Iran gearing up for 'major round of fighting' with US, says source
A source in Tehran said Iran is preparing for a "major round of fighting" with the US, as diplomatic efforts falter and the US administration considers its next steps. Talks held in New York last month produced no breakthrough, and a third US aircraft carrier strike group, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, is en route to Central Command's area of operations. Iran has also proposed transferring its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 per cent to a third party, and conveyed to Washington through Qatar a seven-day plan to resolve the stand-off over the Strait of Hormuz.
Why it matters: The stand-off bears directly on the briefing's energy security theme, because the Strait of Hormuz and Bab Al Mandeb are the waterways through which Gulf oil and freight move.