Your regional news round-upPresident Donald Trump told negotiators to "take their time" to clinch a US-Iran deal after an agreement moved within sight. Hours after Mr Trump held a call with a host of Gulf leaders to discuss "diplomatic solutions", US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there had been "significant progress" in peace talks. An initial deal could involve the Strait of Hormuz being reopened, easing the economic impact of the war. The memorandum of understanding could leave the nuclear question to be negotiated later.Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Iran was seeking only its "legitimate and legal rights" but must exercise "utmost caution" in negotiations with the US because of past experience, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and President Trump agreed that any final agreement with Iran must “remove the nuclear threat”.President Sheikh Mohamed took part in a phone call to discuss the Iran conflict with leaders of other countries, including President Trump. The leaders discussed “regional developments and efforts to advance diplomatic solutions that support regional security and stability”, state news agency Wam reported.Bahrain’s High Criminal Court has sentenced nine people to life in prison after convicting them of collaborating with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to plan hostile acts against the kingdom.The UAE as well as several other Arab and Muslim countries have condemned Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for his treatment of activists on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. Other developmentsSeveral people have been killed and “many more” injured in a bomb blast on a railway track in Quetta, Pakistan on Sunday, the country's Prime Minister and state media said. The state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported at least 16 people were killed and several others, including children and women, suffered injuries in the explosion.An Israeli air strike on an apartment in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed three people on Sunday, including a six-month-old child, health officials said.Three soldiers from Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service were killed and four others wounded on Sunday when a bomb exploded in the country’s north, a statement from the CTS said. The explosion occurred during a routine sweep as CTS units carried out field inspections in Al Hadar Desert, south-west of the northern city of Mosul.More goings-onEgypt has launched its first nationwide aerial geophysical survey for minerals in 42 years, in a move officials hope will underpin a new wave of investment in mining and licensing rounds.Five Gulf countries have maintained their credit ratings and stable outlooks amid the US-Iran war, largely due to their sufficient fiscal buffers that have acted as a cushion against economic shocks.Happening todayMain Hajj rituals beginJordan Independence DayTop picks from The NationalComment: Iraq’s new Prime Minister cannot fix its broken politics. His first week in office just proved thatReport: Iran's nightly rallies portray unity in wartime but paper over deep dividesDispatch: The Finland model: Mastering the art of peacemaking as a national brandThis newsletter was compiled by Mohamad Ali Harisi, Foreign Editor.The National produces a variety of newsletters across an array of subjects. To get the best of our coverage straight to your inbox, sign up here.