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Iran war: What’s happening on day 60 as diplomacy gathers pace?

Trump team reviews Iran peace plan to reopen Hormuz with nuclear talks potentially delayed to a later stage.

A woman walks past a billboard featuring an image of the late supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on a building. — A woman walks past a billboard featuring an image of the late supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on a building, amid a ceasefire between the US and Iran, [Majid Asgaripour/WANA/Reuters]

By Elizabeth Melimopoulos, AFP and Reuters

United States President Donald Trump’s national security team is reviewing an Iranian peace proposal aimed at halting the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The plan comes as Washington weighs its next steps, including delaying talks on Iran’s nuclear programme.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg, saying Tehran is considering a US request to resume negotiations. The comments signal cautious movement on diplomacy despite ongoing tensions.

Meanwhile, dozens of countries have called for the “urgent and unimpeded reopening” of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial maritime route through which one-fifth of global oil passes.

Here is what we know:

In Iran

Iranian demands over Hormuz: A top Iranian official said his country’s armed forces would be the authority responsible for the Strait of Hormuz under a proposed national law for managing the waterway.
Iran blames US for stalled talks: The Iranian foreign minister blamed Washington for the failure of talks after landing in Russia as part of a whirlwind diplomatic tour, with direct negotiations between the warring parties seemingly at an impasse.
Iran accuses Washington of ‘high seas robbery’: Tehran condemned Washington’s capture of two Iran-linked oil tankers, the Majestic X and the Tifani, calling it “the outright legalisation of piracy”.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the move amounted to “armed robbery on the high seas”.

War diplomacy

Iran FM meets Putin: President Vladimir Putin told Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi that Russia would do everything it could to halt the war, as the two met in Saint Petersburg.
Envoys’ lack of Iran nuclear expertise a ‘weakness’: Critics say Trump’s negotiators, Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff and JD Vance, rely more on loyalty and access than diplomatic experience. Former US Ambassador Gordon Gray said their closeness to Trump is an advantage, but warned their lack of familiarity with Iran’s nuclear file is a “crucial weakness”.

In the Gulf

Gulf states align with Iran on Hormuz: Gulf nations are likely to welcome Tehran’s peace proposal to end the war without negotiating a new nuclear deal, analyst Dania Thafer says. “They have a different ordering of priorities … and it does align with Iran’s proposal of opening the Strait of Hormuz at the front of this negotiation,” she told Al Jazeera.
Dozens urge Hormuz reopening: In a joint statement led by Bahrain, dozens of countries renewed calls for the “urgent and unimpeded opening” of the Strait of Hormuz. United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned the impasse risks the “worst supply chain disruption since COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine”.

In the US

Trump security meeting: Trump will hold talks on the Iran war on Monday with his top security advisers, US media reported, as negotiations with Tehran remain deadlocked.
Trump may accept Iran proposal to end war: The US president is likely to back Tehran’s plan to ease mounting economic pressure, former US official Henry S Ensher said. “The top of the agenda has to be reopening the Strait of Hormuz,” he told Al Jazeera, adding the nuclear issue will be harder to resolve.
Ensher said Washington may separate nuclear talks from efforts to reopen the vital trade route, calling such a move a potential “strategic victory for Iran” but necessary given the strain on the global economy.
Vance could become MAGA ‘hero’ if war ends: JD Vance, the US vice president, could boost his standing if he helps secure a US exit from the Iran conflict, analysts say.
Republican strategist John Feehery noted that negotiators Kushner and Witkoff are “extraordinarily close to Israel”, while Vance’s reported appeal to Iran gives him diplomatic weight. “If Vance can get us out of this war, that will … make him a hero to the MAGA movement,” Feehery told Al Jazeera.

In Israel

Israeli soldier killed: The Israeli army said one of its soldiers was killed “during combat” in southern Lebanon. Israel has been accused of breaching the ceasefire that has been in place since mid-April.
Netanyahu claims Hezbollah arsenal depleted: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the group has only about 10 percent of its weapons remaining, based on comparisons with stockpiles “at the start of the war”, though he did not specify which conflict. Despite the claim, Hezbollah is still believed to possess tens of thousands of rockets, missiles and drones.

In Lebanon

Israel attacks Lebanon: The Israeli military said it had begun hitting Hezbollah positions in Lebanon’s Bekaa region, despite a ceasefire that began this month.
Hezbollah rejects talks: Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected Lebanon’s planned direct talks with Israel, calling them a “grave sin” that will destabilise Lebanon.