Iran studying deal to halt war as stalemate persists

Iran is reviewing a proposed agreement with the U.S. to halt their war but has not communicated with Washington for a few days, Iranian media reported on Tuesday, after U.S. President ​Donald Trump said negotiations were ongoing.

More than three months after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran, the conflict is stuck in a stalemate, with a shaky ceasefire in place ‌while the pivotal Strait of Hormuz remains largely shut to maritime traffic.

Iran has not yet responded to a proposed final text of a temporary deal, and was taking a "stern" approach given what it sees as a history of U.S. non-compliance and longstanding mistrust, Mehr News Agency cited a source as saying.

The semi-official Fars agency, also citing a source, added that messages on the possible deal, or memorandum of understanding, had stopped a few days ago, with the last one being Tehran's "clear message" over Lebanon, where Iran ​is seeking a stop to Israel's incursion against its ally Hezbollah.

Trump said on Monday that negotiations were continuing and there would be a deal over the next week to extend a ​ceasefire agreed in early April and reopen the strait.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers on Tuesday that ​Iran had agreed to negotiate aspects of its nuclear programme that it previously refused to discuss, but added that was not a guarantee that negotiations would lead to a deal.—Reuters