Iran’s nuclear programme and control of the Strait of Hormuz remain major sticking points, despite mediation efforts by Qatar and Pakistan.
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a signing ceremony on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Photo: AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
23 May 2026 12:51AM
(Updated: 23 May 2026 07:17AM)
HELSINGBORG: The United States has seen some progress towards a deal with Iran but more work is required, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday (May 22), while Iran's foreign ministry spokesman said the two sides' differences were deep and significant.Intensifying diplomacy to end the conflict, Pakistan's military chief arrived in Tehran on Friday to press on with mediation efforts, and Iranian media reported that Iran's foreign minister and Pakistan's interior minister had met there.Qatar also sent a negotiating team, which is working in coordination with the United States, to the Iranian capital to try to resolve the sides' main differences, six weeks into a fragile ceasefire.While some gaps have been narrowed, there are still sticking points over Iran's enriched uranium and control over the Strait of Hormuz, whose closure since the start of the war has triggered a global energy crisis.
