An Iranian government spokeswoman said that Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi presented an American counterproposal for reopening the Strait of Hormuz at a Wednesday cabinet meeting.
Fatemeh Mohajerani said in a Wednesday post on X that the counterproposal had been delivered through Qatari mediators, but she did not describe its substance.
The 1,500 American servicemembers in Iraq’s Kurdish region withdrew from the country Wednesday, marking the first time in years that the U.S. had no military presence in Iraq. CENTCOM announced the withdrawal from Erbil Air Base and the conclusion of Operation Inherent Resolve, the effort launched in 2014 to subdue the Islamic State.
A FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing Wednesday in Saudi Arabia after the copilot attacked the pilot and the plane lost altitude precipitously. A passenger and crew member forced their way into the cockpit and restrained the copilot, and two pilot passengers landed the plane. Israel is investigating the case as a terrorist hijacking. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it appeared the copilot intended to crash the plane deliberately, and that he has been arrested by Saudi authorities. FlyDubai issued a statement asking the public to refrain from “premature speculation.”
Despite improved oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, which analysts say have returned to near pre-war levels in recent days, energy prices remain elevated. Brent crude opened at $103 per barrel. AAA reported a national average price per gallon of $4.43 for regular gasoline and $6.41 for diesel.
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