U.S. Describes Confrontation With Iranian Boats

WASHINGTON — Five armed Iranian speedboats approached three United States Navy warships in international waters in the strategic Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, then maneuvered aggressively as radio threats were issued that the American ships would be blown up, military officials said Monday.

The confrontation, which ended after just under 30 minutes without damage, shots fired or any injuries, took place during daylight on Sunday as the three American ships were entering the Persian Gulf.

Suicide Bomber Kills Key Sunni Leader

BAGHDAD — Militants assassinated two key leaders of American-backed neighborhood militias in northern Baghdad over the past two days, highlighting the militants’ strategy of eliminating militia commanders who have embraced partnerships with American forces but who themselves remain vulnerable to attack.

Chief of U.N. Nuclear Agency to Meet With Iran’s Leaders

VIENNA (AP) — Mohamed ElBaradei, the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear monitoring agency, will visit Iran this week, his spokeswoman announced Monday.

Diplomats, meanwhile, said Iran had begun sharing information about past programs that the United States says were attempts to make weapons.

Dr. ElBaradei will be in Tehran on Friday and Saturday “with a view of resolving all remaining outstanding issues and enabling the agency to provide assurance about Iran’s past and present activities,” said Melissa Fleming, his spokeswoman.