Live updates: Follow the latest news on the Iran war
US-Iran peace talks look set to resume in Pakistan tomorrow amid calls to extend President Donald Trump's two-week ceasefire.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the initial ceasefire was "not enough" to solve the "extensive file" of issues between Iran and the US. Pakistan, which hosted the first round of talks, was meanwhile making preparations for a second.
Mr Trump announced on Sunday that his representatives "are going to Islamabad, Pakistan - they will be there tomorrow evening, for negotiations". He repeated threats to destroy Iranian power plants and bridges if Iran does not accept a deal.
Iranian state media cast doubt on the new talks, saying there were “no clear prospects” for further negotiations.The Islamic Republic News Agency said reports about a second round of talks in Islamabad were a US tactic to put pressure on Iran.
Iranian negotiator Mohammed-Bagher Ghalibaf earlier said talks on ending the war had made progress but stressed the arch-foes are some way from reaching a deal. "We are still far from the final discussion," Mr Ghalibaf, who is also Iran's parliament Speaker, said in a televised address early on Sunday.
Led by Pakistan, mediators in the talks are trying to prevent Iran and the US from "hitting a wall" as they continue to convey proposals, sources told The National on Sunday.
Mr Trump's ceasefire is due to expire on Wednesday after two weeks of respite for much of the region. Iran is replenishing its missile and drone launchers at a faster rate than before the war, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander said on Sunday.
The sources said both sides were further complicating the mediators' task by repeatedly altering their position on key sticking points. Mr Trump's decision to blockade Iranian ports dealt a serious blow to the process, they added.
They said the main stumbling blocks include Iran's nuclear programme and maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, as well Iran's stockpile and manufacture of ballistic missiles and drones. Shipping in the Strait of Hormuz was at a near-standstill on Sunday after Iran reversed its decision to reopen the waterway.
"Now, of course, with the ceasefire set to expire next week, the priority is to extend the ceasefire period," Mr Fidan told a press conference at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey. He said the US and Iran could use the extra time to "resolve the issues they have not yet been able to resolve but are seeking to address".
Before speaking to journalists, Mr Fidan said he had spoken with officials from Pakistan about the state of preparations for further talks, declining to go into details. Pakistan is the main mediator between the US and Iran, while Turkey has also been conducting backchannel diplomacy to try to reach a solution.
In Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, police said roads were being closed on Sunday "due to the arrival of foreign delegations". Rolls of barbed wire could be seen near the Serena Hotel where the first round of talks were held. The hotel told guests on Sunday they would need to leave due to a government event, a hotel representative said, adding that no reservations were being taken until further notice.
The talks have also highlighted unresolved issues over Iran's nuclear activities and its proxy militant groups in the region.
"In today's Iran, also, mediators need to speak simultaneously to reformers, hardliners and the Revolutionary Guard leaders every time there is a new US proposal. It takes a long time to get everyone to agree on one position," added the source.
Iran is adamant it will not give up its arsenal of drones and ballistic missiles but could be persuaded to accept a moratorium on their manufacture in exchange for US flexibility on how Hormuz is run and the lifting of sanctions, they added.
President Trump said the US was having "very good conversations" but gave no other details. The war started on February 28, when the US and Israel attacked Iran.
The conflict has killed thousands, spread to Israeli attacks in Lebanon and sent oil prices surging because of the closure of the strait, which before the war carried one-fifth of the world's oil shipments.
An Israeli soldier was killed and nine others wounded on Saturday in an explosion in southern Lebanon, where Israel is fighting Iran's ally Hezbollah.
The Israeli army said the roadside bomb had been planted by Hezbollah and that it struck several targets in response.
A French soldier was killed and three others wounded in an attack on a UN patrol in southern Lebanon on Saturday, with President Emmanuel Macron saying evidence pointed to Hezbollah. The fighting has killed more than 2,000 people in Lebanon and devastated parts of the country's south.
In his address, Mr Ghalibaf, who has led Iran’s negotiating team in the talks, said the conflict reflected a recurring pattern in US and Israeli policy that must end.
"The Zionist regime [Israel] and America have constantly had a cycle of war-ceasefire-peace, and this cycle must be broken, and sustainable peace must be established with guarantees that war will not happen again," he said.
"We have reached conclusions on some issues, but not on others, and other proposals have been made; we are still far from a final discussion.
"We made progress in the Islamabad negotiations, but the gaps are wide and some fundamental points remain."
Iran shifted position on Saturday, moving again to restrict traffic through the Strait of Hormuz after briefly reopening it a day earlier under a US-brokered ceasefire.
Tehran said the move was in response to Washington’s continued blockade of its ports, which it described as a breach of the truce.
Mr Trump called the move “blackmail” but insisted talks were progressing, while warning the US could resume strikes if no long-term deal is reached before the ceasefire expires.
“We're talking to them … we're taking a tough stand,” Mr Trump said at the Oval Office. “We'll have some information by the end of the day,” he added, referring to ongoing talks with Iran.
Iranian officials, meanwhile, signalled readiness to escalate, saying their forces were prepared for further confrontation.
The renewed disruption has raised concerns over global energy supplies, with vessels reporting attacks in the area and hundreds of ships left waiting to transit the waterway.
