Pakistan says US and Iran close to temporary truce
Officials in Pakistan have said the United States and Iran are close to a temporary agreement aimed at halting the war in the Middle East and keeping shipping lanes open while wider talks continue.
The reported interim deal could be reached as early as this weekend, according to the Pakistani officials, who said Tehran was reviewing a US proposal.
The claim comes after a near breakdown of the current ceasefire earlier this week.
The possible agreement has immediate implications for regional security and global energy markets.
A partial deal that could lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz helped push global stocks near record highs on Thursday, while oil prices fell sharply.
Pakistan has been the main mediator in recent indirect contacts between Washington and Tehran after hosting a round of face-to-face talks last month that did not produce a breakthrough.
A diplomat in Islamabad said both sides were becoming more open to suggestions and that the gap between their positions was narrowing.
The Strait of Hormuz is a strategic waterway that normally carries a fifth of the world's oil and fossil gas supplies.
Any move to reopen it would be closely watched by governments and markets well beyond the region.
The latest diplomatic push follows a period of sharp swings in tone and action.
The report said the US and Iran have been testing each other's resolve through rhetoric, defiance and sporadic violence.
It also said Iran launched missiles and drones at the United Arab Emirates on Monday, when Donald Trump made a short-lived effort to support shipping stranded by the Iranian closure of the strait.
