US President Donald Trump has warned Iran it will face "a much higher level and intensity" of strikes if it fails to agree to a peace deal that the two sides are reportedly closing in on.
US media outlets, led by Axios, reported on May 6 that Tehran and Washington were close to an agreement on a one-page memorandum to end the war in the Gulf.
Axios said in its report that the agreement would include Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment, the United States agreeing to lift sanctions and release billions of dollars in frozen Iranian funds, and both sides lifting restrictions around ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump appeared to confirm a deal was nearing in a post on social media, though he gave no details.
"Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran," he wrote.
"If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before."
Operation Project Freedom
Trump's comments came hours after he announced that the operation called Project Freedom to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz will be “paused for a short period of time" after making "Great Progress....toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran."
The United States launched Project Freedom to restore commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz halted by Iran, leaving thousands of ships stranded on both sides of the strait for weeks and impacting the global economy.
Iran blocked transit through the crucial waterway threatening to target any vessels that attempted to pass through the strait without its consent, in response to the US and Israeli military campaign against it, which was launched on February 28.
Fears have grown that a halt in hostilities announced nearly a month ago had unraveled after the United Arab Emirates -- a key US ally in the Gulf region -- reported incoming volleys of Iranian missiles and drone attacks were reported on at least one ship in the Persian Gulf.
Among the biggest obstacles to securing peace is said to be the fate of Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Washington wants Tehran to give up its uranium, including its highly enriched uranium, which can be used for building a weapon.
Beijing on May 6 reiterated its call for a “comprehensive cease-fire” in the conflict and for a return to normal passage through the Strait of Hormuz as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi kicked off his first visit to China since the conflict erupted.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi said after a meeting with Araqchi in the Chinese capital that China will work “harder” to help bring an end to the fighting and play a “greater role in restoring peace and tranquility to the Middle East."
"China believes that a complete cessation of hostilities is imperative, restarting the conflict is unacceptable and persisting in negotiations is particularly important," Wang said, according to a statement from his ministry after the talks, which come one week before Trump is scheduled to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
China relies heavily on Middle Eastern oil exported and shipped via the Strait of Hormuz, and Chinese officials have been quietly involved trying to help broker a settlement and get the ship traffic moving again.
