Western intermediaries are trying to persuade arch foes Iran and the United States to cooperate on bolstering security in Afghanistan as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to extract America from its longest war, according to three source familiar with the efforts.

President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday that Iran was ready for the worst in an uphill struggle to salvage its nuclear deal with world powers abandoned by the United States, but that he was sure Tehran would eventually prevail.

The U.S. Senate on Monday failed to override President Donald Trump's vetoes of legislation passed by Congress that would have blocked the sales of certain weapons to Saudi Arabia.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday he was willing to go to Iran for talks amid tensions between Tehran and Washington, but also called on Japan, Britain and other nations to join a maritime force to guard oil tankers sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Jared Kushner, son-in-law and senior advisor to President Donald Trump, will return to the Middle East later this month to discuss the Trump administration's forthcoming Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, a senior US official told The Times of Israel.

U.S. President Donald Trump met on Thursday with the chief executives of major American airlines to discuss their accusations that subsidies by Qatar and United Arab Emirates are costing jobs in the United States.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that the United States needed Iran to "come to the table" for negotiations, amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran in the Gulf that have impacted global oil markets.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman approved hosting U.S. forces in the country to boost regional security and stability, the state news agency (SPA) reported on Friday.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa met US President's Senior Advisor Jared Kushner in Washington.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Thursday they had detained a "foreign tanker" and its 12 crew for allegedly smuggling fuel, the latest incident in a tense standoff in the Gulf.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Thursday announced that he had met his Bahrain counterpart publicly during a visit to Washington, the first meeting between the two countries that do not have diplomatic relations.

The U.S. House of Representatives backed resolutions on Wednesday to block the sale of precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, sending them to the White House, where President Donald Trump has promised a veto.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday a lot of progress had been made with Iran and that he was not looking for regime change in Iran.

The United States has decided not to impose sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for now, two sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday, in a sign Washington may be holding a door open for diplomacy.

Adviser to US President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, said that the Palestinian leadership has succeeded in thwarting his efforts by boycotting the economic conference in Bahrain. Kushner noted that there was a large group of businessmen and representatives of international companies, and many who wanted to attend but they did not invite them, stressing that “the economic plan can be achieved, but not without Palestinian leadership.”

The UN's nuclear watchdog said Friday it will hold a special meeting on Iran's nuclear programme next week, days after Tehran breached one of the limits set in a 2015 deal with world powers.

U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran Wednesday its threats could "come back to bite" after Tehran vowed to exceed the maximum uranium enrichment level allowed by a landmark 2015 nuclear accord.

Jared Kushner hinted Wednesday that his Middle East peace plan will seek to better integrate Palestinian refugees inside Arab countries as he finalizes proposals despite being shunned by the Palestinian leadership.

Trump said that there would never be an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement if one is not negotiated during his presidency. He also opined that there is a “very good chance” his proposal for solving the decades-long conflict could succeed.

US special Middle East peace envoy Jason Greenblatt published yesterday (Tuesday) an Arabic version of the Trump administration's economic proposal for the Palestinians, a key element of its vision for peace with Israel.