US downs – U.S. Central Command says it shot down multiple Iranian one-way attack drones aimed at commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, even as President Donald Trump and Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, trade competing claims about a possible memorandum to en
When U.S. forces targeted Iranian one-way attack drones over the Strait of Hormuz. the message was immediate: the corridor for commercial shipping would not be left to chance. Central Command said it downed multiple drones it believed were trying to hit commercial vessels. adding that traffic flow through the strait remained unimpeded and that “the international trade corridor remains open for transit.”.
The announcement came early on Saturday. Middle East time. during a narrow window when Washington and Tehran were also publicly pointing to progress in peace talks. The timing underscored the friction now shaping daily life across one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes—where the distance between diplomatic language and battlefield risk appears measured in hours.
President Donald Trump. meanwhile. had earlier reposted a social media post by Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi saying a memorandum of understanding to end the Iran war had “never been closer.” Araqchi echoed that view on Iranian state TV a few hours later. but repeated points Trump had previously labeled “fake news. ” including a key dispute about the Strait of Hormuz.
Both the U.S. and Iran agree the strait will reopen once the memorandum is signed. Araqchi said transit through the strait would be under Iranian management, warning: “Our sword will always hang over the strait of Hormuz.”
Trump’s own warning to Iran arrived earlier on Friday, telling Tehran “better get their act together, and FAST!” as he cautioned against firing more drones at ships attempting to transit the strait.
Beyond the shipping lane, the gap between the two sides surfaced again around nuclear terms. Araqchi said the agreement would not include anything about Iran’s nuclear programme. and that nuclear talks with the U.S. would take place later. Trump has insisted the interim deal requires Iran to give up its nuclear programme. while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was “in full agreement” with Trump to keep Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Araqchi also said ending the war in Lebanon was part of the interim deal, which he described as requiring Israel’s withdrawal from occupied areas. Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said Israel would not withdraw from security zones in Lebanon, Syria or Gaza.
The administration of a possible deal is now being discussed in public alongside a separate question: how and where it would be signed. Switzerland offered to host the peace deal signing ceremony after multiple U.S. media outlets cited sources saying it could happen in Geneva ahead of or during the G7 summit in France. which starts in France on Monday. Araqchi said the signing would take place “digitally,” with each side signing remotely.
In Lebanon, the diplomatic messaging and military pressure moved in parallel. Hezbollah said on Friday that its fighters confronted Israeli forces advancing toward the southern Lebanese town of Majdal Zoun. about 5km from the western side of the border. Hezbollah said the confrontation involved “repeated rocket barrages, forcing them to retreat.”.
The Israeli military said it struck 310 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon over the past week, claiming it killed “80 terrorists.” The Israeli military also revealed it conducted a raid in the southern Lebanese village Dibbine several weeks ago.
Across the same day, oil prices appeared to react to the prospect of a U.S.-Iran agreement. Global oil prices dropped on Friday to lows not seen since the first week of the Iran crisis. Brent crude fell to $87.33 a barrel.
While the drone episode centered on commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. the wider region’s shipping has now pulled in other capitals. India’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Friday that he spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio about three Indian seafarers killed in U.S. military strikes against oil tankers travelling through the strait of Hormuz. Jaishankar said he “reiterated India’s strong protest at the attacks by the US Navy in the Gulf that killed three Indian mariners. ” adding that such lethal actions against commercial shipping are not justified.
Negotiators have been trading competing versions of what a draft deal actually contains. Multiple sources described terms to Reuters indicating the U.S. would begin releasing billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets and waive sanctions on Iran’s oil exports in return for Iran opening the strait of Hormuz. The terms also say Iran’s nuclear program would be addressed during a 60-day period of talks.
One senior Trump administration official said the agreement would ultimately lead to the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program. That would include destroying and removing a stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The draft terms also describe an inspection regime meant to ensure compliance over the long term.
But Araqchi told state television the agreement did not align with Iran’s approach to uranium. He said Iran wanted to retain the uranium in diluted form, saying: “For Tehran, the only preferred solution for its highly enriched uranium stockpile is down-blending the material.”
The proposal set also includes discussion of possible war reparations for Tehran and dropping longstanding U.S. demands for limits on Iran’s missile program, as described by Reuters-cited sources. A U.S. official disputed that account, saying: “None of their money released until they perform. Strait of Hormuz will be open. No Iran funding of terrorist groups,” and adding: “This is what they have agreed to. This is a performance-based deal.”.
The negotiation process has been described by both sides as a sequence of claim and counter-claim.
All of it is unfolding while pressure mounts elsewhere on the political map of the Middle East. Israeli and Palestinian civil society groups delivered an appeal in France urging the international community not to abandon a two-state solution as Paris seeks to keep the issue alive amid the Middle East war. The meeting on Friday brought together foreign ministers and senior officials from dozens of countries alongside civil society groups. and it marked one year since the UN-backed New York declaration set out a roadmap toward Palestinian statehood—prompting about a dozen countries including France. the UK. Australia and Canada to recognize a Palestinian state.
France’s foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot told 250 civil society representatives from both sides: “We could find every reason in the world to give up. But you are here!. Your testimonies alone are grounds for hope and action.” He added: “France refuses to let the side of war prevail over the side of peace.”.
The gathering ended with an eight-point “call for action” urging a permanent ceasefire, a halt to settlements, Gaza reconstruction, governance reforms and stronger international backing for civil society. The appeal would be delivered to G7 leaders who meet in the French Alps starting Monday.
Even with the U.S. saying its forces downed Iranian drones that threatened commercial vessels. the bigger picture remains unsettled: peace-talk optimism and military realities are colliding at the same time. Araqchi’s claims about the terms. Trump’s insistence on different terms—especially on nuclear issues and how the Strait of Hormuz would be managed—continue to sit side by side with reports of ongoing violence.
For now, the Strait of Hormuz remains open for transit, as Central Command said. But the scramble over what “open” means—who controls, who guarantees, and what happens next—still carries an immediate weight for ships and civilians who can’t afford delays measured in political language.
Strait of Hormuz Central Command Iranian drones Donald Trump Abbas Araqchi peace talks Lebanon Hezbollah Israel Katz two-state solution