Iran is expected to respond on Thursday to a US proposal aimed at ending the conflict and establishing a framework for broader nuclear negotiations, according to media reports, as diplomatic efforts intensified amid continuing tensions in the Gulf.
US President Donald Trump said the US military will temporarily pause “Project Freedom” — the military-backed plan to guide commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz — signalling a potential easing of tensions with Iran.
US President Donald Trump has yet to decide whether to endorse a reported memorandum of understanding negotiated between US and Iranian officials, as the world awaits a potential extension of the ceasefire and eventual peace deal.
US President Donald Trump said he will soon review Iran's new 14-point proposal for peace, adding that he “can’t imagine that it would be acceptable.”
US and Iranian negotiators have reached an agreement on a 60-day memorandum of understanding to extend the ceasefire and launch negotiations on Iran's nuclear program, but President Trump has yet to give his final approval, Axios has reported quoting two US officials and a regional source involved in the mediation efforts.
Fresh US military strikes near Iran’s strategic port city of Bandar Abbas and comments from President Donald Trump that he would not be rushed into a deal, added to tensions in the Gulf, while oil prices rebounded after sharp losses earlier in the week.
Iran will restore commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels within a month as per the draft of an initial unofficial framework for a memorandum of understanding with the United States, a Reuters report quoting Iran's state TV said.
The US military said it carried out new strikes on southern Iran, targeting Iranian missile sites and boats attempting to place mines even as negotiations in Doha between Qatari mediators and Iran continued on a peace deal.
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that a broader agreement between the United States and Iran had been “largely negotiated” and that the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened, signalling potential momentum toward ending the monthslong conflict.
Hopes of a breakthrough in efforts to end the US-Israeli conflict with Iran rose after President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance struck an optimistic tone, suggesting that negotiations with Tehran were making significant progress and that a deal to halt hostilities could be within reach.
