World leaders pressure Iran as ceasefire on brink

World leaders on Tuesday piled pressure on Tehran to stick to diplomacy to bring an end to the Middle East war, after a salvo of attacks in the region left a ceasefire crumbling.

The scramble for more talks came after Iran and the United States traded fire over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, while US ally the United Arab Emirates reported Iranian attacks for the first time since the truce was declared nearly a month ago.

Diplomacy between Washington and Tehran has been deadlocked since the ceasefire, with the United States twice aborting plans for senior officials to attend talks in Pakistan.

Tehran has vowed not to surrender control over the Strait of Hormuz -- the narrow waterway through which one-fifth of the world's oil flowed before the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz implored Tehran to "return to the negotiating table and stop holding the region and the world hostage", echoing calls from French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Saudi Arabia, a key US ally whose energy infrastructure has been hit by Iran, joined the calls on Tuesday to de-escalate and called for "diplomatic efforts to reach a political solution".

The United States on Monday said its forces had sunk at least six small Iranian ships, but the Islamic republic denied any combat vessels had been hit and accused Washington of killing five civilians on boats.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi -- seen as a moderate in the cleric-run state -- said the clashes showed there was "no military solution to a political crisis" and pointed to Pakistan's efforts to keep mediating.

"The US should be wary of being dragged back into quagmire by ill-wishers. So should the UAE. Project Freedom is Project Deadlock," he wrote on X.

US flexes muscle in strait

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded that Iran reopen the strait -- which was open before the war and which Tehran considers a main point of leverage.

On Sunday, Trump announced what he called "Project Freedom" to guide ships from neutral countries out of the Gulf, saying it was a humanitarian effort to help stranded crews.

Much remained unclear about how the plan would operate and how the United States would assist.

US Central Command said on Monday that guided-missile destroyers had transited Hormuz and that, as a first step in the project, two US-flagged merchant vessels had travelled out.

But Iran's Revolutionary Guards denied the claim, saying: "No commercial vessels or oil tankers have passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the past few hours."

Seoul said on Monday that an "explosion and fire" had also struck a South Korean ship in the strait.

As of April 29, more than 900 commercial vessels were located in the Gulf, according to maritime intelligence firm AXSMarine.

Trump appeared to play down the Iranian strikes, writing on social media that Iran had "taken some shots" but that it caused little damage.

Oil prices climbed further after the attacks, with the benchmark international contract Brent crude for July delivery jumping more than five percent.

Soaring energy costs for consumers due to the war have caused economic pain around the world and created a political headache for Trump months before congressional elections.

In Lebanon, a separate ceasefire with Israel aimed at halting fighting with Iran-backed armed group Hizbollah also faced further strain on Monday.

Hizbollah and Israeli troops clashed in southern Lebanon, with Israel reporting moderate injuries to two of its soldiers.

Israel has heavily bombed and invaded southern Lebanon in response to aerial attacks by Hizbollah that dragged Lebanon into the war in early March.

Israeli strikes have killed more than 2,700 people since the fighting began, according to Lebanon's health ministry.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has called for a security deal and an end to Israeli attacks before any meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a potentially historic encounter which Trump has proposed should take place this month at the White House.

Agence France-Presse