US says it shot down Iranian drones, despite optimism for deal
The United States said it shot down several Iranian drones this Saturday that were targeting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, despite the optimism displayed a few hours earlier by the two parties about a peace agreement. “Iran launched several attack drones with the aim of striking commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” the US Middle East Command (Centcom) wrote on X. “American forces have shot them all down in recent hours, and maritime traffic in the strait remains fluid,” he added.
This incident comes at a time when Tehran, the Pakistani mediator and Washington are expressing optimism about the possibility, after weeks of laborious negotiations and dashed hopes, of reaching an agreement ending the war in the Middle East.
The versions of a possible compromise given by the Iranian media and Washington present significant differences. “As soon as the final stages of our negotiations are completed, this agreement will be signed and announced,” declared the head of the Iranian diplomacy Abbas Araghchi on state television. “It could happen in the next few days. I’m hopeful.” Araghchi affirmed that the draft agreement provided for the lifting of the American blockade of Iranian ports and a new management of the Strait of Hormuz. But he accused Israel of looking for “pretexts” to “derail” a possible agreement with Washington.
