US President Donald Trump announced progress in indirect talks with Iran on Monday, reaffirming that there would be no retreat from destroying its nuclear programme. Sources revealed that the indirect talks focused on the release of frozen Iranian funds and the Strait of Hormuz, while US Vice President JD Vance warned that the negotiations were still in their early stages and that Washington had many pressure tools it had yet to deploy.
Meanwhile, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it had led a regional security dialogue hosted by Bahrain, with the participation of defence chiefs from 12 countries.
CENTCOM issued a statement saying that its commander, Brad Cooper, and senior military officials from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, and Yemen discussed opportunities to enhance defence cooperation and reaffirmed their shared commitment to ensuring the free flow of trade through the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the statement: "US Central Command and regional nations have established a new air defence coordination cell in the Middle East to share information and warnings related to threats, as well as to respond to emergencies."