Gulf

The officials recommended that the existing ceasefire between the US and Iran be extended, so as to allow for a more suitable timeframe in which to make the deal. 

A US-sanctioned Chinese tanker, Rich Starry, crosses the Strait of Hormuz, becoming the first to exit the Gulf since the US blockade began, carrying methanol from the UAE.

The IMF warned that the situation at Hormuz could be similar to the one in Bab-al-Mandeb, where shipping lanes haven’t yet recovered ever since the first Houthi attack.

Over the years, scholars have proposed possible sites for the crossing, with Dr. Yehoshua Meron concluding that it took place near the shoreline of Nuweiba on the eastern coast of the Sinai Peninsula.

The Gulf is likely feeling that some of its concerns are being addressed and that many countries want to see the talks continue.

"This war will be remembered as Trump's grave strategic miscalculation. One whose consequences reshaped the region in unintended ways," Middle East scholar Fawaz Gerges told Reuters.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, one of Japan’s big three shipping firms, is among those caught up in the confusion as firms try to work out what impact the US-Iran two-week ceasefire is having.

The UAE is redefining Gulf security, prioritizing capability and committed partners over rhetoric and ideology.

Both countries have called for talks to end the US-Israeli war on Iran, now in the fifth week. Pakistan has previously said it is ready to facilitate peace talks between Washington and Tehran.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards have warned that ships passing through the narrow Strait will be targeted, after the US and Israel launched strikes on the country on February 28.