Israel strikes Tehran as Trump says US negotiating to end war

CAIRO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Israel struck the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday, Israeli military and Iranian media said, as President Donald Trump said the ​US was making progress in its efforts to negotiate an end to the war, with reports of a 15-point plan sent to Tehran.

The Israeli Defense ‌Forces said in a Telegram post it had launched a wave of strikes targeting infrastructure across Tehran. The semi-official Iranian SNN News Agency said the strikes hit a residential area in the city, with rescuers searching the rubble.

Kuwait and Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday they had repelled fresh drone attacks, without stating where they originated. Drones targeted a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, causing a fire but no casualties, Kuwait's Civil Aviation Authority said.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it had launched a new wave of attacks against locations in Israel including Tel Aviv and Kiryat Shmona, as well as US bases in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, Iranian state media reported.

Trump said on Tuesday the US was in "negotiations" to end the war, which has already killed thousands and created the worst energy shock in history, leading to global fuel shortages and roiling markets.

Stocks rose and oil prices fell on Wednesday on reports the US is seeking a month-long ceasefire and had sent a 15-point ​plan to Iran for discussion, raising hopes for a resumption of oil exports out of the Persian Gulf.

Trump told reporters at the White House the US was talking to "the right people" in Iran to end hostilities, adding the Iranians wanted to reach a deal very badly.

Iran's powerful parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on Monday dismissed such reports as "fake news."

15 POINT PLAN SENT TO IRAN

The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Washington sent Iran a 15-point plan to end the war in the Middle East. Israel's Channel 12, quoting three sources, said the US was seeking a month-long ceasefire to discuss the 15-point plan.

A source familiar with the matter confirmed that the US had sent a plan to Iran but provided no ‌further details.

The Israeli media outlet said the plan would include the dismantling of Iran's nuclear programme, ceasing support for proxy groups, such as Lebanon's Hezbollah, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

The US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28 after saying they had failed to make enough headway in talks aimed at ending Iran's nuclear programme, although mediator Oman said significant progress had been made.

Since then, Iran has attacked countries that host US bases, struck Gulf energy infrastructure and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, conduit for a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas.

Iran has told the United Nations Security Council and the International Maritime Organization that "non-hostile vessels" may transit the Strait of Hormuz if they coordinate with Iranian authorities, according to a note seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

The effective closure of the waterway, where 20% of the world's oil and gas normally transits, has created the worst energy supply shock in history, sent fuel prices soaring, and disrupted global aviation.

PAKISTAN OFFERS TO HOLD US-IRAN TALKS

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday he was willing to host talks between the US and Iran on ending the war, a day after Trump postponed threats to bomb Iranian power plants after what he called "productive" talks.

Pakistan has long-standing ties to neighbouring Iran's Islamic Republic and has been building a relationship with Trump.

Despite reports of negotiations, the Pentagon is expected to send thousands of soldiers from the US Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday, adding to a massive US military buildup.

The forces will add to the 50,000 US troops already in the region and accelerate Washington's massive US military buildup there, fuelling fears of a longer conflict.