A member of Iran's negotiating delegation said there are still several unresolved issues in talks, particularly regarding the end of fighting in the region, including Lebanon, and stressed that Tehran will not make concessions on the matter.
Iranian negotiator Hussein Pak told Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed on Thursday that "there are several issues that have not yet been resolved, especially regarding the end of the war in the region, including Lebanon."
He added, "Iran will not make any concessions on this issue. Iran will not accept the continued Israeli presence in southern Lebanon or its freedom of movement and action there."
An Indian official said three Indian mariners were killed aboard a tanker targeted by the U.S. military over allegations it breached restrictions linked to Iran, in an incident that has raised questions over enforcement of the blockade and maritime safety.
Indian Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced the deaths on X, saying the three seafarers had initially been reported missing after the attack on the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello.
"Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after two bodies were recovered," he wrote, adding that it was not immediately clear where the third body was located.
The U.S. military's United States Central Command said the Settebello had "violated the ongoing blockade by attempting to transport oil from Iran," and added that it fired into the vessel's engine room in order to stop it.
The Gaza Health Ministry reported that seven people were brought to hospitals in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, as new incidents of drone strikes were also recorded in central and northern areas.
A child searches for plastic at a landfill in Gaza City, Monday.Credit: Jehad Alshrafi/AP A child searches for plastic at a landfill in Gaza City, Monday.Credit: Jehad Alshrafi/AP
It said that since the start of the cease-fire in October, 981 people have been killed, 3,111 wounded, and 783 bodies have been recovered. Since the beginning of the war, the ministry said the total toll has reached 72,991 dead and 173,219 wounded.
In recent incidents, local reports said one person was killed and several others wounded in a drone strike on a house near a displacement camp in Nuseirat. Earlier, a woman was reported injured in a separate drone strike in Beit Lahia.
Efforts to reach a preliminary deal between Iran and the U.S. have intensified, three Iranian sources and a European official told Reuters on Thursday, despite strikes launched by both sides, as they discuss a mechanism for releasing frozen Iranian funds.
The sources said Iran and the United States were still exchanging messages over details of a memorandum of understanding amid the ongoing confrontation between Tehran and Washington.
The Iranian sources said a political understanding had been reached, but some issues remained to be discussed in detail, including a mechanism for the release of tens of billions of dollars of Iranian oil revenues frozen in foreign banks.
"Iran wants $6 billion to $12 billion of its frozen funds to be released to Tehran, while Washington wants to release funds in stages for humanitarian goods and rejects returning funds to Iran outright," said one of the Iranian sources.
For its own survival, the clerical establishment's priority is not a comprehensive settlement but a framework that can restore minimum breathing space for the establishment by unlocking its frozen assets and ending the war, the Iranian sources said.
The Iranian Foreign Affairs Ministry on Thursday issued a statement condemning reported American strikes on Iranian territory, accusing the U.S. of breaching international law and effectively undermining a cease-fire agreement.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives for a meeting during the two-day BRICS summit in New Delhi, India, May.Credit: Manish Swarup/APIranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives for a meeting during the two-day BRICS summit in New Delhi, India, May.Credit: Manish Swarup/AP
The ministry said it "strongly condemns the crimes of the terrorist regime of the United States" following "massive aggression against Iran," adding that responsibility for the consequences lies with Washington's "ruling elite."
It added that the attacks amounted to a "gross violation of the UN Charter" and international law governing sovereignty and territorial integrity, and said they had "rendered the cease-fire… practically meaningless."
An Iranian cargo barge was hit by a U.S. projectile in the Gulf of Oman early on Thursday, the Iranian governor of Sirik county said, according to Mehr news agency.
The 150-ton cargo barge, owned by locals from Sirik and carrying essential goods from the Omani port of Khasab, was hit about 5 nautical miles off Khasab, the Iranian official said, adding that all five crew members were rescued by passing vessels and taken to Oman.
Vessels are seen anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, off the port city of Khasab on Oman's northern Musandam Peninsula, May.Credit: AFPVessels are seen anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, off the port city of Khasab on Oman's northern Musandam Peninsula, May.Credit: AFP
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said comments by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir were "not acceptable" and "demean Israel," after he reacted to Italy's decision to open an investigation into his conduct with Gaza flotilla activists.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at Chigi Palace, in Rome, Italy, February.Credit: Remo Casilli/REUTERSItalian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at Chigi Palace, in Rome, Italy, February.Credit: Remo Casilli/REUTERS
In a statement, Meloni said Ben Gvir's remarks were "not acceptable to Italy," following his social media post in which he wrote: "Italy, the land of boots, has become the land of flip-flops," in response to the probe.
The Italian leader's criticism comes amid heightened diplomatic sensitivities surrounding European scrutiny of Israeli officials' handling of activist flotillas bound for Gaza.
The Jordanian army said Thursday it intercepted and shot down 20 missiles launched from Iran towards central-eastern Jordan, stressing that it remains on "the highest level of readiness" amid regional tensions.
In a statement, the army said that falling debris "caused no injuries or material damage," an that engineering teams were deployed to deal with missile remnants "to ensure they did not contain explosive materials."
It added that it is closely monitoring developments in the region and "will not allow any violation of Jordanian airspace by any party whatsoever."
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned of "alarming reports of settler violence" in the West Bank, citing demolition of homes, expansion of settlements and ongoing displacement of Palestinians, in a post on X on Thursday.
Guterres said the developments included what he described as the "relentless expansion of illegal Israeli settlements" and warned of "the threat of an attempted annexation" that he said would, like the decades-long occupation, have "no legal validity."
There are alarming reports of settler violence coming from the occupied West Bank: the demolition of homes, relentless expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, ongoing displacement of Palestinians, the threat of an attempted annexation that would – like the decades-long
He cautioned that the situation risks making a two-state solution impossible, "when there is no other viable option," and said there is a "presumption of impunity" in the conduct he described.
"These injustices must stop," Guterres wrote, calling on countries to comply with their obligations under international law, adding: "No exceptions."
