President Donald Trump's administration presented Iran with a 15-point peace proposal late Tuesday as diplomatic efforts to end the war with Tehran kicked off.
The U.S. presented the agreement through Pakistani officials, who have offered to serve as intermediaries to help end the conflict.
Iran's state media continues to deny that high-level talks are taking place.
The proposal comes as the Trump administration also prepares to deploy two Marine units that will add about 5,000 Marines and thousands of sailors to the region.
The moves are being framed as Trump maneuvering to give himself “max flexibility” on what he will do next, according to the Associated Press.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Israeli Defense Forces carried out airstrikes on multiple targets in the Iranian city of Isfahan on Tuesday, including manufacturing and research facilities.
"As part of the strikes, the IDF, guided by Israeli Navy Intelligence, targeted the Iranian terror regime’s Underwater Research Center in Isfahan," the IDF said in a statement.
"The center is the only facility in Iran responsible for the design and development of submarines and support systems for the Iranian Navy. In addition, the regime produced various models of unmanned vessels at the site," the IDF said.
Israel has vowed to continue strikes against Iranian military targets alongside the U.S., even as President Donald Trump has opened the door toward a diplomatic end to hostilities.
A U.N. Security Council resolution calling for countries to use “all necessary means” to keep the Strait of Hormuz open is facing some opposition for raising the possibility of U.N.-backed military action against Iran on Wednesday.
The resolution, put forward by Bahrain, comes as fuel prices have skyrocketed across the globe as Tehran throttles the key trade passage.
If passed, the resolution would authorize countries or naval partnerships to use military action to secure passage and “to repress, neutralize and deter attempts to close, obstruct or otherwise interfere with international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.”
It also demands that Iran “immediately cease all attacks against merchant and commercial vessels” and stop impeding freedom of navigation in and around the vital waterway,
The Associated Press contributed to thsi report.
{{#rendered}}The U.S. State Department has issued a "worldwide caution" security alert, advising travelers to exercise increased caution, especially those in the Middle East.
"Americans abroad should follow the guidance in security alerts issued by the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate," said the alert, issued on Sunday.
"Periodic airspace closures may cause travel disruptions. U.S. diplomatic facilities, including outside the Middle East, have been targeted," it continued.
"Groups supportive of Iran may target other U.S. interests overseas or locations associated with the United States and/or Americans throughout the world," the alert also said.
More than 70,000 Americans have left the Middle East and returned to the U.S. since Feb. 28, according to a State Department press release issued March 19.
Over 41,000 American citizens have received security guidance and travel assistance, with the U.S. government conducting 60 evacuation flights from the Middle East.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Ashley DiMella.
Iran has raised the stakes ahead of potential cease-fire talks with a list of demands, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The outlet also reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has consolidated power within the broken regime and is pushing the additional demands.
These include the closure of all American bases in the Gulf and reparations for attacks on Iran.
Other demands include allowing Iran to collect fees from tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as guarantees that the war wouldn’t restart.
The IRGC has also asked for an end to Israel’s strikes on Hezbollah and the lifting of all sanctions on Iran.
The final demand was permission to keep its missile program with no negotiations to limit it.
A U.S. official called the IRGC's demands “ridiculous and unrealistic,” the outlet said.
The official also said the first messages of the new diplomatic round came from Middle Eastern intermediaries last week, and that the U.S. and Iran are not in direct contact.
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