Iranâs top negotiator says both sides remain far apart after Tehran again closed strait of Hormuz after US said it would not end its blockadeFull report: Iran closes strait of Hormuz again âuntil US lifts blockadeâWelcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East.Iranâs top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said on Saturday that the recent talks with the US had made progress but gaps remained over nuclear issues and the strait of Hormuz. âWe have had progress but there is still a big distance between us,â he told state media, referring to talks last weekend. âWe made progress in the negotiations, but there are many gaps and some fundamental points remain.âAfter the initial talks between the US and Iran last weekend in Pakistan, the Iranian deputy foreign minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said a second date cannot be set until both sides âhave agreed on the frameworkâ.Iranâs supreme national security council, the countryâs highest decision-making body under the supreme leader, said it is reviewing ânew proposalsâ put forward by the US, according to Iranian media.Hezbollah has denied it was involved in the deadly attack against UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, which killed a French soldier. A UN peacekeeper was killed and three others were injured after a patrol came under attack from ânon-state actorsâ, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon said.Israeli forces on Saturday began demolishing homes in the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil and other border towns where Israeli troops are present, Lebanese state media reported.The Israeli military killed two Unicef-contracted truck drivers at a water point in the northern Gaza Strip, forcing the UN agency to suspend its operations in the area, Unicef said.Pope Leo XIV said that it is ânot in my interest at allâ to debate Trump about the Iran war, but that he would continue preaching the Gospel message of peace.Trump left the White House Saturday afternoon to play golf, despite Iranâs re-closure of the strait of Hormuz in response to the US blockade of Iranian ports. Continue reading...