Iran, the United States and mediator Pakistan all said on Saturday that progress had been made in talks on ending almost three months of war.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meets with chief of Defence Forces of Pakistan, Field Marshal Asim Munir, in Tehran, Iran, May 23, 2026. Iran's Presidential website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters
Iran, the United States and mediator Pakistan all said on Saturday that progress had been made in talks on ending almost three months of war.
Tehran is focused on finalising a memorandum of understanding, Iran's foreign ministry said after Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met Asim Munir, Pakistan's army chief.
Munir also met President Masoud Pezeshkian before leaving Tehran, Iranian state media reported. The Pakistani army said negotiations over the previous 24 hours had resulted in "encouraging" progress towards a final understanding
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is visiting India, also said some progress had been made on Iran and that the U.S. might have "something to say" on the issue in the coming days.
"There's been some progress done, some progress made, even as I speak to you now, there's some work being done. There is a chance that, whether it's later today, tomorrow, in a couple days, we may have something to say," Rubio told reporters in New Delhi.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei added: "The trend this week has been towards a reduction in disputes, but there are still issues that need to be discussed through mediators. We will have to wait and see where the situation ends in the next three or four days."
U.S. AND IRAN BOTH REITERATE THEIR POSITIONS
Pakistan's mediation push aims to narrow differences between Iran and the U.S. after weeks of war that have left the vital waterway of the Strait of Hormuz closed to most shipping despite a nervous ceasefire, upending global energy markets.
The talks reportedly centred on a 14-point document proposed by Iran, which it considers the main framework for the discussions, and messages exchanged between the two sides.
Baghaei said the issue of the U.S. blockade on Iran's shipping was important, but that its priority was ending the threat of new U.S. attacks and the ongoing conflict in Lebanon, where Iran-allied Hezbollah militants are fighting Israeli troops who have moved into the south.
Rubio repeated Trump's demands: "Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. The straits need to be open without tolls. They need to turn over their enriched uranium."
By Michael Martina, Jana Choukeir and Eman Abouhassira
Iran's top negotiator, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, told Pakistani army chief Asim Munir during talks in Tehran on Saturday that the U.S. was not an honest party in negotiations to end their war and Iran would not compromise on its national rights, state television reported.
There is a "50-50 chance" of a U.S.-Iran peace agreement, the United Arab Emirates' presidential advisor said on Friday, but stressed that any political settlement must address the root causes of instability in the region to avoid future conflict.
A Qatari negotiating team arrived in Tehran on Friday in coordination with United States to try to help secure a deal to end the war with Iran and resolve outstanding issues, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Friday.
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