US-Iran deal: latest developments
US and Iran are expected to sign a deal bringing the war to an end
Top officials from the United States and Iran are expected to meet in Switzerland in the coming days to sign a deal to bring the Middle East war to an end.
Months of conflict, initiated by US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February, wreaked chaos across the region and rattled the global economy until a deal was announced on Monday.
Here are the latest developments ahead of the signing:
Terms of the deal
The United States on Wednesday released the text of the agreement with Iran, under which officials said Tehran would agree to dilute its enriched uranium stockpile under UN supervision, which one official described as a "major, major win".
Iran has repeatedly insisted, including on Wednesday, that nuclear issues would only be discussed in subsequent talks after the initial deal is signed.
The agreement would allow Tehran to resume oil sales as soon as it is signed, while all sanctions would be lifted if a final deal was reached after a 60-day negotiation period, according to senior US officials who read out the text.
Iran could also get access to a $300 billion reconstruction fund, though the officials said Washington was under no commitment to contribute.
Trump threatens Iran
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned Iran he was ready to resume military action if Tehran did not abide by its obligations.
"If they don't behave, we'll go right back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head," Trump said at the G7 summit, standing alongside Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
He later said the accord would "be signed shortly, tomorrow, maybe the next day", after previous announcements that it would be signed Friday.
Iran's foreign ministry said it was considering a plan for the two countries' presidents to sign the accord.
Trump said he "might" stay in Europe for the ceremony, but added that as a memorandum of understanding, "it might not be the kind of document I should be signing".
Lebanon strikes
Israeli forces carried out airstrikes on several areas in south Lebanon on Wednesday after strikes a day earlier killed four, despite the version of the deal released by the US also including Lebanon.
Nonetheless, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said Israeli forces would remain in Lebanon.
Hezbollah hails Iran's 'victory'
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said an understanding reached between Tehran and Washington to end the regional war was a "great victory", and urged Lebanon to seize the moment to expel Israeli forces.
"We congratulate the Iranian people, the resistance and the countries and peoples of the region and the world who yearn for independence and freedom on this great victory," Qassem said in a televised address, urging Lebanon to "benefit from this pivotal point".
US blockade lifts
Iranian oil tankers have exited the zone in the Gulf blockaded by the US Navy, the TankerTrackers website said Wednesday, calling it the country's "first crude oil exports in two months".
It came after an Iranian deputy foreign minister said the two-month US naval blockade on Iranian ports had been lifted.
Oil prices rise
Oil prices rose on Wednesday, briefly surging as much as five per cent, as investors grew wary ahead of the start of US-Iran talks.
International benchmark Brent North Sea crude was up 1.4 per cent to $80.10 a barrel, shortly after reaching $82.97 a barrel, while the main US contract, West Texas Intermediate, advanced 1.6 percent to $77.25 a barrel.
The International Energy Agency said Tuesday that opening the Strait of Hormuz "fully and unconditionally" was essential to ending the shock from soaring oil and gas prices.
Italian embassy
Italy's embassy to Tehran will reopen on Friday after being closed for more than three months due to the war, with Rome's foreign minister hailing a "glimmer of peace" emerging in the region.
Italy had temporarily moved its staff to neighbouring Azerbaijan for security reasons, but Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the Italian "ambassador will return to the Iranian capital with all our diplomats and foreign ministry officials".
China on deal
China's top diplomat Wang Yi said in a call with his Iranian counterpart on Wednesday that it was key for all sides to "genuinely implement their commitments" under Tehran and Washington's memorandum of understanding.
"China has consistently supported Iran's reasonable and legitimate claims and Iran's efforts in safeguarding its own sovereignty and security," Wang added, according to Beijing's foreign ministry.
He had told his Pakistani counterpart the day before that the next phase of negotiations would be "more difficult", and said the UN Security Council "should also play a greater role" in reaching a final deal.