Talks between Iran and the United States to end the conflict in West Asia might be held in Pakistan later this week, The Guardian quoted the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency as saying on Wednesday.

The talks will focus on “missiles, militias allied with the Islamic Republic and security guarantees for Iran”, Rafael Grossi told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, according to The Guardian.

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump claimed that his country has won the war in Iran, and that it was only “fake news” portals that were claiming otherwise. There was no immediate response from Iran to the US’ claims.

Here are more top updates from the conflict in West Asia:

  • Grossi said “there are alternative diplomatic plans that would allow both a solution that says that at the moment there will be no more enrichment because the political, military and trust situation does not allow it; and, in principle, to reassess the issue in five or ten years’ time”.
  • Trump, while claiming that the US has won the war in Iran, also said: “There won’t be any nuclear weapons. Iran has agreed to that.” He made the statement two days after directing the Department of War to postpone military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days following “good and productive conversations” between Washington and Tehran. Iran, however, had claimed that it was the US president who “backed down” after learning that it would target all power plants in West Asia.
  • On Wednesday, the Iranian military rejected Trump’s claims about the negotiations, state-owned Fars news agency reported. “Has the level of your internal conflicts reached the state of negotiating with yourselves?” military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari was quoted as having asked in a video. He added that Washington should not describe its failure as an agreement.
  • The Iranian news agency quoted Zolfaghari as saying that there will be no return to the oil prices as were before the conflict, or to the previous order, “until our will is done”.
  • Washington has offered a 15-point ceasefire plan to Iran, AP quoted an unidentified official as saying on Tuesday. The plan was submitted to Iran by intermediaries from Pakistan, which has offered to host renewed negotiations between Washington and Tehran, the official said. Israeli officials, who have been advocating for Trump to continue the conflict, were surprised by the submission of the plan, the official was quoted as saying. This came as the US military is preparing to send at least 1,000 more soldiers to supplement some 50,000 troops already in West Asia.
  • Iran has said that at least 12 persons were killed and 28 others injured in an “enemy attack” on the residential areas of Varamin in southern Tehran, Al Jazeera quoted the Iranian state-owned Fars news agency as saying on Tuesday. In Iran, at least 1,500 persons have been killed and more than 18,550 injured in the conflict that started after the United States and Israel launched an attack on the country on February 28.
  • Iran’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations said that non-hostile vessels can pass through the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with the the Iranian government, provided that “they neither participate in nor support acts of aggression against Iran and fully comply with the declared safety and security regulations”.
  • The United Arab Emirates’ defence ministry said that a Moroccan citizen working as a civilian contractor with the armed forces was killed during a routine mission in an Iranian missile attack in Bahrain, Gulf News reported on Tuesday. The attack also injured five personnel from the ministry, it added.
  • Drones targeted a ​fuel tank ‌at Kuwait International Airport, ​causing a ​fire but no ⁠casualties, ​Reuters quoted the country’s Civil Aviation ​Authority as saying on Wednesday. The authority said that emergency procedures ​had been ​activated immediately, with firefighting ‌teams ⁠responding to the blaze. Initial reports ​indicated only ​material ⁠damage, it added.
  • Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that he had received a call from United States Donald Trump, adding that he had a “useful exchange of views” on the situation in West Asia. “India supports de-escalation and restoration of peace at the earliest,” Modi said on social media. “Ensuring that the Strait of Hormuz remains open, secure and accessible is essential for the whole world. We agreed to stay in touch regarding efforts towards peace and stability.”
  • Iran had effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterbody connecting the Gulf to the Arabian Sea, for most international commercial vessels since the start of the conflict. About 20% of global petroleum supply passes through the maritime chokepoint. The International Energy Agency has said that the fighting has caused the “largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market”.

The conflict

The US and Israel launched an attack on Iran on February 28, claiming that Tehran’s action posed an existential threat to Israel. Washington acts as a guarantor of Israel’s security. Iran has retaliated by striking Israel and US military bases in the region, and targeting major cities in Gulf countries and some ships.

Israel has been claiming that Iran is close to obtaining a nuclear weapon, which could alter the regional security balance. Tehran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes.