Washington expressed cautious optimism on Thursday, hoping diplomatic efforts could lead to progress and eventually a deal that would bring the war with Iran to an end, while confirming expectations that a Pakistani mediator would visit Tehran.

“I believe the Pakistanis are going to Tehran tomorrow (Friday). We hope this will allow things to move forward,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said before departing for Sweden to attend a NATO summit.

Rubio also referred to progress in the indirect talks. A day earlier, US President Donald Trump described the situation as being “on the edge” between reaching a deal or the resumption of hostilities.

According to the Iranian news agency ISNA and other media outlets, Pakistan’s powerful army chief, Asim Munir, is expected in the Iranian capital to “continue talks with Iranian officials.” Pakistan, however, has not officially confirmed the trip.

Islamabad has intensified its mediation efforts in recent days. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has travelled to Tehran twice within a matter of days to deliver the latest US proposal, which the Iranian side confirmed it is reviewing.

The Islamic Republic, however, continues to insist on its demands, particularly the release of frozen Iranian assets abroad and the lifting of the US blockade on Iranian ports. Tehran also reiterated that it would “never” yield to any form of “intimidation.”

The Revolutionary Guards, Iran’s ideological military force, warned that if the war resumes, “it will expand this time far beyond the region.”

Since the fragile ceasefire announced on April 8, after more than a month of war, negotiations appear to have stalled, with both sides sticking to their positions and exchanging threats.

The only meeting between delegations from both sides, held on April 11 in Islamabad, ended without results.

The war, which began with the US and Israeli attack on Tehran on February 28, has claimed thousands of lives, the vast majority in Iran and Lebanon, where the Shiite movement Hezbollah, aligned with Tehran, operates. Israel invaded the country, seized territory, and continues its strikes despite the ceasefire theoretically being in place there as well.

Nine people were injured yesterday in a strike on a hospital in Tebnin, in southern Lebanon, according to authorities in Beirut.

According to Trump, reaching a deal would save “a lot of time, energy, and lives,” and could happen “very quickly, within a few days.”

The White House is seeking a way to end a war that has become increasingly unpopular domestically and is causing mounting disruption to the global economy, mainly due to Tehran’s closure of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. Under normal circumstances, one fifth of the crude oil and liquefied natural gas exported from the Middle East to the rest of the world passes through the strait.

The global oil market risks entering a “red zone” with supply shortages “in July or August” if the conflict is not permanently resolved, the International Energy Agency warned.

US media reported a “dispute” between Donald Trump and his close ally Benjamin Netanyahu, referring to a tense phone call between the two on Tuesday.

Israel seeks the overthrow of the Islamic Republic, its sworn enemy, while “for the US, the priority is always to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons, even if that means reaching an agreement with the current regime,” said Danny Citrinowicz, researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University.

At the same time, Marco Rubio criticized NATO allies for refusing to “do anything” to support Washington in the war with Iran, something that has “greatly annoyed” the Trump administration.

In Hormuz, Iran officially announced earlier this week the creation of an authority tasked with overseeing the strategic maritime corridor and, in principle, collecting tolls.

The “Persian Gulf Strait Authority” also claimed on Thursday a control zone extending to waters south of the UAE port of Fujairah, a key part of Abu Dhabi’s strategy to bypass any blockade of the strait.

“The Iranian regime is attempting to impose a new reality,” said Anwar Gargash, adviser to the UAE president, in a post on X, describing Iran’s plans to “control the strait” as “fantasies.”

Meanwhile, the UAE announced a new aid package worth more than €350 million intended for various domestic companies.

The economic impact of the armed conflict is also affecting the eurozone, with the European Commission revising downward its growth forecasts for the 21 countries sharing the common currency.

Source: protothema.gr