Malaysia Pulse delivers breaking news, politics, business, sports and lifestyle coverage from Malaysia and Southeast Asia — trusted, timely and independent.
Iran's top negotiator has publicly rejected US claims that unfrozen Iranian assets would be spent on American agricultural goods, signalling continued friction between Tehran and Washington despite recent peace talks.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ruled out American government funding for a potential Iran reconstruction initiative, though he suggested Gulf nations could participate if conditions are met.
%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fpattern%3E%3C%2Fdefs%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%22100%25%22%20height%3D%22100%25%22%20fill%3D%22url(%23ph4gf5rg)%22%2F%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%22100%25%22%20height%3D%22100%25%22%20fill%3D%22url(%23ph4gf5rp)%22%2F%3E%3Ctext%20x%3D%2250%25%22%20y%3D%2250%25%22%20text-anchor%3D%22middle%22%20dominant-baseline%3D%22central%22%20fill%3D%22rgba(255%2C255%2C255%2C0.95)%22%20font-family%3D%22Georgia%2C%20'Times%20New%20Roman'%2C%20serif%22%20font-weight%3D%22700%22%20font-size%3D%22320%22%20letter-spacing%3D%22-0.02em%22%3EIran%3C%2Ftext%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E)
Iran's delegation, headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, has left Switzerland following nearly 18 hours of intensive negotiations with US representatives at the Lake Lucerne Summit, with mediators reporting encouraging progress.
%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fpattern%3E%3C%2Fdefs%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%22100%25%22%20height%3D%22100%25%22%20fill%3D%22url(%23ph16uycg)%22%2F%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%22100%25%22%20height%3D%22100%25%22%20fill%3D%22url(%23ph16uycp)%22%2F%3E%3Ctext%20x%3D%2250%25%22%20y%3D%2250%25%22%20text-anchor%3D%22middle%22%20dominant-baseline%3D%22central%22%20fill%3D%22rgba(255%2C255%2C255%2C0.95)%22%20font-family%3D%22Georgia%2C%20'Times%20New%20Roman'%2C%20serif%22%20font-weight%3D%22700%22%20font-size%3D%22320%22%20letter-spacing%3D%22-0.02em%22%3EIran%3C%2Ftext%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E)
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian announced that US$6 billion in frozen assets held in Qatar will be released under a preliminary accord with the United States, as technical negotiations commence in Switzerland to resolve regional tensions.
An interim deal ending the US-Iran war took effect on Thursday, allowing oil tankers to resume passage through the Strait of Hormuz and pushing global crude prices to their lowest point since fighting began. However, Israeli military operations in Lebanon and fierce disagreements over Iran's nuclear programme threaten the agreement's durability.
Iran's Foreign Ministry says negotiators have resolved a substantial portion of contentious issues with the United States, but cautioned that a formal deal is not yet within reach.
Iran has outlined conditions for a proposed memorandum with the United States covering cessation of hostilities across multiple fronts, sanctions waiver on oil exports, and partial release of frozen assets, with negotiations on nuclear matters.
The United States and Iran are on the verge of concluding a major agreement to resolve the Middle East conflict, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggesting a deal could be announced within hours. Nuclear negotiations have been delayed by two months.
The US and Iran are on the verge of finalising a 60-day ceasefire agreement that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and permit Iran to resume oil exports. The deal hinges on Iranian commitments regarding nuclear weapons and uranium enrichment.