washington, April 29 -- The Trump administration seemed unlikely on Tuesday to accept Iran's offer to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the US lifts its blockade on the country. The proposal would postpone discussions on the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme, something that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to rule out in a Fox News interview on Monday. "We have to ensure that any deal that is made, any agreement that is made, is one that definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point," he said of the proposal, which was delivered to the US by Pakistan. The White House said US President Donald Trump's national security team discussed the offer and Trump would address it later. The offer emerged on Monday as Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Russia, which has long been a key backer of Tehran. It was unclear what, if any, assistance Moscow might offer now. Since the war began, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran and at least 2,521 people in Lebanon, where fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group resumed two days after the Iran war started. Another 23 people have been killed in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Sixteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon, 13 US service members in the region and six UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon have been killed. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said Israeli airstrikes hit the villages of Chakra, Tebnine and Kafra in southern Lebanon on Tuesday. A drone strike also hit a motorcycle in the village of Mansouri, the agency reported. The strikes came as Israel's military asked residents of 16 southern village to evacuate, saying Hezbollah is using the communities to launch attacks on Israeli troops in southern Lebanon. Bahrain sentenced 30 people to life in prison and 10-year terms over accusations of spying for Iran and supporting Iranian attacks on the tiny Island kingdom. The public prosecution said on Tuesday that five people, including two Afghans, received life sentences after being convicted of spying for Iran's Revolutionary Guard. The prosecution said 25 others were separately sentenced to 10 years each for supporting Iran's "terrorist acts" in Bahrain. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday briefed New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon by phone on Pakistan's diplomatic outreach promoting regional peace and de-escalation. Luxon expressed appreciation for Pakistan's diplomatic efforts including outreach to the United States and Iran, according to Sharif's office. Sharif thanked Luxon for his support and reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to peace, dialogue and regional stability, the office said. A senior US State Department official says Iran's "illegal behaviour" in the Strait of Hormuz should serve as a "wake-up call" for global energy security. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker told at a gathering of Baltic, Black, and Adriatic Sea countries on Tuesday in Croatia that more needs to be done to diversify supplies and connect to avoid future problems. Iran needs guarantees against another US-Israeli attack before it can ensure security in the oil-rich Gulf, Tehran's envoy to the United Nations said on Monday. The ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, addressed a Security Council session initiated by Bahrain, in which dozens of countries condemned Iran for exerting control over the crucial Strait of Hormuz. "Lasting stability and security in the Persian Gulf and the wider region can only be achieved through a durable and permanent cessation of aggression against Iran supplemented by credible guarantees of non-recurrence and full respect for the legitimate sovereign rights and interests of Iran," Iravani told the session. Speaking afterward to reporters, Iravani complained that countries only criticised Iran and not a naval blockade declared by the United States. "The United States is acting like pirates and terrorists, targeting commercial vessels through coercion and intimidation, terrorizing their crews, unlawfully seizing ships and taking crew members hostage," Iravani said. The United States and Iran clashed over Tehran's nuclear programme as a review of the treaty meant to prevent the spread of atomic weapons got underway on Monday at the United Nations, a confrontation almost certain to be repeated during the monthlong meeting. At issue was the election of Iran as one of 34 vice presidents of the conference, where 191 parties to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty are reviewing its implementation as they have done every five years since it took effect in 1970. Iran was a candidate of what has been dubbed the "nonaligned movement", made up of 121 mainly developing countries. Christopher Yeaw, US assistant secretary of state for arms control and non-proliferation, said that while there may be differing views about Iran's ultimate intent and how to address its programme, Iran has shown "contempt" for its commitments under the treaty. Iran's ambassador to the UN in Vienna, Reza Najafi, called the US allegations "baseless and politically motivated," declaring its opposition to the US as a vice president of the review conference....