Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has charged the United States with pursuing a "reckless military gamble" each time a "diplomatic solution" emerges as viable.

Iranians "will never yield to coercion," Araghchi declared in an X post, coming a day after both nations pointed fingers at one another for initiating strikes in the Strait of Hormuz, even as US forces targeted additional Iranian ships.

Amid the ongoing skirmishes, President Trump affirmed that the ceasefire remains in place. This truce is designed to facilitate negotiations aimed at concluding the conflict initiated by the US and Israel in February.

Iran is slated to reply to US proposals on Friday, according to remarks from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

"I truly hope this represents a substantive proposal," Rubio stated while visiting Italy.

Iran has seized control of the Strait of Hormuz and struck at US allies across the Gulf in response to assaults from the US and Israel. This vital passage carries about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, and its disruptions have driven energy prices sharply higher.

Earlier this week, Trump initiated - then suspended - a US military effort to liberate roughly 2,000 vessels trapped in the region since February.

The US continues a naval blockade around Iranian ports to intensify pressure on Tehran to accept American conditions - a tactic that has provoked strong backlash from Iran.

On Friday, US Central Command (Centcom) reported that American forces neutralized two empty Iranian-flagged oil tankers seeking entry to a port in the Gulf of Oman, deeming their approach a breach of the current US blockade.

The forces deployed "precision munitions into their smokestacks, halting the offending vessels from reaching Iran," according to the statement.

Centcom noted that US operations are blocking over 70 tankers from accessing or departing Iranian ports.

Later Friday, the US expressed willingness to convene a fresh round of Israel-Lebanon discussions next week, focused on curbing hostilities in Lebanon between Israeli troops and Iran-supported Hezbollah.

A US State Department spokesperson described the "intensive" sessions scheduled for 14 and 15 May as targeting "enduring security for Israel, alongside sovereignty and rebuilding for Lebanon."

The US and Israel insist any agreement demands complete disarmament of Hezbollah, though the Shia militia has dismissed the process. Talks kicked off last month between Israeli and Lebanese envoys in Washington, yielding a shaky ceasefire marred by repeated violations from both Israel and Hezbollah.

Separately, US Vice President JD Vance held talks in Washington on Friday with Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani regarding Pakistan's role in mediating between the US and Iran.

The Qatari leader called on all involved to commit to dialogue addressing the "underlying issues of the crisis" and securing "enduring peace," per a foreign ministry statement posted on X.

The most recent US strikes on Iranian positions came after Thursday's confrontations in the Strait of Hormuz, with each side holding the other responsible.

Centcom claimed Iran fired missiles, drones, and speedboats at three US warships in an "unprovoked assault."

Iran's senior military leadership countered that the US had hit an Iranian oil tanker and another ship nearing the Strait of Hormuz, while conducting "aerial bombardments" on multiple coastal sites.

A cargo ship assaulted close to Minab waters burst into flames, said Mohammad Radmehr, an official from southern Hormozgan province.

"Ten wounded crew members reached medical care, with community teams and rescuers working to determine the status of the remaining sailors," Radmehr informed Iran's state-run Mehr news agency.

President Donald Trump took to Truth Social overnight, boasting that US actions had obliterated numerous small craft, missiles, and drones, inflicting "major harm" on the Iranian forces.

"As we crushed them once more today, we'll hit them far more fiercely and decisively down the line if they fail to ink their Deal - and SOON!"

Additional reporting by Ottilie Mitchell