IRAN says its response to the latest US peace proposals, sent to Pakistan today, focuses on “ending the war imposed by the US and zionist regime on all fronts, especially Lebanon.”

The exact contents of the offers being traded between Washington and Tehran via Islamabad are a diplomatic secret. Pakistan confirmed receipt.

Foregrounding the demand for an end to Israel’s attacks on Lebanon suggests no agreement is in sight unless Washington forces its ally to stop intense aerial bombardment killing dozens of people a day.

Iranian sources also suggested that the country is pushing for guarantees from third parties, including regional countries and the UN security council, that the US and Israel will not attack it again, as they have done twice in the past two years, both times during negotiations.

US attacks on Iran were launched mainly from its bases across the Middle East, and the status of these bases and attitudes of US allies in the region have become key to ending the war. The US’s “Project Freedom,” a swiftly aborted scheme to secure free navigation through the Iran-controlled Strait of Hormuz, was reportedly dropped under pressure from Saudi Arabia, which feared it would reignite the war.

Both Qatar and South Korea said ships of theirs had been hit by “objects” over the weekend, though it was unclear if this meant Iran had fired on them.

Iranian and US forces near the Strait exchanged fire briefly on Friday, and Iran said it had seized a Barbados-flagged cargo ship. Iran says the US has been attacking its shipping, and further attacks would be met with heavier retaliation, targeting US bases for the first time since the ceasefire agreed a month ago.

However, US President Donald Trump, asked about Iranian claims his forces had bombed civilian infrastructure on Qeshm island and that they had retaliated against US destroyers, dismissed the exchanges as “love taps” that would not endanger the truce.

Lebanon reported 39 people killed by Israeli bombing on Saturday, while air raids continued through today. In Bahrain, where a Saudi-backed regime rules over a Shi’ite Muslim majority, authorities said they had arrested 41 people accused of operating an Iran-linked network.