May 18: Iran reaffirms national resolve, advances new diplomatic and maritime actions

By Press TV Website Staff

Iran on Monday reaffirmed its national resolve against any form of foreign aggression, with President Masoud Pezeshkian stating that the country will not compromise its dignity even as officials advanced new diplomatic steps and maritime initiatives despite continued US maritime banditry and sabre-rattling.

Iran reportedly submitted a new 14-point proposal through Pakistan to end the third imposed war, while highlighting new measures tied to transit and governance in the Strait of Hormuz.

Mounting global consequences of the imposed war, from soaring oil prices to deepening discontent inside Israel and the United States, framed the day’s events.

Key developments on day 80 of the war, the fortieth day of the ceasefire:

• President Masoud Pezeshkian reaffirmed that the country will never yield to any external pressure or compromise on the nation’s dignity.
• The Iranian authority controlling the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf launched an official account on the X social media platform amid efforts to facilitate transit via the key international waterway.
• Iran reportedly submitted its latest proposal in 14 points through the Pakistani intermediary for talks with the United States aimed at ending the illegal US-Israeli war of aggression against the Islamic Republic.
• Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held separate phone calls with his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, Turkey and South Korea to discuss bilateral issues, regional developments, and diplomatic processes.
• Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said that any possible agreement with the US must ensure an end to the war on all fronts and lift the naval blockade and sanctions imposed against the country.
• The spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei, said the country is engaged in continuous consultations with Oman to design a new mechanism governing transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
• The commander of Iran's highest operational command unit, Major General Ali Abdollahi, praised the country’s medical personnel for their selfless contributions during the recent unprovoked American-Israeli aggression.
• A senior Iranian health official said at least 16 nurses were martyred during the two wars of aggression launched jointly by the United States and the Israeli regime against the Islamic Republic.
• The head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Peyman Jebelli, said the measures taken by the former secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), Ali Larijani, in support of the Islamic establishment will always be remembered.
• Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of Yemen's Ansarullah resistance movement, called on Muslim countries to counter the aggression of enemies, especially through economic and political sanctions. 
• Yemeni armed forces intercepted and shot down a US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone as it was flying in the skies over the northwestern province of Ma'rib.
• Iraq firmly declared it will never allow its land to be exploited as a launch pad for attacks against neighbouring countries, particularly Iran.
• Former Pentagon chief and CIA director Robert Gates said he rejected an assessment by Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu suggesting that Iran’s government would rapidly collapse if subjected to military aggression. Gates recalled a 2009 conversation with Netanyahu regarding the possible consequences of a military attack against Iran.
• Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former US congresswoman and a once-close ally of US President Donald Trump, warned that any attempt to send US troops into Iran would trigger a “political revolution” in America.
• A vast majority of Americans view the US economy as “struggling” and feel “frustrated” or even “angry” with Trump’s handling of it, as the war of aggression against Iran continues to drive up gas prices and erode household incomes, a new CBS News/YouGov poll found.
• The head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned that commercial oil inventories are depleting rapidly and that the world only has a few weeks' worth of oil reserves left due to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz caused by the US-Israeli aggression against Iran.
• The United States again extended its Russian oil sanctions waiver amid its inability to cope with rising oil prices, caused by Iran’s continued control over the Strait of Hormuz.
• US threats against the Islamic Republic again pushed global benchmark Brent crude above $111 a barrel on Monday, reflecting market reactions to Washington’s hostile posture toward Iran.
• The Lebanese health ministry reported eight fatalities from the latest Israeli strikes against multiple locations south of Lebanon, marking a fresh flagrant violation of the ceasefire brokered just weeks earlier.
• A recent report by Haaretz revealed that 80 percent of Israeli troops are leaving the regime's military due to mental distress.
• Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leading French opposition figure, denounced "European complicity" in the recent war of aggression by the US and Israel against Iran.

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