Iran responded to a U.S. proposal to bring an end to the war in the Middle East, Tehran’s state media reported Sunday.

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The response “was given through mediator Pakistan,” state news agency IRNA said, without specifying what the response was. “According to the proposed plan, negotiations at this stage will focus on the issue of ending the war in the region.”

In a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump called the response “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!”

The two sides continued to trade fire in the Persian Gulf on Saturday, more than a month after a temporary ceasefire deal was announced that was initially intended to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has continued to block ships from passing through the strait, disrupting critical Gulf oil supplies and prolonging the global economic uncertainty surrounding the conflict.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday that the U.S. was still waiting for a “clear resolution” from Iran on its latest proposal.

He told moderator Kristen Welker that the U.S. was seeking the “free flow of traffic through the international waters that are the Straits of Hormuz, and an end to the Iranian nuclear program.”

The standoff over the vital waterway has resulted in soaring gas prices that hit a national average of $4.52 per gallon Sunday, according to data from motor club AAA. That number is an increase of more than 50% since the start of the Iran war.

Wright said the Trump administration is “open to all ideas” to lower the cost of gas, including suspending the federal gas tax.

Americans evacuated from hantavirus-stricken cruise ship off Spain

American passengers aboard the cruise ship at the center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak began boarding buses Sunday evening for evacuation flights out of Spain.

The 17 Americans aboard the MV Hondius are expected to be flown to the United States and monitored at the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, a specialized facility for highly hazardous communicable diseases. An 18th evacuee — a British national who lives in the U.S. — was among them.

Passengers started evacuating the cruise ship Sunday shortly after it arrived in Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands off West Africa. The first group of passengers, wearing face masks and head-to-toe personal protective equipment, were kept strictly secluded from members of the public as a small boat brought them ashore.

Birders push back on hantavirus fears tied to Argentine city

The outbreak has cast an unwelcome spotlight on Tierra del Fuego, a region in Argentina well known for its biodiversity and bird-watching, authorities and guides say.

Investigators believe bird-watching may be at the epicenter of the Hondius outbreak that has killed three. The World Health Organization said the first person with a confirmed case may have been exposed to rodents — which can carry hantavirus — while on a birding trip.

The theory made some enthusiasts uneasy and prompted some authorities, locals and others to defend Ushuaia, a city of nearly 85,000 that draws tourists to its Antarctic cruise ships and abundant, watchworthy bird population.

More hantavirus news:

• Covid-19 cruise passengers recall painful memories amid hantavirus outbreak.
• The head of the WHO has addressed local anger in Tenerife, as residents protest with chants: “Yes to tourism, no to the virus.”

‘Meet the Press’

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday highlighted the importance of investing in maternal health initiatives aimed at supporting mothers before and after they give birth.

Sanders, who has three children, said she raised alarm bells about maternal health in Arkansas after becoming governor because the state consistently ranked among the worst in maternal mortality rates.

“If we can see these women and help them and support them from the very beginning of their pregnancy all the way through, then we can help address some of these problems and we can change maternal health,” the Republican told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” in an interview alongside Moore, a Democrat, and philanthropist Olivia Walton, which aired Sunday.

Moore highlighted an initiative in Maryland called the Bridge Program, which seeks to provide low-income mothers with direct monetary assistance.

Politics in Brief

• An old argument: NBC News’ Laura Jarrett spoke with legal experts about the 1898 argument Trump is using to make his birthright citizenship case.
• Hit the road: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy defended “The Great American Road Trip,” his new reality show in celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary, amid backlash that show is “out of touch” amid rising gas prices.
• Peace in Eastern Europe? Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the potential for talks with the European Union, after rounds of U.S.-led peace talks that have so far failed to bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine.

Diet Coke parties are all the rage in India as aluminum can shortage bubbles up

The shipping logjam in the Persian Gulf is unexpectedly affecting a beloved beverage. In India, shops have struggled to keep Diet Coke on the shelves due to a shortage of aluminum cans.

Worried about losing her favorite drink, 25-year-old Ishika Gupta threw a party to celebrate it.

“It was a joke,” said Gupta, describing herself as an “avid drinker” of Diet Coke. “I thought only me and two of my friends would show up.”

The party was a hit with Gen Zers, who she says are craving more alcohol-free experiences. Tickets were sold out, and around 150 attendees showed up wearing Coke-themed outfits, danced to house and pop music, and made their own Diet Coke “concoctions.”

“It was some cosmic alignment,” Gupta said. “We were celebrating the very thing that there was so-called crisis for.”

Jordan Chiles is an Olympian, author and reality TV star. She’s nowhere close to done.

Jordan Chiles at 25 years old has singularly accomplished more professionally to date than some entire family bloodlines.

The Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast is a New York Times bestselling author, the founder of a girls’ mentorship program and a former Time magazine Woman of the Year — not to mention a college student.

Sound like a dizzying lifestyle? To Chiles, that is par for the course in achieving her loftiest goals across sports and beyond. The frenetic pace coupled with consistent outsized expectations from those around her is something she was born to do.

“When I was little, I never had imaginary friends — I always had imaginary dreams,” Chiles told NBC News. “I am named after Michael Jordan. So I took his namesake very, very to heart and wanted to be like, ‘If he’s Michael Jordan, why can’t I be Jordan Chiles?’”

Notable quote

When content creator Hunter Peterson heard Spirit Airlines would close, he posted an idea: If a fifth of Americans each pitched in $45, “we could buy Spirit Airlines.” The idea took off on social media, and what started as a joke is now a viral crowdfunding campaign to revive the bankrupt carrier.

In case you missed it

• A pedestrian died after being struck by a plane on a Denver International Airport runway.
• Betty Broderick, who was convicted of murdering her ex-husband and his new wife in bed, died at 78.
• Bobby Cox, the legendary Atlanta Braves manager and Baseball Hall of Famer, died at 84.
• Eleven people were hospitalized following a possible boat explosion near North Miami Beach.

• More than 100 passengers and crew fell sick during a norovirus outbreak aboard the Caribbean Princess cruise ship.