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Ulviyya Poladova

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Tensions between Iran and the United States escalated further on Saturday as Tehran questioned Washington’s commitment to diplomacy following renewed naval confrontations in the Arabian Gulf, AzerNEWS reports.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he was awaiting Iran’s response to Washington’s latest proposal aimed at extending a fragile ceasefire and launching broader peace negotiations.

Speaking on Friday, Trump stated that the response from Tehran was expected "supposedly tonight." However, no official reply had been publicly announced by Iranian authorities.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi cast doubt on the seriousness of the American approach during a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart.

"The recent escalation of tensions by American forces in the Arabian Gulf and their repeated violations of the ceasefire have increased suspicions regarding the motivation and seriousness of the American side in pursuing diplomacy," Araghchi said, according to remarks published by the Iranian news agency ISNA.

The comments followed a naval incident on Friday in which a U.S. fighter jet reportedly fired upon and disabled two Iranian-flagged tankers accused by Washington of violating a naval blockade imposed on Iranian ports.

The latest confrontation came after another flare-up near the Strait of Hormuz between Thursday and Friday. The strategic maritime corridor remains one of the world’s most important oil transit routes and has become a focal point of rising tensions in the region.

According to AFP, Washington transmitted its latest diplomatic proposal to Tehran through Pakistani mediators in an effort to prolong the Gulf truce and create conditions for negotiations over a broader settlement to the conflict that began ten weeks ago following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed that the proposal remains under review.

Image: Reuters