Iran war: What’s happening on day 59 amid diplomatic push to end conflict?

Iran discusses diplomatic solutions with regional partners as Trump says Iran could telephone if it wants to talk.

Iran has stepped up diplomatic efforts to end the war with the United States, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shuttling between Pakistan and Oman on Sunday before flying to Russia on Monday.

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday Iran could telephone if it wanted to negotiate an end to the two-month US-Israel war on Iran after scrapping a visit ⁠⁠to Islamabad by his representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

The two main sticking points are the issues of Iran’s nuclear programme and access to the crucial Strait of Hormuz, which remains under de facto Iranian blockade.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces have escalated attacks against Lebanon, killing at least 14 people on Sunday despite a US-brokered ceasefire.

Here is what we know on day 59 of the conflict:

War diplomacy

• Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi arrived in Saint Petersburg early on Monday and is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Russian and Iranian state media.
• Discussions on ⁠⁠bilateral ties ⁠⁠and regional issues, including the US-Israel war on Iran, will be held, Araghchi said.
• According to Araghchi, Iran and ⁠⁠Oman, as coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz, had agreed to ‌‌continue expert-level consultations to ensure safe transit and protect ‌‌shared ‌‌interests in the waterway.

The two main sticking points are the issues of Iran’s nuclear programme and access to the crucial Strait of Hormuz, which remains under de facto Iranian blockade.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces have escalated attacks against Lebanon, killing at least 14 people on Sunday despite a US-brokered ceasefire.

Here is what we know on day 59 of the conflict:

War diplomacy

• Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi arrived in Saint Petersburg early on Monday and is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Russian and Iranian state media.
• Discussions on ⁠⁠bilateral ties ⁠⁠and regional issues, including the US-Israel war on Iran, will be held, Araghchi said.
• According to Araghchi, Iran and ⁠⁠Oman, as coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz, had agreed to ‌‌continue expert-level consultations to ensure safe transit and protect ‌‌shared ‌‌interests in the waterway.

In Iran

• Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had no intention of unblocking the Strait of Hormuz.
• “Controlling the Strait of Hormuz and maintaining the shadow of its deterrent effects over America and the White House’s supporters in the region is the definitive strategy of Islamic Iran,” the IRGC said on its official Telegram channel.

In US

• Trump said a shooting at a Washington media dinner on Saturday would not divert him from the war on Iran. “It’s not going to deter me from winning the war in Iran. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it, I really don’t think so, based on what we know,” Trump told reporters at the White House after the incident.
• The US president reiterated that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons, while saying he was open to talks with Tehran.