NSCIF Baseball: Complete playoff schedule, bracket

The 2026 Northern Section baseball playoffs are here, with play-in games for Divisions II and III starting on Tuesday, May 12.

Pleasant Valley and Foothill, the co-Eastern Athletic League Champions, edged out the rest of the Division II competition for the No. 1 and No. 2 spots. The Vikings took the No. 1 seed after defeating the Cougars in two out of three head-to-head matchups this season and will host the Super Regional matchups on May 19.

No. 4 Las Plumas and No. 5 Shasta will face off on Tuesday for the chance to play Pleasant Valley on Friday. No. 3 Chico and No. 6 Enterprise will also face off in the play-in round, with the winner heading to Foothill. The Division II championships will be played on May 23 at a neutral location.

West Valley earned the No. 1 spot in Division III after posting a dominant 19-5 record in the regular season. Head coach Willie Church and the Eagles will have home-field advantage until the championship games on May 23. Orland earned the No. 2 spot, and both teams avoided the play-in.

No. 5 Live Oak will head to No. 4 Gridley on Tuesday, with the winner set to play West Valley at the end of the week. No. 3 Lassen and No. 6 Yreka will face off to determine which teams plays Orland.

The playoff brackets for Divisions IV-VII have not been decided. Stay tuned for updated playoff brackets and scores.

Division II

Play-in games:

All games will be played at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12

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• No. 5 Shasta (12-12) at No. 4 Las Plumas (19-9)

• No. 6 Enterprise (12-15-1) at No. 3 Chico (18-8)

All games will be played at 4 p.m. on Friday, May 15

• Shasta/Las Plumas at No. 1 Pleasant Valley (20-8)

• Enterprise/Chico at No. 2 Foothill (20-6)

Division III

Play-in games:

All games will be played at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12

• No. 5 Live Oak (10-13) at No. 4 Gridley (14-9)

• No. 6 Yreka (7-19-1) at No. 3 Lassen (14-14)

All games will be played at 4 p.m. on Friday, May 15

• Live Oak/Gridley at No. 1 West Valley (19-5)

• Yreka/Lassen at No. 2 Orland (17-6-1)

Brett Abrams is a sports reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. He covers high school and local sports in the Redding area. Reach out to Brett with any sports tips or news on X (formerly Twitter)@brabrams_or by email atBrett.Abrams@Redding.com. To support and sustain this work,please subscribe today. Thank you.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight:2026 NSCIF baseball playoff schedule, bracket

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NSCIF Baseball: Complete playoff schedule, bracket

The 2026 Northern Section baseball playoffs are here, with play-in games for Divisions II and III starting on Tuesday, May 12. Ple...

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Full results from Monroe area at the LHSAA track and field finals

The LHSAA outdoor track and field finals culminated on Saturday, May 9, at LSU's Bernie Moore Track Stadium in Baton Rouge.

There were many Monroe-area state champions throughout the finals as Quitman swept the Class B titles. Wolverines senior Gage Horton and junior Kaleigh King, as well as Delhi Charter junior Tayven Carter and Jonesboro-Hodge senior Ciara Gray, also clinched individual championships in multiple events.

Here's how every local LHSAA placer performed at the finals.

LHSAA track and field:These two seniors stand out in Ruston's girls program

Boys

100-meter dash:Macario Dade, Ouachita (3rd)

200-meter dash:Macario Dade, Ouachita (8th)

300-meter hurdles:Isaac Lane, West Monroe (6th)

800-meter run:Tytan Johnson, West Monroe (2nd)

1,600-meter run:Joshua Daulton, Ruston (8th)

3,200-meter run:Al-Amin Wilson, Ruston (8th)

4x100-meter relay:Neville (5th)

4x400-meter relay:West Monroe (4th)

4x800-meter relay:Ruston (8th)

Discus:Ahmad Hudson, Ruston (4th)

High jump:Ahmad Hudson, Ruston (6th)

Javelin:Jaxon Talley, West Monroe (1st)

Long jump:Aiden Parker, West Monroe (2nd)

Shot put:Brayden Jackson, Neville (8th)

Triple jump:Cody Nelson, Ouachita (1st); Wydell Clark; Ouachita (3rd)

110-meter hurdles:Lorenzo Price, West Ouachita (6th); Grayson Knighten, West Ouachita (9th)

300-meter hurdles:Lorenzo Price, West Ouachita (4th); Grayson Knighten, West Ouachita (8th)

400-meter dash:Trevon Gibbs, West Ouachita (2nd)

800-meter run:Aaron May, West Ouachita (4th)

1,600-meter run:Jacob Borden, West Ouachita (7th)

3,200-meter run:Jack Kelley, West Ouachita (1st); David Bennett, West Ouachita (9th)

4x200-meter relay:West Ouachita (5th)

4x400-meter relay:West Ouachita (5th)

4x800-meter relay:West Ouachita (2nd)

Javelin:Connor Toler, Franklin Parish (4th)

Pole vault:Jackson Conville, West Ouachita (3rd)

Shot put:Cooper Donaldson, West Ouachita (6th)

Triple jump:Dillon Chirse, Franklin Parish (8th)

100-meter dash:Quanderrius King, Caldwell (4th)

110-meter hurdles:De'Marion Thompson, Caldwell (5th); Jason Friels, Carroll (6th)

200-meter dash:Quanderrius King, Caldwell (6th)

300-meter hurdles:Jason Friels, Carroll (5th)

1,600-meter run:Marx Vaessler, Sterlington (4th)

3,200-meter run:Marx Vaessler, Sterlington (5th)

4x100-meter relay:Sterlington (5th); Carroll (8th)

4x400-meter relay:Bastrop (7th)

4x800-meter relay:Bastrop (9th)

Javelin:Presley Parks-Smith, Sterlington (1st); TJ Burch, Sterlington (9th)

Pole vault:William Lyon, Sterlington (5th)

Shot put:Daviel Straughter, Carroll (2nd)

110-meter hurdles:Michael McNeal, Union Parish (5th)

200-meter dash:Kenneth Mitchell, Mangham (6th)

300-meter hurdles:Michael McNeal, Union Parish (6th); Gabriel Arroyo, Mangham (8th)

400-meter dash:Silas Williams, Ouachita Christian (5th); Lee Jones, Delhi Charter (8th)

800-meter run:Jonathan Boles, Ouachita Christian (5th); Tucker Lamkin, Ouachita Christian (8th)

1,600-meter run:Levi James, Ouachita Christian (3rd); Lawson Kitchens, Ouachita Christian (9th)

3,200-meter run:Levi James, Ouachita Christian (4th); Lawson Kitchens, Ouachita Christian (8th); Brycen Owen, Mangham (9th)

4x100-meter relay:Mangham (4th)

4x200-meter relay:Mangham (3rd)

4x400-meter relay:Ouachita Christian (2nd); Mangham (5th)

4x800-meter relay:Ouachita Christian (4th)

Discus:Jacob Crosler, Winnfield (2nd); Tyler Ausberry, Mangham (3rd); Jalen Williams, Mangham (4th)

Javelin:Andrew Copeland, Ouachita Christian (6th); Joseph Post, Ouachita Christian (8th)

Long jump:Tayven Carter, Delhi Charter (1st)

Pole vault:Barrett Freeland, Ouachita Christian (2nd); Brodie Dismuke, D'Arbonne Woods Charter (5th); Braxton Alford, Ouachita Christian (7th)

Shot put:Carson Riser, D'Arbonne Woods Charter (5th); James Murry McGehee, Ouachita Christian (6th)

Triple jump:Tayven Carter, Delhi Charter (1st); D'Siah Bradshaw, Ouachita Christian (5th)

100-meter dash:Kingston Culpepper, Cedar Creek (4th)

110-meter hurdles:Devin Miles, Delhi (3rd)

200-meter dash:Jatavious Hester, Delhi (5th); Stephen Austin, St. Frederick (9th)

300-meter hurdles:Terrance Williams, Delhi (2nd); King Campbell, Jonesboro-Hodge (8th)

800-meter run:Joshua McCarthy, Cedar Creek (6th); Beau Beasinger, St. Frederick (8th)

1,600-meter run:Luke Alexander, Cedar Creek (2nd); Kurtis Hawkes, LaSalle (6th)

3,200-meter run:Luke Alexander, Cedar Creek (2nd); Kurtis Hawkes, LaSalle (6th)

4x100-meter relay:Delhi (3rd)

4x200-meter relay:Delhi (2nd); Jonesboro-Hodge (9th)

4x400-meter relay:Delhi (1st)

Discus:Zion Hogan, Delhi (5th)

High jump:Nathan Neal, St. Frederick (5th)

Javelin:Campbell Woodard, Cedar Creek (4th); Jeffrey Lasietr, LaSalle (6th)

Long jump:Deon Percy, Tensas (7th)

Pole vault:Joshua McCarthy, Cedar Creek (3rd)

Shot put:Zion Hogan, Delhi (6th); Ryan Randolph, Lincoln Prep (8th)

100-meter dash:Brayden Smith, Quitman (6th)

110-meter hurdles:Nathan Harvey, Quitman (2nd)

200-meter dash:Amaren Woodard, Simsboro (1st); Brayden Smith, Quitman (3rd)

300-meter hurdles:Nathan Harvey, Quitman (1st)

400-meter dash:Gage Horton, Quitman (1st); Hagen Davis, Choudrant (3rd)

800-meter run:Gage Horton, Quitman (2nd); Luke Sims, Quitman (4th); Jaylen Williams, Simsboro (8th)

1,600-meter run:Gage Horton, Quitman (1st); Benton Case, Choudrant (7th)

3,200-meter run:Josiah Ramsey, Quitman (5th); Mason Thomas, Quitman (7th)

4x100-meter relay:Simsboro (6th); Quitman (7th)

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4x200-meter relay:Quitman (1st), Simsboro (4th)

4x400-meter relay:Quitman (1st), Simsboro (3rd)

Discus:Sawyer Cunningham, Choudrant (4th); Landry Roberts, Simsboro (6th); Tylan Leonard, Quitman (8th)

Javelin:Asher Shultz, Quitman (1st)

Long jump:Jayden Harts, Quitman (3rd); Kayden Smith, Weston (4th)

Shot put:Elijah Jackson, Quitman (2nd)

Triple jump:Jackson Wood, Choudrant (2nd)

Girls

100-meter dash:Gabriella Glover, Ouachita (2nd)

100-meter hurdles:Lennon Sirmon, Neville (9th)

200-meter dash:Micayla Harris, Ouachita (3rd)

400-meter dash:T'Avion Clark, Ruston (2nd)

4x100-meter relay:Ouachita (3rd)

4x400-meter relay:Ruston (2nd)

4x800-meter relay:Ruston (1st)

Discus:Journi Douglas, Ruston (2nd)

Javelin:Mallory Hart, Neville (5th)

Shot put:Journi Douglas, Ruston (5th)

100-meter hurdles:Madison Boyd, West Ouachita (4th)

300-meter hurdles:Madison Boyd, West Ouachita (1st)

3,200-meter run:Emma Bielkiewicz, West Ouachita (3rd)

4x200-meter relay:Franklin Parish (9th)

Discus:Oyona Sloss, West Ouachita (9th)

High jump:Madison Boyd, West Ouachita (9th)

Javelin:Madison Mobley, Franklin Parish (3rd)

Pole vault:Bella Hamby, West Ouachita (6th)

200-meter dash:Jamie Hunter, Richwood (9th)

800-meter run:Elyssa Gibbs, Sterlington (4th)

1,600-meter run:Andie Woodhead, Sterlington (7th)

4x100-meter relay:Carroll (8th)

4x400-meter relay:Sterlington (6th)

4x800-meter relay:Sterlington (9th)

Discus:Sophia Parker, Jena (6th)

High jump:Brantlee Rinehart, Sterlington (3rd)

Javelin:Natalie Tannehill, Sterlington (5th)

Long jump:Lynon Howse, Sterlington (7th)

Shot put:Tyanna Wilhite, Carroll (4th)

100-meter hurdles:Antoinette Byas, Beekman Charter (5th)

300-meter hurdles:Antoinette Byas, Beekman Charter (5th); Adalyn Wegner, Ouachita Christian (6th)

400-meter dash:Paityn Alexander, Delhi Charter (6th)

800-meter run:Ella Ogden, Ouachita Christian (6th); Janyah Thomas, Rayville (8th)

1,600-meter run:Leticia Reyes, Beekman Charter (7th)

3,200-meter run:Rebekah Jones, Beekman Charter (7th); Sullivan Stokes, Ouachita Christian (8th)

4x200-meter relay:Beekman Charter (5th)

4x400-meter relay:Ouachita Christian (8th); Rayville (9th)

4x800-meter relay:Ouachita Christian (6th)

Discus:Mary Louise Hagan, Ouachita Christian (3rd); Brilee Smith, D'Arbonne Woods Charter (5th); Tiara Harper, Beekman Charter (7th)

High jump:Lucy Edwards, Ouachita Christian (4th)

Javelin:Joley Bennett, D'Arbonne Woods Charter (1st); Haddie Beth Kirkendall, Ouachita Christian (6th)

Long jump:Hailey Smith, Union Parish (5th)

Pole vault:Kelsey Woods, Ouachita Christian (4th); Elizabeth Raymond, Ouachita Christian (7th)

Shot put:Aaliyah Fortenberry, Delhi Charter (7th)

Triple jump:Hailey Smith, Union Parish (5th)

100-meter dash:Carmon Livingston, Jonesboro-Hodge (6th)

100-meter hurdles:Ciara Gray, Jonesboro-Hodge (2nd)

200-meter dash:Derryn Osborne, Jonesboro-Hudge (7th); Tyliah Kimble, Lincoln Prep (8th)

300-meter hurdles:Ciara Gray, Jonesboro-Hodge (1st); Taylor Cleveland, Delhi (8th)

400-meter dash:Leah James, Cedar Creek (1st); Ella Robinson, Cedar Creek (2nd)

800-meter run:Leah James, Cedar Creek (3rd); Makenzie Ingram, St. Frederick (4th); Anna Smith, Cedar Creek (7th)

1,600-meter run:Rachel Hill, St. Frederick (5th)

3,200-meter run:Rachel Hill, St. Frederick (3rd); Evelyn Mills, Cedar Creek (7th)

4x100-meter relay:Jonesboro-Hodge (3rd)

4x200-meter relay:Jonesboro-Hodge (2nd); Delhi (6th)

4x400-meter relay:Cedar Creek (2nd); St. Frederick (5th)

Javelin:Teresa Anzalone, St. Frederick (3rd)

Long jump:Ciara Gray, Jonesboro-Hodge (1st); Sanaa Tatum, Jonesboro-Hodge (9th)

Pole vault:Mary Temple, Cedar Creek (7th)

Shot put:Arelia Blanson, Delhi (4th); La'kendra Fletcher, Delhi (8th)

Triple jump:Ciara Gray, Jonesboro-Hodge (1st); Sanaa Tatum, Jonesboro-Hodge (6th)

100-meter dash:Jakayla Menyweather, Choudrant (3rd); Keeley Davis, Quitman (5th); Skyleigh Webb, Quitman (8th)

100-meter hurdles:Kaleigh King, Quitman (2nd); Taylor Borland, Quitman (3rd); Gracie Gray, Weston (4th)

200-meter dash:Keely Davis, Quitman (7th); Maliyah Williams, Choudrant (8th); Sunni Altheimer, Quitman (9th)

300-meter hurdles:Kaleigh King, Quitman (1st); Gracie Gray, Weston (2nd); Taylor Borland, Quitman (7th)

400-meter dash:Lazorreya Davis, Simsboro (4th); Megan Kelley, Quitman (7th)

800-meter run:Megan Kelley, Quitman (5th); Audrina Martin, Quitman (6th)

1,600-meter run:Megan Kelley, Quitman (6th); Addison Faber, Quitman (9th)

3,200-meter run:Teyton Naron, Quitman (7th)

4x100-meter relay:Quitman (2nd); Choudrant (3rd); Simsboro (4th)

4x200-meter relay:Choudrant (2nd); Quitman (3rd); Simsboro (4th)

4x400-meter relay:Quitman (2nd); Simsboro (6th)

Discus:Kaleigh Webb, Quitman (4th)

High jump:Curniya McCallister, Simsboro (7th)

Javelin:Rachel Bandy, Weston (3rd)

Long jump:Katherine Hernandez-Mencia, Choudrant (5th)

Pole vault:Kaleigh King, Quitman (1st); Taylor Borland, Quitman (4th)

Shot put:Jana Potts, Quitman (7th)

Triple jump:Katherine Hernandez-Mencia, Choudrant (6th)

This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star:Final results from Monroe area LHSAA track and field championships

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Full results from Monroe area at the LHSAA track and field finals

The LHSAA outdoor track and field finals culminated on Saturday, May 9, at LSU's Bernie Moore Track Stadium in Baton Rouge. T...

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Lions will play at Bills on Thursday Night Football in Week 2

The 2026Detroit Lionsschedule won't be fully released until Thursday, but we know for sure they'll be playing the Buffalo Bills in Week 2.

Amazon Prime announced Monday theLionswill play at Buffalo on Sept. 17 on Thursday Night Football. It'll be Buffalo's first game at Highmark Stadium, which is set to open later this summer. The new venue, slated to have a capacity of more than 60,000, has been under construction for about two years.

The Lions and Bills last met in December 2024, when Buffalo jumped out to an early lead andultimately hung on to win a shootout, 48-42. Quarterbacks Jared Goff and Josh Allen were excellent, combining to complete 65.6% of their throws for 856 yards and seven touchdowns. Allen also added 68 yards and two scores as a runner, as Detroit's depleted defense struggled to contain the eventual MVP.

Buffalo has won five straight matchups against Detroit. The Lions last won versus the Bills in October 2006, when running back Kevin Jones rushed for 127 yards, the third highest total of his career. Detroit's defense forced five turnovers to lead the way in a 20-17 victory.

Key departures from the Bills this offseason include offensive guard David Edwards (signed with the New Orleans Saints), cornerback Taron Johnson (traded to the Las Vegas Raiders) and safety Taylor Rapp (released). Edge defenders Nick Bosa and A.J. Epenesa remain free agents.

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Buffalo's notable additions are headlined by wide receiver D.J. Moore, who was landed in a trade with the Chicago Bears. Other newcomers include edge defenders Bradley Chubb (previously of the Miami Dolphins) and Mike Danna (Kansas City Chiefs), as well as safeties C.J. Gardner-Johnson (Bears) and Geno Stone (Cincinnati Bengals).

The Bills lost in last year's playoffs to the Denver Broncos on Jan. 17 and fired former coach Sean McDermott two days later. Joe Brady, who had spent the last two seasons as Buffalo's offensive coordinator, was promoted to replace McDermott. Brady chose Pete Carmichael (offense), Jim Leonhard (defense) and Jeff Rodgers (special teams) as his coordinators.

rsilva@detroitnews.com

@rich_silva18

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News:Lions will play at Bills in Buffalo's new Highmark Stadium in Week 2

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Lions will play at Bills on Thursday Night Football in Week 2

The 2026Detroit Lionsschedule won't be fully released until Thursday, but we know for sure they'll be playing the Buffalo Bills...

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Could Game 4 be LeBron James' last with Lakers? What we know with LA down 3-0

TheLos Angeles Lakersare potentially staring down a sweep at the hands of theOklahoma City Thunder, and the possible end of the LeBron James era in LA.

The No. 4 seed Lakers led the No. 1 seed Thunder at halftime for the second straight game, but were outscored by 25 points in the second half following yet another collapse over the final two quarters tofind themselves down 3-0to the defending NBA champions.

"I'm not angry or disappointed," James told reporters postgame. "Obviously, I'm disappointed being down 3-0, but we still got life and that's all you can ask for, and we gotta be much better on Monday. We'll see what happens."

NBA takeaways:Lakers have no answer for Thunder and their antics

Whatever happens in Game 4, there's a chance it could be James' last in a Lakers uniform. His contract is set to expire at the end of the season, and the fact that no extension has been worked out has been at the center of a season-long soap opera filled with rumors suggesting a deterioration of his relationship with team governor Jeanie Buss. There's also been rumors to the contrary, that the Lakers would be happy to keep James in purple and gold through the remainder of his playing days.

And, of course, there's also the chance that James retires this summer.

All signs throughout the season have pointed to James playing a 24th NBA season next year, but his recent declaration that he wouldn't want a retirement tour sparked renewed speculation.

James' legacy as a Laker is a complicated one, but that's another story for another time. He brought a championship back to LA in his second season, ending a decade-long drought for the second-most decorated franchise in NBA history. He was the superstar who wanted the pressure of playing in LA when several in the years before 2018 eschewed what was then perceived as a dysfunctional, rebuilding team that lacked direction (remember LaMarcus Aldridge?).

Though James will probably forever be associated with theCleveland Cavaliersfirst, his eight years as a Laker is his longest continuous stretch with any one team, surpassing the first seven years of his career in his home state (though he later rejoined the Cavs for four more seasons following his stint in Miami). He broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record — and several others — wearing a gold jersey.

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But none of that matters right now. There's still more basketball to be played.

Both James and Austin Reaves had off nights offensively on Saturday; James contributed 19 points to go with eight assists and six rebounds, but was an inefficient 7-of-19 (36.8%) from the field and 2-of-6 from long range and was a -24 in his 37 minutes played. He and Reaves combined for eight total turnovers, half of the Lakers' total.

That's not to place the blame solely on the Lakers' two stars. Realistically, the Lakers were doomed from the momentLuka Doncic strained his hamstringon April 2 in Oklahoma City. It was James who turned back the clock and showed that he can still do incredible things on the court at 41 years old by leading LA to a first-round win over the Houston Rockets; don't forget his game-tying 3 in the final seconds to send one game to overtime, where they eventually gutted out a 112-108 win behind his 29 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.

In this round, however, the Lakers have simply run into a team that's just flat-out better than them.

They've done an admirable job limiting MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but Chet Holmgren has thrived. So has Ajay Mitchell, who has stepped into a bigger role while Jalen Williams has been sidelined with a hamstring strain of his own. Mitchell led OKC on Saturday with 24 points, 10 assists, four rebounds and three steals. Jared McCain and Cason Wallace have been sparkplugs off the bench all series. The Thunder are simply too talented and too deep across the board for the Lakers to compete with for all four quarters, especially without the NBA's leading scorer this season in Doncic.

"They're pretty damn good, from top to bottom," James told reporters. "They don't let their foot off the gas. ... They have a lot of bodies and they got a lot of guys who can do multiple things on the floor, so it helps to have that depth."

As for the possibility that Monday might be it?

"Nah, you don't really talk about that," James told reporters. "Just focus on the moment, and go from there."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:LeBron James contract status, future is uncertain with Lakers down 3-0

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Could Game 4 be LeBron James' last with Lakers? What we know with LA down 3-0

TheLos Angeles Lakersare potentially staring down a sweep at the hands of theOklahoma City Thunder, and the possible end of the LeBron ...

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Iran warns British warships deployed to the Strait of Hormuz will be met with ‘decisive response’

Iranhas issued a stark warning toBritain, urging it not to “escalate the crisis” in theMiddle Eastby sendingwarshipsto the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister said that the presence of French and British warships in the key shipping route, effectively controlled by Tehran in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks, “will be met with a decisive and immediate response”.

It comes after the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the Royal Navy was sending the HMSDragonwarship to the Middle East, where it could join aninternational missionto safeguard shipping in theStrait of Hormuz.

Sir Keir Starmer has said the mission, planned alongside French president Emmanuel Macron, would only take place once fighting in the region ends.

A ceasefire has been in place between the US and Iran since April, but both countries have accused each other of launching attacks in the strait, where 20 per cent of the world’s oil and liquified natural gas is transported through.

In a post on social media, Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi said: “Any deployment and stationing of extra-regional destroyers around the Strait of Hormuz, under the pretext of ‘protecting shipping’, is nothing but an escalation of the crisis.

“The presence of French and British warships, or those of any other country potentially accompanying the illegal and internationally unlawful actions of the United States in the Strait of Hormuz, will be met with a decisive and immediate response from the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

“Therefore, they are strongly advised not to complicate the situation further.”

Hours before the warning, Tehran announced it had responded to a peace proposal put forward byDonald Trump’s peace plan proposal, which would end fighting before starting talks on more contentious issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme.

The response is said to focus on ending the war on all fronts, especially Lebanon, and on the safety of maritime traffic in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

It was delivered to Pakistan as a key mediator in the war. Pakistani government officials said the response had been received and sent to the US.

However, despite the two countries looking to reach a peace agreement, hostilities have continued in the Middle East.

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Iran threatened to tighten its grip on the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, with its army warning that countries complying with US sanctions against Tehran will now “face difficulties” crossing the key shipping route.

Vessels have been repeatedly struck by Iran in the strait, as it continues to block the waterway.

The US enforced a blockade of Iranian ports in response to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and it has continued to attack ships that attempt to pass through the waters.

Iran warned it would launch a “heavy assault” on US assets in the Middle East if there are further attacks on vessels.

On Sunday night, Mr Trump accused Iran of “playing games”. In a post on his Truth Social platform, he wrote: “Iran has been playing games with the United States, and the rest of the World, for 47 years (DELAY, DELAY, DELAY!)”

It came a day after the US president mocked Iran’s threat by comparing its drones to “butterflies” and posting AI-generated visuals depicting a US warship firing laser beams into the sky, triggering explosions. The caption read: “Bye Bye, Drones”.

Qatari prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani warned that using the Strait of Hormuz as “a pressure tool” would only deepen the crisis in the Gulf.

He ‌told Iran’s Abbas Araghchi that all ⁠parties in the conflict should respond to mediation efforts to end the war.

The US ambassador to the UN said America would evaluate Iran’s response to its peace plan proposal to its “very clear red line”.

Mike Waltz told Fox News: “We’ll see what the Iranians just came back with overnight in terms of their response to our very clear red line.

“President Trump has been clear they will never have a nuclear weapon and they cannot hold the world’s economies hostage.”

Mr Waltz told ABC the president was “giving diplomacy every chance that he can before going back to hostilities”.

The MoD has been contacted for comment.

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Iran warns British warships deployed to the Strait of Hormuz will be met with ‘decisive response’

Iranhas issued a stark warning toBritain, urging it not to “escalate the crisis” in theMiddle Eastby sendingwarshipsto the Strait of Ho...

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