The Trump administration, sidestepping a widening battle in and around the Strait of Hormuz, said it was anticipating a reply from Tehran on Friday on its latest terms for ending the war.

“I hope it’s a serious offer,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a visit to Italy, even as U.S. warplanes struck and disabled two Iranian-flagged tankers that the U.S. Central Command said were attempting to violate its naval blockade by entering an Iranian port along the Gulf of Oman.