DUBAI, May 27 (Reuters) - Iran's state TV said Tehran had obtained a draft of an initial unofficial framework for a memorandum of understanding with the United States.

Under the framework, Iran would restore commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels within a month, while the United States would withdraw military forces from Iran's vicinity and lift a naval blockade.

(Reporting by Elwely Elwelly, Writing by Jana Choukeir, Editing by Philippa Fletcher)

By Heejin Kim and Joyce Lee

SEOUL, May 27 (Reuters) - An Iranian anti-ship missile was likely involved in an attack on a cargo ship operated by local shipper HMM in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

Saeed Koozechi, the Iranian ambassador to South Korea, denied Iran's role in the South Korean vessel attack saying his country "took no part" in it, local news agency Yonhap News reported.

The Iranian embassy in Seoul did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Muslim faithful ritually stoned the devil on Wednesday in the climactic ceremony of a hajj pilgrimage held in intense heat and against the backdrop of a war that has plunged the wealthy Gulf into crisis.

From dawn, crowds of pilgrims gathered in the valley of Mina, southeast of the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, to throw pebbles at concrete pillars symbolising the devil.

It reenacts the Prophet Abraham's stoning of the devil at three places where Satan is said to have tried to dissuade him from obeying God's command to sacrifice his son Ishmael.

ISTANBUL, May 27 (Reuters) - The reinstated chair of Turkey's main opposition party Kemal Kilicdaroglu said on Wednesday the party will hold a congress once legal conditions are met, after a court ousted the previous leadership, triggering an internal crisis and market volatility last week.

Kilicdaroglu told reporters that he will consult with the legal team of the Republican People's Party (CHP) to decide on the timing of the congress.

The United States struck southern Iran on Thursday, drawing retaliation from Tehran against a US military base, in the most serious clashes since an April ceasefire began.

The fighting, which drew in US ally Kuwait, threatened to jettison a fragile diplomatic push to forge a peace agreement and open the Strait of Hormuz, which has become a key point of contention in efforts to formally end the war.

The fresh fighting appeared to begin when Iranian forces fired at four ships attempting to cross the Strait, state broadcaster IRIB reported on Thursday.

By Heejin Kim and Joyce Lee

SEOUL, May 27 (Reuters) - South Korea's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that an attack on a cargo ship operated by local shipper HMM in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month likely involved an Iranian anti-ship missile.

The Iranian embassy in Seoul did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The ministry made the assessment at a briefing to announce the outcome of a government investigation into the May 4 attack on the bulk carrier, which caused a fire and damaged the lower stern hull.

By Gabriel Stargardter

PARIS, May 27 (Reuters) - Paris prosecutors have opened a probe to determine whether three hard-left mayoral candidates were targeted by a foreign state seeking to meddle in French elections, they said on Wednesday, in a move that could help shed light on the mysterious campaign.

Reuters revealed this month that French officials suspect the alleged smearing of three mayoral candidates from the pro-Palestinian party France Unbowed (LFI) ahead of March's municipal elections was carried out by an obscure Israeli firm called BlackCore.

The Israeli military said on Thursday it had begun new strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure around the southern Lebanese city of Tyre after issuing an evacuation warning to its residents.

Israel the previous day had declared all areas south of Lebanon's Zahrani River - an area roughly 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the border and including Tyre - as "combat zones" and told residents to evacuate ahead of attacks against Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Israel said on Wednesday it had killed the new head of Hamas's armed wing in Gaza, Mohammed Odeh, after killing his predecessor earlier this month despite an ongoing ceasefire.

Since Hamas's October 2023 attack, Israel has systematically targeted the group's leaders, both in Gaza and across the region.

Odeh is the fourth head of the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades that Israel says it has killed since the start of the Gaza war.

Muslim faithful took part in the climactic ritual of the annual hajj pilgrimage on Wednesday, symbolically stoning the devil near Mecca.

From dawn, crowds of pilgrims gathered in the valley of Mina, southeast of the holy city of Mecca, to throw pebbles at concrete pillars symbolising the devil.

It reenacts the Prophet Abraham's stoning of the devil at three places where Satan is said to have tried to dissuade him from obeying God's command to sacrifice his son Ishmael.