The U.S. announced today that it shot down several Iranian drones that were targeting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, despite the optimism expressed just hours earlier by both sides regarding a peace agreement.
“Iran launched several aggressive drones targeting commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz,” wrote the U.S. Central Command (Centcom), which is responsible for the Middle East, on Twitter. “U.S. forces have shot them all down in the last few hours,” and the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz “continues unimpeded,” it added.
The incident occurred as Tehran, Pakistan—which is acting as a mediator—and Washington expressed optimism about the possibility, after weeks of grueling negotiations and dashed hopes, of reaching an agreement that would end the war in the Middle East.
The scenarios for a possible compromise presented by the Iranian media and Washington differ significantly.
“Once the final stages of our negotiations are completed, this agreement will be signed and announced,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on state television. “This could happen within the next few days. I am optimistic,” he added.
Araghchi stated that the draft agreement provides for the lifting of the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and a new form of management for the Strait of Hormuz. But he accused Israel of looking for “pretexts” to “derail” a potential agreement with Washington.
Similar optimism was expressed by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, the key mediator in the conflict. “Peace has never been as close as it is today,” said Shehbaz Sharif.
And in Washington, a high-ranking official estimated the “80 to 85%” the likelihood of a framework agreement that would open a 60-day period of technical discussions, but “not 100%.” “(The two sides) haven’t crossed the finish line yet,” he said, wishing to remain anonymous.
