The United Kingdom said it is sending a destroyer, the HMS Dragon, to the Middle East in anticipation of the deployment of a future international mission in the Strait of Hormuz, AFP reported in a post on X.

The destroyer is currently in the Mediterranean, the AFP report added.

The U.K. and France said in April they were planning a "peaceful multinational mission" that would ensure safe passage for ships in the strait as a defensive measure. The two countries said it would be separate from the warring parties to the conflict and intended to be deployed as soon as circumstances permit.

On Wednesday, France deployed its carrier strike group to the Red Sea as part of planning for a potential mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported.

-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian

As the U.S. awaits Iran’s response to its peace proposal, President Donald Trump said Saturday that he "expects to hear very soon" from the Iranians, according to French news outlet TF1 Info.

In an interview, Trump also told the outlet "they still very much want to conclude a deal."

President Donald Trump told reporters he was expecting to receive a response on a peace plan from Iran on Friday night but said, "We'll see what happens."

Trump made his remarks as he left the White House on Friday evening.

Asked if the U.S. had received a response from Iran, Trump said: "We're receiving a letter, supposedly tonight, but we'll see how that goes."

Trump was pressed on Iranian attacks that have persisted in Kurdish areas of Iraq amid the ceasefire, with the president saying that he was focused on getting the entire conflict in the Middle East ended.

"We want to get the whole thing ended, and we will," he said.

-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr and Michelle Stoddard

The Treasury Department announced sanctions targeting 10 individuals and companies it claims are "enabling efforts by Iran's military to secure weapons" and providing raw materials for its drone and ballistic missile program.

The individuals and companies are based across the Middle East, Asia and Eastern Europe, the department said.

"Under President Trump's decisive leadership, we will continue to act to Keep America Safe and target foreign individuals and companies providing Iran's military with weapons for use against U.S. forces," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the U.S. is "locked and loaded" in the Strait of Hormuz as it moves to open up the waterway.

"We prefer this to be a peaceful operation, but are locked and loaded to defend our people, our ships, our aircraft, and this mission without hesitation," Hegseth said during a press conference at the Pentagon Tuesday.

Hegseth warned Iran, telling it to "let innocent ships pass freely."

American ships are "shouldering the initial risk from the front" in its efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Hegseth said Tuesday.

"We're not looking for a fight. But Iran also cannot be allowed to block innocent countries and their goods from an international waterway," Hegseth said.