A long-sought framework aimed at ending the fighting between the US and Iran was expected to be signed today, according to US and Pakistani leaders, though Tehran signaled the timeline may be slipping and hardline protesters in Iran made clear their opposition. President Donald Trump said in a social media post yesterday that the agreement with Iran was set to be signed the following day, which is his 80th birthday. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said both sides had settled on the outline of a peace framework and…

A possible diplomatic breakthrough is taking shape in the Middle East, with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif saying the United States and Iran have agreed on a framework for peace and finalized the text of a deal meant to end months of conflict. Pakistan is now preparing for an electronic signing expected within the next 24 hours, followed by technical-level talks next week, Mr Sharif said. Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the agreement could still change at the margins, but argued the emerging…

Hopes for a Middle East breakthrough surged after US President Donald Trump said negotiators had entered the “final throes” of efforts to secure a peace deal, following a pause in fresh fighting between Iran and Israel that had threatened to reignite the months-long war. Trump has repeatedly insisted an agreement with Tehran is close at hand. But diplomacy has repeatedly lost momentum, and the two sides have continued to exchange fire despite a ceasefire that has formally been in place since 8 April. Iran and Israel “were…

Vladimir Putin has poured cold water on Volodymyr Zelensky's push for a personal meeting, saying there is "no point" in a face-to-face summit until negotiators first put a peace deal on the table. Speaking at Russia's flagship economic forum in Saint Petersburg, Putin dismissed the idea of an immediate encounter with the Ukrainian president, one day after Zelensky issued an open later urging such talks. "I see no point in meeting. It only makes sense for the Ukrainian side to stop the advance of our armed forces. That's it.…

Iran has set out a sweeping proposal to the United States that would halt hostilities across the region, demand a US military pullback from areas near Iran and seek compensation for damage caused during the US-Israeli war, according to Iranian state media. Offering Tehran's first public account of the plan, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the package also calls for sanctions relief, the unfreezing of Iranian assets and an end to what he described as the US marine blockade, IRNA news agency reported. As…

With diplomacy losing momentum and the war now more than two months old, US President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Iran, declaring that the "clock is ticking" on efforts to secure an end to the conflict. Writing on social media, Mr Trump warned Iran's leadership that failure to move swiftly toward a peace agreement would bring consequences, saying the country would be left with nothing if no deal was reached. The message followed a conversation between the US President and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin…

Fresh violence in the Strait of Hormuz has thrown a fragile US-Iran ceasefire into doubt, with Tehran accusing واشنگتن of violating the truce and both sides trading blame for an overnight confrontation in one of the world’s most strategically sensitive waterways. "The action carried out last night was both a blatant violation of international law and a breach of the ceasefire," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said, according to the ISNA news agency. "At the same time, the country's defenders delivered a 'major…

As diplomacy faltered and tensions in the Gulf remained high, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Russia on Monday blaming the United States for the collapse of peace talks in Pakistan ahead of a planned meeting with President Vladimir Putin. The previous round of negotiations had made progress but ultimately failed because of “excessive demands” from Washington, Mr Araghchi said, according to Iranian state media. “The US approaches caused the previous round of negotiations, despite progress, to fail to reach…

A fresh diplomatic push is taking shape as US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner prepare to fly to Pakistan tomorrow morning for talks involving Iran, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an interview with Fox News this evening. "I can confirm Special Envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be off to Pakistan again tomorrow morning to engage in talks ... with representatives from the Iranian delegation," Ms Leavitt said. Vice President JD Vance is not expected to…

Iran has released dramatic footage of commandos boarding a massive cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring its tightening hold on the strategic passage after peace talks broke down. Washington had pinned hopes on the negotiations to reopen what is widely regarded as the world's most vital shipping route. On Iranian state television, masked forces were shown racing up to the MSC Francesca in a speedboat, scaling a rope ladder to a hull door and leaping inside with rifles in hand. The video, set to an…