Iranian state media reported Thursday that the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is reviewing the United States' response, received via mediator Pakistan, to Tehran's latest proposal to end the war. The development marks a continuation of backchannel talks.

Iran's ISNA news agency reported that Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir will travel to Tehran later today as part of ongoing Pakistani mediation efforts between Tehran and Washington. This follows several rounds of message exchanges.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that “all paths” to a diplomatic solution with the US “remain open from our side,” while warning that attempts to force Tehran into surrender through pressure or threats are “nothing but an illusion.” The remarks signal Tehran's conditional openness to negotiations.

Meanwhile, Iran's newly established Persian Gulf Strait Authority announced the creation of a “supervision area” in the Strait of Hormuz, declaring that vessels will now require permission to transit the strategic waterway. The move is likely to raise tensions in the region.

Separately, global condemnation is growing after Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video appearing to taunt activists from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla while they were allegedly being mistreated by Israeli prison guards. Rights groups accused Ben-Gvir of inflaming tensions amid scrutiny over Israel's treatment of detainees.

Source: www.aljazeera.com