US official denies Iranian claim of aircraft shot down near Bushehr

US Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday Iran wants a deal as negotiations continue over a possible agreement on Tehran’s nuclear program, while adding that a final outcome remains uncertain.

Speaking to reporters, Vance said the two sides were still “going back and forth on a couple of language points,” adding that “we’ve made a lot of progress.”

"I think it's hard to say exactly when or if you assign the MOU. We're going back and forth on a couple of language points. We've made a lot of progress here. It's very clear that I think the Iranians, they want a deal, and they want to open the streets of Hormuz. We want them to open the streets of Hormuz. There are a couple of issues on the nuclear stuff, the highly enriched stockpile, and also the question of enrichment," Vance said.

"So we're going back and forth with them. We do think they're negotiating, at least so far, in good faith, and we're making some progress. Hopefully, we'll continue to make progress. The President will be in a position where he can endorse the agreement, but obviously that's still to be discussed," he added.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Thursday condemned what it described as repeated hostile attacks against Kuwait involving missiles and drones.

It renewed its “full solidarity” with Kuwait and said it supports the measures taken by the Persian Gulf state to protect its territory from any threats.

US Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday Iran and the United States are continuing negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program, including unresolved language on uranium enrichment.

Speaking to reporters upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Vance said “the Iranians want a deal” and that it was “too early to know when or if” an agreement could be reached. He said both sides were “going back and forth on a couple of language points,” adding that they included “the question of enrichment.”

A US conservative-leaning commentary outlet on Thursday called on the Trump administration to maintain a hardline approach toward Iran and avoid concessions in any potential negotiations.

Issues & Insights published an opinion piece titled “Mr President, give the Iranian regime nothing,” arguing against sanctions relief or diplomatic compromises with Tehran.

"The president has no choice but to take a hard line as if the regime were the Nazis in 1945. The Allies then required Germany to “surrender unconditionally” the entirety of its “forces on land, sea and in the air who are at this date under German control.” Anything less would empower the depraved remnant in Tehran to start the cycle again," the piece said.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and the Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) have assessed on Thursday the threat level in the Strait of Hormuz as “critical” and the wider Persian Gulf as “severe,” according to a new advisory note.

The advisory urges vessels transiting the region to exercise extreme caution, conduct enhanced risk assessments and maintain heightened monitoring of navigation and communications systems.