The United States and Iran may resume negotiations in Islamabad as early as next week, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The report said the two sides were working through mediators on a 14-point memorandum of understanding aimed at establishing the framework for a month-long negotiating process aimed at ending the conflict. One of the main sticking points is the extent to which Tehran might lift sanctions.Meanwhile, a ceasefire appeared to hold after the United States attacked two Iranian oil tankers on Saturday, while Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s regional headquarters, said it had arrested 41 people allegedly linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Bahrain is led by a Sunni monarchy but, like Iran, has a Shia majority population. Human rights groups say Saudi Arabia is using war as a pretext to suppress dissent. Iran issues warning to Bahrain. Ibrahim Aziz, chairman of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Committee, said on social media: “Supporting the US-backed resolution will have serious consequences. The Strait of Hormuz is a vital lifeline; don’t risk closing it forever.”The UK Ministry of Defense said it was deploying a warship to participate in a potential mission to protect commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz once hostilities end. The ministry said HMS Dragon would be “pre-positioned” in the area, ready to join the British and French-led security plan. France announced this week that it would move its aircraft carrier strike group to the Red Sea.Responding to calls from the United States to expect a quick response to its proposal, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghayi said the country was not paying attention to “deadlines.” Senior Iranian officials also said that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is in “good health” and will eventually appear in public. mechanism
