- Trump and Pakistan say Iran deal could be signed Sunday but Tehran signals more time is needed
- Two drones from Lebanon strike northern Israel, IDF says
- Israel army issues warning for 29 south Lebanon villages
- Iran's Fars News Agency says Tehran's final decision on agreement with US still under review
Iran's Fars News Agency says Tehran's final decision on agreement with US still under review
Qatari delegation in Tehran for Middle East war talks
A Qatari delegation arrived in Tehran as part of the mediation process to end the months-long war between Iran and the United States, Iranian media said.
Iran's ISNA news agency reported that an adviser to Qatar's foreign minister had been dispatched to the Islamic Republic, while another Iranian news agency Tasnim said the purpose of the visit was to "go over the latest developments regarding the diplomatic process".
Israeli army tells residents of 29 villages in southern Lebanon to leave their homes
The Israeli military urged residents of 29 villages in southern Lebanon to leave their homes ahead of planned Israeli strikes, despite a ceasefire intended to halt the war with Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
The military's Arabic-language spokesman, Colonel Avichay Adraee, issued two successive warnings – first for 13 villages, then for 16 more, with the second targeting communities north of the Zahrani River.
Israeli troops continue to occupy swathes of southern Lebanon.
Two drones from Lebanon strike northern Israel, IDF says
The Israeli military said two drones, suspected to have been launched by militant group Hezbollah from Lebanon, struck northern Israel but caused no casualties.
"Two impacts of suspicious aerial targets in Israeli territory were identified near the Israel-Lebanon border. No injuries were reported," the military said.
In the wake of the strikes, two far-right Israeli ministers called for retaliatory strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiyeh.
"The shooting at northern communities is a test of the Dahiyeh Doctrine that the prime minister declared. I call on him to implement it decisively and firmly, and to bring down buildings in Dahiyeh," Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on X.
"For every drone – a missile; for every violation – fire; for every UAV – Dahiyeh must tremble," wrote National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on X.
Iran says limited cyberattack disrupts services at four banks, state media says
A cyberattack disrupted services at four major Iranian banks, though no customer data was compromised, the country's banking coordination council said, according to state media.
The council said the attack targeted a shared communications infrastructure used by Bank Melli, Bank Tejarat, Bank Saderat and the Export Development Bank of Iran, prompting technical teams to implement protective measures and temporarily affecting some banking services.
It said no unauthorised access to customer information had occurred and no data had been deleted, adding that recovery efforts were underway to restore normal operations.
Qatari negotiators fly to Tehran as part of effort to finalize Iran-US agreement
Qatari negotiators flew to Tehran as part of effort to finalise an agreement to end the US-Israeli war on Iran, a source with knowledge of the situation told Reuters.
US and Pakistani leaders forecast a Sunday signing of a framework agreement to end the more than three-month-long war, but Tehran cast doubt over the timing as hardline protesters in Iran voiced opposition.
Sirens sound in Jordan due to technical malfunction, state TV reports
Sirens sounded in Jordan, state TV reported early on Sunday, before the Public Security Directorate said a technical malfunction was to blame and a fault in one of the sirens was being repaired.
The directorate said technical teams were able to fix the malfunction immediately.
Middle East fuel crisis keeps Mozambique fishermen ashore
Dozens of low fishing boats lay anchored in flat waters off Mozambique's capital, stranded for days as surging fuel costs kept their owners from heading out to sea.
Since the government hiked prices in early May because of the impact of the Middle East conflict on supply, many fishermen in Maputo's quiet Pescadores quarter have not had the cash to fuel a fishing trip.
"The impact is dramatic for us," said Carlos Nguenha, vice president of the local community fisheries council.
Nguenha's council covers 1,800 fishermen and nearly 290 boats on the Costa do Sol just north of the city. Members are young and old and mostly family breadwinners, with no other work, he said.
Will a peace deal be reached soon?
US President Donald Trump said that a deal with Iran to end the war in the Middle East could be signed Sunday, and that the strategic Strait of Hormuz would be "open to all" immediately after.
Iran had offered a different timeline earlier in the day, but nonetheless signalled an agreement was in the offing, as both the warring parties and their mediators expressed increasing optimism that weeks of halting negotiations were drawing to a close.
US-Iran peace agreement: A reason to be optimistic?
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said a deal aimed at ending the war was closer than "ever before" and expected to be finalised within 24 hours. Pakistan was preparing for the electronic signing of the agreement, to be followed immediately by technical-level talks next week.
Trump and Pakistan say Iran deal could be signed Sunday but Tehran signals more time is needed
Key mediator Pakistan on Saturday said a deal to end the Iran war was closer than ever and US President Donald Trump asserted it would be "signed tomorrow,” while Iran made some of its most optimistic statements yet but indicated a bit more time was needed.
Trump said the Strait of Hormuz would open immediately after the signing.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said a deal was expected to be finalized within 24 hours. Each side was expected to sign electronically. Pakistan’s foreign ministry said the signing ceremony was scheduled for Sunday but did not provide details.
Iran foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei in statements carried by state media said the signing “will not happen tomorrow," but “the likelihood of finalizing the memorandum of understanding in the coming days is high."
Sirens sound in Jordan, state TV reports
Sirens sounded in Jordan, the kingdom's state television reported early on Sunday without providing details.
Dozens protest peace deal outside Iran foreign ministry
Dozens protested Saturday outside a foreign ministry office in Iran's northeastern city of Mashhad, chanting slogans against top diplomat Abbas Araghchi after a televised interview in which he discussed signing a peace deal with the US.
In a video shared by Fars news agency, women in black chadors chanted "death to dishonourable Araghchi, the infiltrator" in front of the building, while waving red and black flags.
The protest comes as the peace deal touted by US President Donald Trump and mediator Pakistan faces opposition from hardline Iranian figures.
Yesterday's key developments:
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that upon finalisation, a draft deal with the US would be signed "remotely", which could happen "in the coming days."
- French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot has called on the US and Iran to seize the opportunity to end a situation that is unsustainable and sign an initial peace deal.
- The United Arab Emirates has agreed to unlock billions of dollars for Iran, four sources told Reuters, in a tactical shift after weeks of Iranian attacks on the wealthy Gulf Arab state during the US-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
