On Saturday, Lebanon said an Israeli strike in the country's south killed three of its soldiers. Israel's military said it was "reviewing the incident" and insisted its campaign in Lebanon was targeting Hezbollah, not government forces.
Lebanon's health ministry said two women were also killed and 22 people wounded in an Israeli strike on Saksakiyeh in the south.
The Israeli military, meanwhile, announced the death of two of its soldiers.
The ceasefire announced in April did not stop the fighting in Lebanon, and a new conditional truce deal announced this week was flatly rejected by Hezbollah.
On Sunday, Israel's military said it had intercepted two projectiles launched from Lebanon into Israeli territory. -- AFP
