Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has noted that some some progress has been made in Pakistan-mediated talks with the US on "a large portion of the discussion topics".

This does not mean that "the signing of an agreement is imminent", he adds.

Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has joined the country's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati in Doha, Qatar, today.

The trio are reportedly discussing "the most sensitive unresolved issues" with Qatar's prime minister to reach a memorandum of understanding with the US, Al Jazeera reports.

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf(Image: ICANA News Agency via Getty Images)

Iran says 32 ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz after "obtaining permission with the coordination and security of the IRGC Navy".

Donald Trump says negotiations with Iran are "proceeding nicely" as he urged Muslim nations to join the Abraham Accords.

The US president said it will only be a great deal for all or, no deal at all - with the latter meaning a return "to the battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before".

Trump added it should be mandatory for Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain to sign onto the Abraham Accords, given "all the work done by the US to try and pull this very complex puzzle together".

"It may be possible that one or two have a reason for not doing so, and that will be accepted, but most should be ready, willing, and able to make this Settlement with Iran a far more Historic Event than it would, otherwise, be," he added.

"I am mandatorily requesting that all Countries immediately sign the Abraham Accords, and that, if Iran signs its Agreement with me, as President of the United States of America, it would be an Honor to have them also be part of this unparalleled World Coalition."

Iran has reportedly shot down "a hostile drone" over the waters of the Gulf, according to the Fars news agency.

"This operation, which was carried out using a system with hidden capabilities, is a clear and decisive message from Iran," the report said quoting unnamed officials.

Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and foreign minister Abbas Araqchi have arrived in Doha, where they'll be speaking with Qatar's prime minister on a potential US-Iran deal to end the war, an official briefed on the visit said.

The discussions will be focused on the strait of Hormuz and Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, the official told Reuters.

Iran's central bank governor is also expected to discuss the potential release of frozen Iranian funds as part of a final agreement, the official added.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has privately told his close confidants that Israel has little influence over Donald Trump's decision-making on Iran.

The Israeli PM had reportedly expressed concerns about the memorandum of understanding currently being negotiated towards a peace deal in Iran, reports Reuters.

Two Israeli officials with knowledge of the conversations spoke of Netanyahu's comments on condition of anonymity, the publication said.

He demands to continue operations against perceived threats on all fronts, including Lebanon - a caveat that could derail a deal if Iran insists on a complete halt to stikes in southern Lebanon.

Benjamin Netanyahu(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Pakistan's top negotiator, army chief Asim Munir, has travelled to China with the country's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as efforts continue to conclude a peace deal to end the Iran war.

Speaking to Chinese leaders in Beijing alongside Munir, Sharif said: "The world is passing through a critical moment."

"Things are moving in the right direction. I would like to thank China’s support to promote peace," he added.

Oil prices fell more than 4% to two-week lows on Monday as optimism grew that the United States and Iran were moving closer to a peace deal, even though they remain at odds over key issues such as blockades on the Strait of Hormuz.

Prices touched their lowest since May 7.

On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington and Iran had "largely negotiated" an understanding on a peace deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which carried a fifth of global shipments of oil and liquefied natural gas before the conflict.

However, the two sides remain at odds over several difficult issues, with Trump saying on Sunday he had told his representatives not to rush into any deal.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday, as Washington played down hopes for an imminent breakthrough in the three-month-old war.Rubio told reporters in New Delhi that the U.S. would give diplomacy every chance to succeed before exploring "alternatives", after President Donald Trump said on Sunday he had told his representatives not to rush into any Iran deal.

There was a "pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the strait, get the strait open, enter into a very real, significant, time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matter, and hopefully we can pull it off," Rubio said.

A day earlier, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the U.S. blockade on Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz would "remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed".

"Both sides must take their time and get it right," he added.

The Trump administration has issued a stark warning to Tehran declaring , "no dust, no dollars" for Iran, on Sunday, 24 May.

A senior Trump official made it clear that sanctions won't end unless Iran hands over its enriched uranium.

Trump unveiled a memorandum of understanding on Saturday, putting forward a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and granting a further 30 days for nuclear talks.

Trump administration officials confirmed that no deal was on the immediate horizon and that it would take at least five to seven days to conclude any agreement, according to reports.

"Both sides must take their time and get it right. There can be no mistakes!" Trump posted on Truth Social on Sunday.

A senior administration official told reporters: "95% is done, but literally changing words requires days of deliberation in their system.

"No dust, no dollars - in other words, no highly enriched uranium, then the Iranians aren't going to get any real relief.

"If they do nothing, they get nothing. If they do a lot, they can actually get a lot."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been asked by reporters about the hold-up on reaching a peace deal with Iran.

Rubio replied that "it's just the response" from Iran.

"You’ve got to hear back, and it takes the Iranian system a little while longer to get back."

"The president is not going to make a bad deal – he's just not," Rubio told reporters.

Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is holed up undisclosed location with little access to the outside world, according to US officials familiar with the matter, reported CBS News.

It is understood that he is only reached by a labyrinth of couriers, making it more challenging and time-consuming to get information to him when the US makes a proposal to a peace deal.

The US and Iran have been in conflict since February 28 when the US and Israel carried out joint strikes on several key Iranian sites. Iran retaliated by closing the Strait of Hormuz and striking sites across the Middle East.

Although a fragile, short-term ceasefire is in place, a long-term peace deal has been a contentious topic.

People across the global wait with bated breath over whether a peace deal can be reached and what the terms and conditions will be.

Here is the latest information on a possible peace deal:

• US President Donald Trump said on Saturday, May 23 that "an Agreement has been largely negotiated". He said that the agreement is "subject to finalization between" the US, Iran and several other nations
• Trump went on to say on Sunday, May 24 that the deal was not "fully negotiated yet"
• Iran confirmed that negotiations are ongoing and strides have been made in reaching an agreement
• Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that the possible agreement included a roadmap to ⁠end the war and the US waiving ‌sanctions on the country's oil during negotiations
• Sticking points remain the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear programme
• A Trump administration official told reporters on Sunday that "95% is done, but literally changing words requires days of deliberation in their system".
• The official added that if Iran does not give up it highly enriched uranium, then it is not going to get any real relief

While Brits are soaking up the Spring heatwave, experts have warned that millions could be hit with a sharp rise in energy in energy bill into the summer. This could get even worse when the cold weather rolls around.

Cornwall Insight has predicted that the household energy price cap will rise by £209 a year from July, pushing the average annual dual-fuel bill from £1,641 to around £1,850.

It is understood that this increase, a rise of 13% in three months, will largely be driven by rising wholesale energy prices as a result of the Iran war.

The Middle East conflict has sparked chaos in global energy markets. The US and Israel carried out joint strikes on several key Iranian sites on February 28 and Iran retaliated by striking key sites across the region and closing the critical Strait of Hormuz trade route.

About 20% of global oil traded passes through the strait and the closure has seen jumps in fuel prices across the world.

Instability in oil and gas prices has fed into UK household energy bills.

Read the full story here.

A 15-year-old Palestinian boy was reportedly shot during an Israeli raid on a town in the West Bank.

Security sources told the Wafa news agency that Israeli forces stormed the town and fired live ammunition at residents, Al Jazeera reported.

The boy was hit in the leg and taken to hospital for treatment.

US President Donald Trump's administration has issued an ultimatum to Tehran as the world waits with bated breath to see if Iran will forgo its enriched uranium.

"No dust, no dollars — in other words, no highly enriched uranium, then the Iranians aren’t going to get any real relief," an official from the Trump camp told reporters.

Read the full story here.

Two men were killed this afternoon when the Israeli army bombed the town of Sir al-Gharbiya, in the Nabatieh district, said Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.

It claimed they were in a house that was targeted by the Israeli military and that a further person was also injured.

Donald Trump has told negotiators to “not to rush into a deal” with Iran, while regional officials said an agreement is close.

It appears as though a deal where Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium is on the cards, according to US officials.

Trump said negotiations were “proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner,” and the relationship with Iran was becoming “much more professional and productive.” He pushed back against criticism by some fellow Republicans seeking a tougher approach.

Trump appears close to reaching a deal with Iran(Image: Getty Images)

Officials from Oman and Iran have held talks focused on the future of the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route.

According to the Oman News Agency, Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi met an Iranian delegation led by deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi during discussions held earlier today.

The agency reported that the Omani foreign minister also received a message from Iran’s foreign minister, who was not present at the meeting. The message emphasised both countries’ shared interest in restoring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz in a safe and sustainable way.

The talks were followed by an expanded session in which both sides discussed principles governing maritime movement through the strait, framed in line with international law and aimed at ensuring continued stability in one of the world’s most important shipping corridors.

A military adviser to Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei has claimed Tehran has a “legal right” to control the Strait of Hormuz on the grounds of national security.

According to Iranian state media reports, Mohsen Rezaei said Iran’s management of the strategically important waterway would bring an end to “50 years of insecurity” in the Persian Gulf.

The remarks come amid ongoing discussions surrounding a potential agreement between Iran and the United States. Iranian state news agency Tasnim reported that, despite shipping traffic resuming through the strait, conditions would not return to what Tehran described as pre-war norms.

Instead, Iranian officials reportedly stressed the country’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and called for an end to what they referred to as the US naval blockade in the region.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he held talks with US President Donald Trump over reopening the Straits of Hormuz and ongoing negotiations surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme.

In a post shared on social media, Netanyahu said the pair discussed efforts towards a final agreement with Iran and the wider security situation in the Middle East.

Netanyahu said he thanked Trump for his “unwavering commitment” to Israel’s security, including support during military operations known as Operation Roaring Lion and Epic Fury. He claimed American and Israeli forces had worked “shoulder to shoulder” against what he described as the Iranian threat during the operations.

President Trump has said the blockade will remain in place until a deal is reached.

Trump said on Sunday that he has told his diplomatic representatives not to rush into a deal with Iran because "time is on our side," less than a day after announcing that an agreement with Tehran had been largely negotiated.

"The Blockade will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed. Both sides must take their time and get it right," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

"There can be no mistakes! Our relationship with Iran is becoming a much more professional and productive one."

US President Donald Trump said on May 23 that Iran and the US had "largely negotiated" a deal that included opening the Strait of Hormuz, but the draft was "subject to finalisation"(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon has been sent to the Middle East to prepare for a possible international mission to safeguard shipping in the Strait of Hormuz if a peace deal is put in place.

The UK and France have been leading efforts to pull together an international alliance willing to provide reassurance and assist with mine clearance once the hostilities cease.

Donald Trump has posted an AI-generated image of a US drone attack on Iranian naval patrol boats, hours after he claimed a peace deal was near.

In the image a US reaper drone can be seen flying over an exploding Iranian patrol boat with bodies flying beneath the word 'adios'.

The post comes after Trump said a peace deal between the US and Iran has been “largely negotiated”.

The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Iran’s forces are “at peak readiness” and warned against “any new aggression,” Iranian state media reports.

The state Mehr News Agency reported Major General Ahmad Vahidi’s warning that “any new aggression would trigger a response of devastating regional and beyond-regional scale.”

He made the statement during a speech to mark the anniversary of the liberation of Khorramshahr, a city recaptured during fierce fighting in the Iran-Iraq war in 1982.

The statement comes amid reports that a US-Iran deal to end the current conflict may be close.

EU President Ursula von der Leyen has said she welcomes the news that a deal between the US and Iran was close.

She echoed the words of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, saying Iran must not be allowed a nuclear weapon.