US President Donald Trump said a deal with Iran is "very close." Still, uncertainty persists over when an agreement will be reached.
The text noted that the sides are expected to near agreement on an initial 14-point framework that would set the calendar for further talks. The step is seen as the most significant progress toward lowering regional tensions.
The deal is expected to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping. As of Sunday night, however, there was no sign that a final accord had been reached in Iran.
Pro-regime media reported that an exchange of views was continuing through Qatar. Meanwhile, mediators from Pakistan, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey played an important role in the negotiations.
According to sources, Pakistan and Qatar took on a more active role in the final phase. Despite peace talks in the Pakistani capital Islamabad that initially produced no result, the country continued its behind-the-scenes mediation support.
The US president reacted to Israel after the new strike on Beirut. At least three people were killed in the attack, while Israel maintained that the target was a Hezbollah command center.
Trump said, "This could be the start of a long and beautiful peace; let's not spoil it." He also said a deal that would bring peace to the region, including Lebanon, is very close.
Iranian parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the Beirut strike raised questions about Washington's willingness or capacity to meet its commitments. Trump, for his part, downplayed expectations that the strikes would completely derail the talks and criticized his Israeli allies for putting the process at risk.
On the Iranian side, some hardliners openly oppose the deal. In the northeastern city of Mashhad, protesters chanted "death to the compromiser" and "compromiser, resign," while demonstrations were also reported in Tehran.
The negotiations have followed a bumpy course since April. The process resumed after the US and Israel suspended their six-week assault on Iran.
The White House announced that the leaders of Egypt and Qatar, both mediators, will meet separately with Trump this week on the margins of the G7 summit in France. Whether those contacts will mark a new phase in the search for a deal remains to be seen.
