Rubio says 'significant progress' made in Iran talks
Trump on Saturday said an agreement had been "largely negotiated."
President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.
Following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire, initial U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan in April failed to reach a peace deal.
Trump later announced the open-ended extension of the ceasefire and the continuation of a U.S. blockade until negotiations are concluded "one way or the other."
Key Headlines
- US and Iran making progress on interim agreement, official says
- Trump says his proposal Iran deal 'the exact opposite' of former President Obama's
- Trump posts AI image of US drone destroying Iranian ships after announcing 'agreement' with Iran
- Rubio says 'significant progress' made in Iran talks
- Trump says agreement 'largely negotiated,' includes Strait of Hormuz reopening
Israel monitoring talks, 'prepared for all scenarios,' official says
An Israeli military official told ABC News on Wednesday that the country is "monitoring closely the talks between the U.S. and Iran."
The Israel Defense Forces, the official said, "is in constant contact with our U.S. counterparts. The IDF has various operational plans and we are prepared for all scenarios."
-ABC News' Jordana Miller and Joe Simonetti
Xi, Putin condemn 'treacherous' strikes, urge end to Iran war
Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Wednesday, with the two leaders releasing a joint statement urging an end to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran as a matter of "utmost urgency."
"The sides agree that military strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran breach international law and fundamental norms of international relations and seriously undermine stability in the Middle East," the joint statement published on the Kremlin website said.
The statement stressed "the need for a return as soon as possible of the conflicting parties to dialogue and negotiations aimed to prevent the conflict zone from spreading and urged the international community to maintain an objective and impartial position, to assist de-escalation, and to defend the fundamental norms of international relations together."
The two leaders also condemned what they called "treacherous military strikes against other countries, the hypocritical use of negotiations as cover for preparing such strikes, the assassination of leaders of sovereign states, the destabilization of the domestic political situation in these states and the provocation of regime change, and the brazen kidnapping of national leaders for trial."
-ABC News' Joe Simonetti
IRGC says war will 'extend beyond the region' if fighting resumes
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement published on Wednesday that the "regional war will this time extend beyond the region" if U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran resume.
"Although they attacked us with the full capabilities of two of the most expensive armies in the world, we did not deploy all the capacities of the Islamic Revolution against them," the IRGC said in its statement, which was published by the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
"We are men of war. You will witness our strength on the battlefield, not in hollow statements or virtual pages," the IRGC added.
-ABC News' Joe Simonetti
Iran preparing 'more surprises' if war resumes, Araghchi says
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post to social media on Tuesday that Tehran is preparing new military capabilities in the event that war with the U.S. and Israel resumes.
"With lessons learned and knowledge we gained, return to war will feature many more surprises," Araghchi said, referring to the first round of fighting which began with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.