Overview
- Mediators said talks between the United States and Iran in Doha made “positive progress” and the parties agreed to keep negotiating under a 60‑day memorandum created in mid‑June.
- The talks committed to a dedicated communications channel to report alleged breaches and to discuss using part of an initial $6 billion in frozen assets to buy goods for Iran.
- The U.N. Security Council on Thursday called for an immediate halt to Iranian attacks and for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened, with Bahrain presenting documentation of 808 strikes that it says caused civilian deaths and injuries.
- The International Maritime Organization warned that charging transit fees in the Strait would violate international law and said about 8,000 seafarers on roughly 500 ships remain stranded and need evacuation.
- Regional diplomacy continued in parallel as Syria’s foreign minister reassured Lebanon there is no intent to intervene militarily and Lebanon’s president pressed the international community to pressure Israel to implement the negotiated framework for southern withdrawal.