Iran war day 100: US, Iran trade attacks again, raising tensions

Tensions rise as US shoots down Iranian drones over Strait of Hormuz, while Israel continues its attacks on Lebanon.The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said it shot down a pair of Iranian drones threatening the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions as Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi landed in Tehran as part of new diplomatic efforts.Tehran responded with a salvo of missiles at US allies Bahrain and Kuwait on Saturday, drawing condemnation from the Gulf countries and piling pressure on a shaky ceasefire agreed on April 8.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3How the US naval blockade has bled Iran of nearly $6bn in oil revenueslist 2 of 3UN boosts Lebanon aid appeal as Israeli war drives humanitarian crisislist 3 of 3US-Iran war pushing millions into food crisis, warns UNend of listWeeks of indirect talks marked by tit-for-tat threats and sporadic exchanges of fire have failed to secure a deal to end the conflict or reopen the vital waterway, a chokepoint for Gulf oil and gas shipments.Moreover, in a parallel conflict in Lebanon, two Lebanese army officers and a soldier were killed in an Israeli strike on a military vehicle in the south, the Lebanese army said.Here is what is happening on the 100th day of the war:In Iran The US military says its forces downed two Iranian drones “that threatened international maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz”. Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the latest US attacks as “flagrant” violations while condemning Washington’s “hostile and provocative behaviour”. Iranian state media reported that Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Saturday for talks with Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Naqvi said he was carrying a “special letter” from his country’s army chief and prime minister ⁠to Khamenei, ISNA reported. In the US The US government will attempt to redirect Iranian assets to Gulf states for rebuilding and repairs of damage caused by Iran, a source familiar with the matter told the Reuters news agency. The disclosure came a day after Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, told CNN that a peace deal to end the three-month war hinged on the release ⁠of $24bn in Iranian assets frozen by the US. Iranian state television confirmed that the Iranian team’s players and technical staff had received US visas for the upcoming World Cup, but reported that 15 administrative and managerial members of the delegation had been refused. “We will not allow the Iranian team to abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretences,” an unnamed US administration official said, according to the AFP news agency.