Iran has strengthened ties with regional partners and agreed a roadmap for technical talks with the U.S. aimed at securing a final peace agreement within two months.
President Masoud Pezeshkian departed on a state visit to Pakistan on Tuesday, while Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf has been visiting the Sultanate of Oman since Monday.
Both Pakistan and Oman recently helped mediate a ceasefire agreement between Iran and the U.S., while the sultanate has long facilitated contacts and message exchanges between Tehran and Washington.
Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran and the U.S. had agreed during technical talks in Switzerland on Monday on arrangements for meetings to implement the memorandum of understanding signed last week.
“It was decided to form four working groups on ending sanctions, nuclear issue, reconstruction and economic development, and monitoring and implementation,” state news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is reportedly scheduled to visit neighbouring Iraq on Sunday.
His planned visit comes amid reports that two religious cities in Iraq will host farewell processions for Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the Israel–U.S. war with Iran on 28 February.
Iranian authorities are planning large-scale farewell and funeral processions in Tehran, Qom and Mashhad beginning on 4 July, with reports suggesting that decisions are being considered on declaring three public holidays.
In the latest development, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei strongly rejected reports that Iran had agreed during talks in Switzerland on Sunday to allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to visit the country’s civilian nuclear facilities.
“There was no meeting with the IAEA director general (Rafael Grossi) in Switzerland,” he said.
Stressing that Iran remains a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the spokesman said Tehran would not authorise the UN nuclear watchdog to inspect nuclear sites bombed by Israel and the U.S. last June.
“There is no protocol on such visits,” Baghaei stated, adding that Tehran has suspended its ties with the IAEA following the agency’s failure to condemn attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites, which were under UN verification.
Speaking at a weekly press conference on Tuesday, he also categorically rejected reports that Iran’s military capabilities had been discussed with U.S. officials.
“Our ballistic missile capability was not on the agenda of the talks. It will never be negotiated with any other country either,” the spokesman replied to a question.
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Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said a Togo-flagged oil tanker was struck while attempting to make an “illegal passage” through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media said early on Friday.
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
The European Union will disburse €3.3 billion ($3.8 billion) to Ukraine for missiles and drones, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 18 September 2026. These are the top five stories making headlines in the field of science.
Houthi attacks on Riyadh are raising fresh security concerns after flames and heavy smoke were seen near the capital’s main airport on Saturday. The Houthis claimed missile and drone strikes, while Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a missile targeting Riyadh.
Iran has ordered a Swedish diplomat to leave the country, after Stockholm expelled an Iranian embassy staffer, as diplomatic tensions between Tehran and several European countries deepen.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he hoped the war against Iran was nearing its end and that Tehran wanted to reach a deal, but Iran dismissed his comments as “mixed signals” as the conflict approaches its seventh month.
Saudi Arabia said its air defences destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it could enter prohibited airspace over the holy city, as attacks by the Iran-aligned group deepen regional tensions.
U.S. President Donald Trump has again said Iran is keen to reach a deal quickly, but a senior Iranian security official rejected the claim, saying Tehran will not negotiate until its conditions are met.
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