Iran says it has received an official U.S. response to Tehran’s latest proposal aimed at restoring a ceasefire and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, raising fresh hopes of diplomacy even as military clashes and attacks continue across the region.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi presented Washington’s response to President Masoud Pezeshkian and senior government officials after returning from diplomatic meetings connected to last week’s United Nations General Assembly in New York. Iranian officials have not publicly disclosed the full contents of the U.S. counterproposal or confirmed whether Washington formally rejected Tehran’s conditions.

Iran’s proposal calls for the United States to ease its blockade of Iranian ports and other economic restrictions, while Tehran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days. Iran has also sought relief involving frozen assets and oil sanctions. President Donald Trump publicly rejected Iran’s original proposal over the weekend, but diplomatic contacts continued through Qatari and other regional mediators.

Officials familiar with the negotiations say Washington and Tehran appear to agree broadly that reopening Hormuz and reducing military tensions must be part of any settlement, but significant disagreements remain over which side should take the first steps.

The diplomatic movement comes as the security situation in the Strait of Hormuz remains dangerous. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says military confrontation in and around the strategic waterway is continuing. Britain’s maritime security authorities reported that two commercial vessels were struck by projectiles in recent incidents. Shipping traffic has increased somewhat in recent weeks, but oil, refined-fuel and natural-gas movements through the strait remain heavily disrupted.

The continuing instability around Hormuz has global consequences because roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil passed through the strategic waterway before the current conflict. Disruptions have pushed shipping costs higher and added pressure to international energy markets.

Elsewhere in the Middle East, violence continued in Gaza on Wednesday. Palestinian medical and local sources reported multiple Israeli strikes in Gaza City and other areas. Al Jazeera reported at least seven Palestinians killed and more than 10 wounded, including six people reportedly killed when a drone struck a passenger vehicle in the Tal al-Hawa area. The Associated Press, citing hospital officials, reported five Palestinians killed and 19 wounded in several strikes. Israel’s military had not immediately provided a full account of all the reported incidents.

Tensions also remain high in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese army said one of its soldiers was seriously wounded and three civilians were injured in an explosion near Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa. The army initially reported that an Israeli strike had targeted a military vehicle, but later revised its statement, saying the explosion was caused by a “suspicious object” while troops were escorting residents visiting their homes.

The developments underline the fragile state of the wider Middle East, where diplomatic efforts to end the U.S.-Iran confrontation are unfolding alongside continuing violence in Hormuz, Gaza and Lebanon. Whether the latest American response can produce a negotiated breakthrough will depend largely on Washington and Tehran resolving their dispute over sanctions, the maritime blockade, nuclear issues and the sequence of steps toward reopening one of the world’s most important shipping routes.