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through Pakistan’s mediation.

“That is why, the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding became a declaration of America’s defeat,” he said, adding that security in the Middle East must be ensured by the countries of the region.

Meanwhile, the US Senate passed a largely symbolic resolution Tuesday calling for an end to President Donald Trump’s war with Iran, delivering a fresh rebuke to the White House as it tries to negotiate a lasting settlement with Tehran.

The US maintains several military bases across the Middle East, notably in the Gulf where US Secretary of State Marco Rubio kicked off a tour yesterday in a bid to reassure allies, reports AFP.

Rubio arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday and was scheduled to hold closed-door talks with its leader, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, before flying to Kuwait and then Bahrain, where he will attend a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting.

Rubio said he intended to discuss the US-Iran memorandum of understanding with Gulf leaders, which does not address Iran’s missile programme and proxies -- two long-standing concerns for Gulf nations and Israel.

But Iran was defiant, appearing to insist that the Gulf nations might do better by aligning themselves with the Islamic republic instead of with the West.

“We see the future of the region not in confrontation but in interaction and not in elimination but in coexistence,” Ghalibaf said.

Iran’s chief negotiator also reiterated that peace in Lebanon, which was drawn into the war when Tehran-backed Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel, was a fundamental pillar of reaching a definitive agreement with the US.

Lebanon and Israel are ​discussing a US-backed proposal for Israeli forces to pull out of some of the territory invaded in the war with Hezbollah ‌and hand it to Lebanese army control during talks in Washington, officials on both sides said.

But Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israeli troops will not withdraw from southern Lebanon, highlighting the hurdle to peace talks.

Pakistan said yesterday that technical talks will resume next week. “I presume on Tuesday,” foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told journalists in Islamabad, adding next Monday or Wednesday were also possible dates.

One of the key sticking points has been Iran’s nuclear programme, long a source of friction with Western powers who suspect Tehran is building a bomb, a claim it has systematically denied.

Trump said Tuesday that Tehran had “fully and completely agreed” to allow United Nations inspectors to return to the country, but Iran said it has no intention of doing so.

Yesterday, the head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog said inspections of Iranian nuclear sites were “going to happen”.

Three stranded tankers carrying 5 million barrels of crude oil were exiting the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, with two heading to Asia, shipping data showed.

Oman said it was working with the United Nation’s International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to put in place a temporary transit corridor for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, reports Reuters.

In a post on X yesterday, Oman’s Maritime Security Centre has said the corridor is in line with Oman’s commitment to international law and ensuring toll-free navigation of the strait, reports Al Jazeera online.