Trump said US envoys were travelling to Qatar for what he described as a "perhaps important, perhaps not" meeting, adding that Washington hoped to advance efforts towards a permanent agreement.

He said that technical talks between the United States and Iran are expected to resume in Switzerland on June 29 or 30, as negotiators move to flesh out the details of an agreement that ended months of conflict between the two countries.

Trump also told aides he would not resume all-out war with Iran unless Tehran killed U.S. troops, while U.S. Central Command denied an Iranian claim that it had targeted a U.S. military vessel in the Gulf of Oman.

The discussions took place in Muscat, with the US delegation led by special envoy Steve Witkoff and the Iranian side headed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Global markets are watching closely to see if Thursday's planned meeting between the two presidents can halt a trade war sparked by the sweeping tariffs Trump announced after returning to office this year.

Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Turkey's intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, Trump's special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner are all due to attend the talks.

On his Truth Social site on Friday, Trump announced that his meeting with Putin would be held in the far-north US state of Alaska on August 15, which was later confirmed by the Kremlin.

A Syrian-Israeli ministerial meeting is set to take place Thursday in Baku to discuss security matters in southern Syria, a diplomat told AFP.

Mediators have been shuttling between Israeli and Hamas delegations in Qatar for more than two weeks, but the indirect talks have so far failed to yield an elusive truce.

Iran is scheduled to meet Britain, France and Germany in Istanbul on Friday, to discuss its nuclear programme, with Tehran accusing European powers of scuppering a landmark 2015 nuclear deal.

On the ground, civil defense agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said at least 43 people were killed in the latest Israeli strikes, including 11 when a market in Gaza City was hit. Elsewhere, eight children were among the 10 victims of a drone strike at a water point in the Nuseirat...

The group's statement came after four days of indirect talks brokered by Qatar and as the United States signalled its belief that agreement for a 60-day truce would be struck before the end of the week.

But Netanyahu, who is due to meet with President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday, said the Palestinian group's proposals for changes to a draft US-backed ceasefire deal were "unacceptable".

"I think great progress is being made on Gaza," Trump said, adding that his special envoy Steve Witkoff had told him: "Gaza is very close." He linked his optimism about imminent "very good news" to Israel-Iran ceasefire.

Washington, United States - The United States still hopes to hold talks Sunday with Iran, even after Israel launched a massive attack on the Islamic republic, a US official said. "We still intend to have talks Sunday," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. The official had no further...

"All its bases are within our reach, we have access to them, and without hesitation we will target all of them in the host countries," Iran's Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said in response to US threats of military action if the talks fail.

Turkey is deploying all-out diplomatic efforts to secure a Russia-Ukraine deal, to ease Syria's relations with the West and facilitate Iranian nuclear talks, its diplomatic standing burnished by Donald Trump's approval.

War rivals Ukraine and Russia are set to go into their first direct talks in more than three years on Thursday, with Russian President Vladimir Putin not included on the list of attendees.

The United States said Wednesday it was imposing sanctions on seven companies involved in selling Iranian oil, tightening pressure despite new nuclear talks between the adversaries.

Muscat, Oman - The United States and Iran went into detail about a potential nuclear deal Saturday at their third consecutive round of talks, hoping to strike an accord that would ease regional tensions. US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi again led the talks, which...

Iran seeks a "real and fair" agreement with Washington on its nuclear programme, a senior aide to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Friday, setting the stage for a diplomatic showdown this weekend in Oman.

Trump made the surprise announcement that his administration would open talks with Iran during a White House meeting on Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose country is an arch foe of Tehran.

Moscow has rejected a joint US-Ukraine proposal of a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire, instead suggesting just to halt aerial strikes on energy facilities. Despite that offer, both sides have continued to launch aerial attacks in the run-up to the negotiations.

Donald Trump spoke to both Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky this week and the US is also due to hold talks with Kyiv in the coming days. "These consultations will take place on Monday, March 24th, in Riyadh," Ushakov said Thursday in comments published by the Kremlin.

During the initial six-week phase of the ceasefire, Hamas released 33 hostages, including eight who were deceased, in exchange for about 1,800 Palestinians captive in Israeli prisons. Hamas also released five Thai captives outside the accord.

In a statement on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was "committed to US President Trump's plan for the creation of a different Gaza", also promising that after the war, "there will be neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority" ruling the territory.

Erdogan called on Palestinians to unite following the talks at the Dolmabahce palace, on the banks of the Bosphorus strait, that Turkish media reports said lasted more than two and a half hours. "It is vital that Palestinians act with unity in this process. The strongest response to Israel and...

According to reports in US media, Burns would meet in the Egyptian capital with Mossad chief David Barnea, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Egypt's intelligence chief Abbas Kamel. The talks in Cairo would focus on freeing hostages held in the Gaza Strip by Hamas fighters.

After Paris, Blinken will head to Brussels for NATO foreign ministers' talks ahead of the alliance's 75th anniversary summit in Washington. Blinken will also hold a three-way meeting in Brussels with EU leaders and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who has been seeking to branch out from his country's historic...

The official said the gap between the two sides' negotiating positions was too wide. "I doubt that there will be any progress in these negotiations because the positions are too far apart," said the official.

The go-ahead for a new round of talks on a Gaza ceasefire came a day after the world's top court ordered Israel to ensure aid reaches desperate civilians. But despite a binding UN Security Council resolution earlier this week demanding an "immediate ceasefire", fighting raged on unabated in Gaza.

Israel's prime minister cancelled the visit after the US abstained on the UNSC vote, allowing it to pass. But Israel backtracked, after the White House said it was "perplexed" by the move. The U-turn came after Israeli defense minister had "constructive discussions" with senior US officials in Washington.

An official from the Palestinian resistance group with knowledge of the talks said that there is a deep divergence in positions in the negotiations between Hamas and Israel. The official said that Israel wanted to reach a temporary ceasefire "so that it can resume its aggression against our people."

Ankara, Turkey-- The Gulf Cooperation Council and Turkey have started off free trade negotiations to deepen their ties further. In this connection, Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary General of GCC, and Dr. Omer Bolat, Minister of Trade of Turkey, signed a joint statement to initiate negotiations between the GCC and Turkey....

Ismail Haniyeh said that the Israeli actions at Al-Shifa Medical Complex "confirm their intent to obstruct the recovery of life in Gaza and dismantle essential aspects of human existence." He said deliberate targeting of government officials in Gaza illustrates "their efforts to sow chaos".

JERUSALEM – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday called for a deal to free hostages held in war-ravaged Gaza accompanied by a "longer-lasting ceasefire", as warring parties geared up for more talks. "We need a hostage deal with a longer-lasting ceasefire," Scholz said during a joint press appearance in Jerusalem...

Damascus, Syria -- Visiting United Nations special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen urged Damascus Sunday to rejoin talks to revise the country's constitution, warning that political dialogue was going "in the wrong direction". Syria's war, which began 13 years ago with the repression of pro-democracy protests, has killed more than 500,000...

Jerusalem--Israel's security cabinet is set to meet Sunday to discuss the "mandate" of a delegation due to travel to Doha for talks on a truce in Gaza, the prime minister's office said. The security cabinet and the smaller, five-member war cabinet will meet Sunday to "decide on the mandate of...

Hamas chief said in a televised speech that Israel was unwilling to meet Hamas's conditions for a deal that would have seen hostages held by fighters exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Mediators had been pushing for a new truce in the war, now in its sixth month.

Athens, Greece-- The UAE and Greece have held talks in Athens on a wide range of economic and strategic issues to deepen the cooperation between the two countries. In this connection, Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and COP28 President, held several bilateral meetings...

A senior US official told reporters that the framework agreement envisages a six-week cessation of hostilities, which could begin immediately if the Palestinian movement Hamas signs off on the release of the most vulnerable hostages it holds. The official said that the Israelis have "more or less accepted it."

Speaking at the closing press conference, the Emirati chair of the so-called MC13 gathering, Thani Al Zeyoudi, acknowledged the shortcomings. "Despite our best efforts, we failed to agree on some texts which are of great importance to many of our members," said Al Zeyoudi, who also serves as the UAE's foreign...

Abu Dhabi, UAE-- The UAE and Russia have held talks to enhance the parliamentary cooperation between the two countries. In this connection, a remote meeting was held between Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the Defence, Interior and Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federal National Council (FNC), and Grigory...

A deal between Hamas and Israel could include the exchange of dozens of hostages for several hundred Palestinian civilians held by Israel. Top officials from Egypt, Qatar, the United States, France and elsewhere have acted as mediators, seeking a halt to the fighting in the Gaza Strip and the release...

Negotiations have been underway to strike a possible deal for Hamas to release hostages and pause the fighting in the Gaza Strip. But on the border with Lebanon there have been near-daily cross-border exchanges of fire between Israel and Hizbollah, sparking off fears of a wider regional escalation.

Major powers trying to find a way to end the destructive Israel-Hamas war have so far failed, but a US envoy was in Israel Thursday in the latest attempt to secure a truce deal. International concern has spiraled over Gaza's escalating civilian death toll and the desperate humanitarian crisis sparked...

Munich, Germany-- The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Sweden have discussed ways to ramp up cooperation in several areas, besides looking to enhance ties between the GCC and variou European nations. In this regard, Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary-General of the GCC, and Tobias Billström, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the...

Speaking at a televised news conference, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that critics exhorting Israel not to lauch offensive in Rafah were telling the Jewish country to "lose the war" against Hamas. He suggested that troops would go in regardless of whether a hostage release is reached.

The UN and many governments across the world have expressed alarm about the possible civilian toll of an Israeli assault against the southern city of Rafah. The negotiations, which also involved Qatar's prime minister and Egyptian officials, were part of an intensifying effort to secure a ceasefire.

ABU DHABI, UAE - Secretary-General of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries Haitham Al Ghais said that OPEC is in active talks with several nations eager to join the OPEC+ Charter of Cooperation, following the recent accession of Brazil. The names of these countries will be announced after the completion...