U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will meet Iran’s foreign minister in Oman on Sunday as Tehran prepares a counter-offer to Washington’s stalled nuclear proposal, deepening uncertainty over the region’s security.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Muscat, Oman, on Sunday to discuss Tehran’s forthcoming reply to Washington’s latest nuclear proposal, a U.S. official said late Wednesday.
Tehran announced on Monday that it would soon present its own counter-offer, calling the American plan “unacceptable”, while President Donald Trump insisted that negotiations would continue.
Speaking on a podcast the same day, Trump admitted he was now less confident that Iran would agree to halt uranium enrichment under any future deal.
The president is pursuing a new agreement to curb Iran’s contested enrichment programme and has threatened military action if talks fail. Tehran, however, maintains it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons and seeks atomic energy only for civilian purposes.
During his first term, Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 accord that limited Iran’s enrichment in return for sanctions relief, reigniting long-standing tensions between the two countries. Tehran accuses Washington of decades of interference, from the 1953 coup against its prime minister to the 2020 drone strike that killed a senior Iranian commander.
Washington counters that Iran’s support for groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis threatens Israel and U.S. interests. These organisations, styling themselves the “Axis of Resistance”, oppose Israeli and American influence in the region.
On Wednesday, Trump said some U.S. personnel were being redeployed from the Middle East because “it could be a dangerous place”. The move comes as nuclear talks stall and U.S. intelligence suggests Israel is preparing potential strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
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Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, according to the latest data, as uncertainty over the waterway’s reopening kept most shipowners away. Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from nine the day before and below the 10-day daily average of 11.
Russia is open to listening to new proposals on how to reach a settlement on the Ukraine conflict, a senior Russian diplomat said, but any proposals should reflect the "realities on the ground".
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 20th of August, covering the latest developments.
Five years after Evergrande's debt crisis rattled global markets, founder Hui Ka Yan has been sentenced to life in prison, marking a dramatic new chapter in the downfall of China's former property giant.
Virgin Trains has moved a step closer to challenging Eurostar’s three-decade dominance of Channel Tunnel passenger rail, potentially giving travellers more choice between the UK and mainland Europe.
Russia is open to listening to new proposals on how to reach a settlement on the Ukraine conflict, a senior Russian diplomat said, but any proposals should reflect the "realities on the ground".
Nearly 100 days after dozens of children were abducted from a school in northeastern Nigeria's Borno State, parents have taken to the streets to demand urgent government action to bring them home.
China and Indonesia have agreed to strengthen military ties and deepen cooperation in minerals, energy and technology as Jakarta balances relations with Beijing and Washington amid economic and geopolitical tensions.
An international conference in Baku on 21 August is putting Belgium’s colonial record in Africa under renewed scrutiny. Officials, United Nations experts, researchers and human rights advocates are gathering to discuss whether the country has done enough to address the legacy of its rule.
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