LIVE | Rubio expresses optimism on Iran deal ahead of Pakistani mediator visit

(AFP) Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed optimism Thursday about the possibility of reaching a deal to end the war with Iran, just ahead of the arrival in Tehran of Pakistan's army chief, who is acting as a mediator in the negotiations.

General Asim Munir's visit comes a day after President Donald Trump warned that the talks are "on the edge", with the possibility of reaching a pact or resuming attacks.

According to Iran's ISNA news agency, the senior Pakistani commander traveled to Tehran to "continue talks with Iranian authorities," although no further details were offered.

"I think the Pakistanis will arrive in Tehran today, and hopefully that will push the process even further," Rubio told reporters.

Also, the secretary of state again sharply criticized NATO allies for their weak support for Washington in the conflict. "President Trump is not asking them to send fighter jets, but they refuse to do absolutely nothing. This has really bothered us," he said.

The U.S. military reported that a group of Marines boarded this Wednesday an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, suspected of attempting to violate the blockade imposed by Washington against the Iranian regime.

"American forces released the vessel after searching and directing the ship’s crew to alter course," U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), responsible for American forces in the region, said in a release on X.

It added that U.S. forces have already redirected 91 commercial vessels to ensure compliance with the blockade.

Iranian regime Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Wednesday that the Islamic Republic had received a new proposal from the United States and was currently examining it, as a minister from the mediating country Pakistan visited Tehran.

"We received the views of the U.S. side and are currently examining them. The presence of Pakistan's interior minister is aimed at facilitating the exchange of messages," Baghaei told the state-sponsored media.

The official reiterated Iran's demands in negotiations to end the war, including the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad and an end to the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.

Oil prices fell sharply on Wednesday and stock markets rose, after the Iranian regime announced that it allowed 26 ships, including tankers, to pass through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours.

Brent fell 5.2% and WTI 5%, while the main Wall Street indexes rose: Dow Jones +0.8%, the S&P 500 +0.8% and the Nasdaq +1.2%. Investors are also closely awaiting Nvidia's quarterly results, to be released at the close of the session.

Despite a ceasefire in April, geopolitical tension in the Middle East remains the main factor putting pressure on the markets.

The Iranian regime's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported on Wednesday that it allowed the transit of 26 vessels, including oil tankers, through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours.

"In the past 24 hours, 26 ships - including oil tankers, container ships and other commercial vessels - transited the Strait of Hormuz," the Revolutionary Guards Navy said in a release on X. 

Iran requires all ships to obtain clearance from its military to pass, despite the U.S. naval blockade it has faced since April.

The Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran's ideological army, vowed Wednesday to extend the war "beyond the region" of the Middle East in case the United States and Israel attack the country again.

This statement comes as a fragile ceasefire has been in place since April 8 between Tehran and Washington, established after more than a month of war triggered by the Israeli-U.S. attack on Iran on Feb. 28.

Oil prices were down Wednesday following the passage of a South Korean oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz.

Around 5:40 a.m. EST, the price of a barrel of Brent North Sea crude for July delivery fell 1.79% to $109.29. Its U.S. equivalent, a barrel of West Texas Intermediate for delivery in the same month, fell 1.64% to $102.44.

A South Korean oil tanker crossed the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday in a crossing facilitated by Tehran, Seoul announced, while traffic through that strategic passage remains virtually paralyzed as a result of the war in the Middle East.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said during a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that a resumption of hostilities in the Middle East would be "inopportune," a day after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to resume strikes against Iran.

Several Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed 19 people, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported Tuesday.

The Islamist movement Hezbollah reported clashes with Israeli soldiers in the south of the country.

Israel, for its part, announced the death of one of its soldiers in the same area, raising to 22 the number of Israelis killed in Lebanon since the start of the conflict.

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said Tuesday that talks with Iran are making good progress, but Washington is "ready and prepared" to resume military operations against Iran.

Donald Trump warned that the United States may strike Iran again, a day after saying he called off a full-scale attack in hopes of reaching a deal to end the war.