LIVE | Trump warns Iran to rush deal, regime open to involvement from China to resolve conflict

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps naval forces are allowing more ships to pass through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, state-sponsored media reported Friday, after Tehran blocked the sea lane following U.S. and Israeli attacks.

"More ships can now pass through the Strait of Hormuz with the coordination of the naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps," or IRGC, a state media reporter said from the southern port city of Bandar Abbas.

"This indicates that many countries have accepted the new legal protocols that Iran and the IRGC naval forces have established in this region and in the Strait of Hormuz."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was receptive to greater involvement from China in resolving the conflict with the U.S. and Israel. "We appreciate any country that has the ability to help, particularly China," Araghchi said, after attending a meeting of the BRICS bloc of nations in New Delhi.

"We have very good relations with China, we are strategic partners with each other, and we know that the Chinese have good intentions, so anything they can do to help diplomacy would be welcomed by the Islamic republic," he added.

Donald Trump suggested that the hunt for Iran's enriched uranium is mainly due to political optics, after Israel demanded it as a target in the Middle East war. "I just ​feel better if I got it, actually. But it's, I think, it's more for public relations than it is for anything else," Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity.

In the same interview, Trump told Hannity that he was running out of patience for reaching a truce with Iran as peace talks have stalled. "I'm not going to be much more patient. … They should make a deal. Any sane person would make a deal, but they might be crazy," Trump said.

The United Arab Emirates will speed up construction of a new oil pipeline bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, official media reported Friday, after war in the Middle East stalled exports through the vital sea lane.

Abu Dhabi's crown prince, Sheikh Jaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, ordered state oil giant ADNOC to "fast-track the delivery of the project," whose completion is scheduled for 2027, the Abu Dhabi Media Bureau reported.

Oil prices rose again as another weekend approached with no prospect of a return to normalcy in the passage of crude through the Strait of Hormuz, with the price well above the symbolic barrier of $100 per barrel.

A barrel of Brent was trading at $108, while West Texas Intermediate hit $103.7 during the European trading day.

Israel's military said one of its soldiers had died in combat in southern Lebanon, bringing its losses to 20 personnel since the war with Hezbollah began in early March.

A U.S. official said talks in Washington between Israel and Lebanon on an expiring cease-fire were "positive" and would continue for a second day.

"We had a full day of productive and positive talks that lasted from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.," a senior State Department official said. "We look forward to continuing tomorrow [Friday] and hope to have more to share then."

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the United Arab Emirates, where he hopes to strengthen his country's energy security as war continues to sow uncertainty around the world.

"Keeping Hormuz free, open and safe is our highest priority, and in this matter adherence to international laws is essential," Modi said, in images released by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.