Any decision by Iran to keep fighting would complicate President Trump’s stated goal of trying to end the war within weeks.
The letter, by President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran, was at times defiant, patronizing or conciliatory, and came hours before President Trump was set to address the American people on the war.
The slow-moving A-10 “Warthog” is a so-called close-air support plane that could be used to help U.S. ground forces seize territory near the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian-aligned militia, Kataib Hezbollah, is pressing for the release of members detained by the Iraqi government in exchange for freeing the journalist, Shelly Kittleson.
President Trump’s statement was the second time in 24 hours that he had declared that the nuclear problem with Iran had been solved, despite all evidence to the contrary.
Some people in the capital said the blasts on Wednesday morning were among the most powerful they had felt in more than a month of war.
The interconnectedness of global energy markets means that the effects of Iran’s blockade of the waterway are not limited to countries directly dependent on oil from the Middle East.
U.S. commanders have kept many troops away from bases in the region to protect them from Iran’s ballistic missile attacks.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Israel had crushed Iran’s capacity to make nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. But Iran has continued attacking Israel and Persian Gulf countries and is believed to still have highly enriched uranium.
The atmosphere during preparations for the Jewish festival has been unusually subdued, with people afraid to stray far from their homes and shelters.