US says ‘slight progress’ in Iran talks amid uncertainty on whether war will resume

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday there was “slight progress” during talks with Iran amid uncertainty as to whether a deal will be reached or war will resume.

He spoke days after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was holding off on a military strike on Iran because “serious negotiations” were underway. Trump has been threatening for weeks that the ceasefire reached in mid-April could end if Iran does not make a deal, with shifting parameters for striking such an agreement.

Rubio spoke ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, where the the military alliance is expected to discuss what role it could play in helping police the Strait of Hormuz once the war is over.

Rubio said he didn’t want to exaggerate the progress, saying there had been “a little bit of movement and that’s good.” He said the conversations were ongoing. Still, in recent weeks there have been repeated claims of progress, yet a deal has not been reached.

Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off. But he’s also previously indicated he would hold off on military action to allow talks to continue — only to turn around and launch strikes. That’s what happened at the war’s outset, when he ordered strikes in late February shortly after indicating he would let talks play out.

He said he called off attacks this week on Iran at the request of allies in the Middle East, including the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who have been targeted by Iran and its allied militias.

But Trump’s decision to give the talks a chance sparked tension this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

An official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media said Thursday that Trump and Netanyahu had a “dramatic” phone conversation on Tuesday about the status of the Iranian negotiations and that Israel is angry with Trump’s efforts to strike a deal with Iran.

Trump later told reporters that Netanyahu will “will do whatever I want him to do.”

The comments are some of the first public signs of daylight between the leaders since they launched the war in February.

Ceasefire efforts continue but sticking points remain

On Friday, Pakistan said that the interior minister traveled to Tehran twice this week to meet Iranian leaders as part of efforts to ease tensions between Iran and the United States.

At a weekly news briefing in the capital, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Pakistan’s political and military leadership were working to promote peace and that the minister’s two visits were a testament to that.

He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will travel to Beijing on Saturday at China’s invitation, for a four-day visit, adding that Pakistan’s peace efforts are expected to be discussed during the trip.

Still, major sticking points remain.

Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for the shipment of oil, gas, fertilizer and other petroleum products. The U.S. is blockading Iranian ports and has redirected 85 commercial vessels from mid-April through Monday, U.S. Central Command said in a social media post.

The U.S. and Israel have said Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. While Iran was said to include some nuclear concessions, Trump has said he wants to remove highly enriched uranium from the country and prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

Officials say Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates separately struck Iran

Two regional officials and a western diplomat told the Associated Press that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates separately launched multiple attacks on Iran and Iranian-backed Shiite militias in Iraq, during the war. An Israeli military officer with knowledge of the situation also confirmed that the UAE proactively struck Iran at least once.

All of them spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information.

The regional officials said the strikes on Iran targeted military facilities, including missile and drone launchers, mostly belonging to the Revolutionary Guard Corps.

One of those regional officials said the strikes by Saudi Arabia targeted hideouts of Iraqi militias, mainly Kataib Hezbollah, after Riyadh assessed that most of the drone attacks on Saudi Arabia came from neighboring Iraq. He said Saudi Arabia has repeatedly briefed Baghdad about the Iraqi-originated attacks before deciding to strike.

The western diplomat and one of the regional officials said the UAE had pushed for a collective military response from the Gulf Arab countries since the onset of the war.

Asked for comment, the United Arab Emirates referred to a May 16 statement by its Foreign Ministry that “all measures undertaken by the UAE have been within the framework of defensive actions aimed at protecting its sovereignty, civilians, and vital infrastructure, in line with the country’s legitimate right to safeguard its national security and maintain its stability.” Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Iran has also not publicly addressed being targeted by the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Following claims that attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE had been launched from Iraqi territory, the Iraqi prime minister also ordered an investigation. Iraq’s government did not respond to requests for comments.

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Magdy reported from Cairo, Egypt. Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Pakistan, and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.