Negotiators

• U.S. and Iranian negotiators are scheduled to meet in Oman this Saturday to discuss a potential peace deal amid escalating regional tensions. • The UAE Defense Ministry reported that its air defense systems intercepted a missile and drone attack launched by Iran, while Bahrain issued emergency shelter alerts for its residents. • Israel and the U.S. are increasing pressure on Tehran following reports of explosions in multiple areas and concerns over stability in the Strait of Hormuz.

• U.S. and Iranian negotiators are entering high-stakes talks to end the current conflict and secure a favorable deal for both nations. • Key points of contention include the release of billions in frozen assets, the status of a $300 billion reconstruction fund, and the ambiguity of Iran's nuclear program. • The negotiations follow U.S. and Israeli strikes last summer that targeted critical Iranian facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

US Central Command claims targets also included boats trying to lay mines, rattling ceasefire, while Iranians meet with Qatari prime minister in DohaIsrael escalates strikes in Lebanon as Netanyahu vows to ‘crush’ HezbollahWelcome to the Guardian’s continuing live coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.US forces attacked missile sites in southern Iran and boats trying to lay mines on Monday, US Central Command said, as top Iranian negotiators arrived in Doha for talks to end the war.Trump said the enriched uranium held by Iran could be destroyed inside the country, in a process overseen by an international nuclear agency. Experts said his announcement could amount to a major concession to Tehran.Trump also said any deal to end the war with Iran should require certain countries in the region – Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Pakistan – to sign up to the Abraham accords. The agreements aimed at normalising relations with Israel were brokered by the US during Trump’s first term.Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “crush” Hezbollah in Lebanon, dealing another blow to hopes for a US-Iran deal. Tehran has demanded that any peace accord apply to the fighting in Lebanon as well.Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi praised Hezbollah for the Tehran-backed militant group’s ongoing resistance in Lebanon against Israel. Continue reading...

• Iranian delegates have claimed they felt "seriously threatened" following the collapse of Vice President JD Vance's negotiations in Islamabad, with Tehran suggesting the failure extended beyond diplomatic disagreement. • An Iranian delegate alleged the team faced security threats on their way home, following Iran's Foreign Ministry condemnations of open calls in U.S. political and media circles for the assassination of Iranian negotiators. • The failed talks represent a major embarrassment for the Trump administration, with claims that the U.S. may have attempted to target Iran's negotiating team.

Two sides tested one another’s resolve but timeframe meant it was probably unrealistic to expect deal Middle East crisis – live updatesIt was if the two delegations in the Iran-US peace talks in Islamabad hoped that the sheer number of negotiators flown into Pakistan could overcome the handicap of having only a finite number of hours in which to settle a 20-year dispute over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, now overlaid by complex new issues such as future control of the strait of Hormuz and US compensation for its attack on Iran.Iran sent two planeloads of negotiators, including many members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) present to ensure that no gains made in the field were relinquished at the diplomatic table. Diplomats fanned out across political, legal, security, economic and military files. One Iranian-drafted technical explanation on nuclear facility safety ran to more than 100 pages. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president says he hopes for ‘results’ as he sits down with negotiators later todayWith most eyes still on the Middle East, and growing US frustrations with European Nato allies' over their decisions to deny the use of their bases for offensive operations in Iran, there is often much less focus on Ukraine.But the two universes will collide today, as the wartorn country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will sit down for talks with the US negotiators to discuss the last steps to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading...