Net migration to the UK falls by nearly 50 percent amid tighter policies

Long-term net migration to the United Kingdom nearly halved ⁠in 2025, falling to levels last seen before the post-Brexit immigration system was introduced, as tougher government measures enacted in recent years restricted arrivals.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Thursday that net migration fell to 171,000 in the ⁠12 months to the end of December from 331,000 a year earlier, extending a sharp decline from a record peak of 944,000 in 2023.

Immigration – both legal and illegal – has dominated political debate in the for more than a decade, with successive governments imposing stricter visa rules and higher salary thresholds. The current government has pledged to go further.

The British Future think tank ‌said the country was “experiencing one of the sharpest falls in net migration on record”, but that most people believed the opposite, according to its research.

Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood welcomed the progress from tighter policies, but said that there was still work to do.

“We will always welcome those who contribute to this country and wish to build a better life here. But we must restore order and control to our borders,” she said, adding that the government’s new skills-based migration would reward contribution and end reliance on “cheap overseas workers”.

On Saturday, far-right activist Tommy Robinson drew tens of thousands of people in London to attend his “unite the kingdom” march. Islamophobic and ethnonationalist hate flyers were reportedly distributed to the crowds. “In a country saturated with degenerates, grifters and imported political enemies … We are a brotherhood of White Europeans who share the same values,” read one leaflet.

Meanwhile, employers and economists ⁠have raised concerns about labour shortages, particularly in sectors such as care and hospitality.

The ONS said long-term net migration was ⁠now close to its level before the new immigration system was introduced at the start of 2021, when the UK transitioned out of European Union membership, and when COVID restrictions ⁠were still in place.

The drop reflects policy changes implemented from 2024, ⁠when the previous Conservative government banned most international students from bringing dependents and raised salary thresholds for skilled worker visas.

The current Labour government has tightened policies further as it seeks to counter Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK party, which campaigns on an anti-migration platform and holds a double-digit lead in opinion ‌polls.

To that end, the government last year moved to end overseas recruitment of care workers, the single biggest driver of work migration in recent years, and raised the salary threshold for skilled worker visas further. It has since announced ‌more ‌sweeping reforms, including plans to speed up deportations of those arriving illegally and double the qualifying period for some workers to obtain settled status to 10 years, as well as making refugee status temporary.


Mayor cuts limited World Cup tickets for New Yorkers to $50 after furore

Some lucky New York City residents will soon get a chance to snag cheap seats to this summer’s high-priced World Cup.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Thursday that 1,000 tickets costing $50 will be made available to city residents of the city of more than 8 million for the world’s most watched sporting event.

“To put that into perspective, that is five lattes in New York City,” Mamdani quipped from a bar in Harlem’s Little Senegal neighbourhood, alongside US men’s national team star Timothy Weah.

The tickets will be available for seven of the eight games played at the 82,000-seat MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, across the river from Manhattan. The lone exception is the high demand July 19 final, where some seats are costing nearly $33,000.

The tickets will also include free round-trip bus transportation to the stadium and will be distributed via a lottery starting May 25.

With persistent concerns about the sky-high costs for tickets to the games, Mamdani said the city ensure the ones they distribute go to New York City residents and are not resold on the secondary market.

He said the tickets will be non-transferable, with a “variety of ways” used by city officials to verify residency. They will only be handed out directly to fans as they board buses on game day.

“We are making sure that working people will not be priced out of the game that they helped to create,” Mamdani said.

The Democrat, who took office in January, said the effort underscores how his administration is not simply focused on making everyday things like housing and groceries more affordable.

“It extends to making it possible for every New Yorker to take part in the things that make us human,” he said.

During his campaign, Mamdani called on FIFA, football’s global governing body, to make it cheaper for New Yorkers to go to games by setting aside 15% of tickets at discounted prices. He had launched a petition calling on FIFA to reverse its plan to set ticket prices based on demand.

The $50 tickets don’t come directly from FIFA, but from those allotted to New York and New Jersey’s joint host committee for the games, according to the mayor’s office.

Previously, FIFA had made some $60 tickets available for every game at the tournament in North America following backlash over exorbitant prices.

Those reduced price tickets, though, went to the national federations of the teams playing, with the federations deciding how to distribute them to loyal fans who have attended previous games at home and away.

Besides the final, the home stadium for both the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets is set to host five group World Cup matches and two knockout stage games. Group stage matches for former winners Brazil, France, Germany and England, along with other nations, begin on June 13.

Shocked Maguire posts on Insta that he is not in England’s World Cup squad

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been left out of England’s football squad for this year’s World Cup.

The 33-year-old centre back confirmed in a social media post on Thursday that he is not part of Thomas Tuchel’s roster for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, saying he was “shocked and gutted” by the decision.

Tuchel is set to confirm his squad on Friday.

Maguire helped England reach the World Cup semifinals in 2018 and the final of the 2020 European Championship. He was also in the England team that reached the quarterfinals of the last World Cup in Qatar. Injury ruled him out of Euro 2024.

“I was confident I could’ve played a major part this summer for my country after the season I’ve had. I’ve been left shocked and gutted by the decision. I wish the players all the best,” he said.

Maguire was handed his first call-up by Tuchel in March after helping revive United’s season following the departure of former coach Ruben Amorim.

Prior to that, he had been frozen out of the national team since September 2024.

Maguire has made 66 appearances for his country and scored seven goals. He made his debut in 2017, and his most recent appearance was in the team’s 1-0 loss to Japan in March.

Having been an integral part of former England manager Gareth Southgate’s team, Maguire has fallen behind players like Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa in recent years.

Top UN court rules workers’ right to strike ‘protected’ in key treaty

The top United Nations court has ruled that workers and unions have the right to strike under a key international treaty, an opinion that could shape labour laws around the world.

International Court of Justice (ICJ) President Yuji Iwasawa said on Thursday that the court was “of the opinion that the right to strike of workers and their organisations is protected” under the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) 1948 Freedom of Association treaty.

The finding came in a 10-4 ruling by the court’s 14-member panel.

The ILO, a United Nations agency that sets global labour standards, had asked for the advisory opinion in November 2023 amid a battle between workers’ and employers’ representatives over whether the treaty – known as Convention 87 – implicitly protects workers’ right to strike.

Although ICJ judges affirmed the treaty enshrines such a right, they emphasised their opinion was narrow.

The conclusion “does not entail any determination on the precise content, scope or conditions for the exercise of that right”, Iwasawa said.

While the ruling is not binding, many local courts view the ICJ’s opinions as authoritative. Labour advocates expect it will influence countries that have not recognised employees’ right to strike.

Convention 87 has been ratified by 158 countries.

Long-standing dispute

The treaty lays out protections concerning workers’ and employers’ freedom to organise, establish and join federations.

In its 43-page advisory opinion, the ICJ reasoned that strikes are “one of the main activities engaged in and tools used by workers and their organisations to promote their interests and improve conditions of labour”.

“At the same time, freedom of association is instrumental in facilitating workers’ organisations to take collective action to further and defend the interests of their members, including through the exercise of the right to strike,” the opinion continued.

The right to strike is thus “in line with the object and purpose” of the convention, the judges said.

The ruling puts an end to what the ILO described on Thursday as “a long-standing difference of views” over Convention 87 among employers and workers.

Asking the ICJ to resolve such a disagreement was an “exceptionally rare” move, the organisation added.

Harold Koh, who represented the International Trade Union Confederation, told the court the case was “about more than legal abstractions”.

“It will affect the real rights of tens of millions of working people around the world,” he said.

French Open rejects prize money change despite tennis stars’ boycott threat

The French Open prize money will not change this year despite players complaining they deserve a bigger share, tournament director Amelie Mauresmo says.

Top players have criticised the organisers for reducing the players’ share of revenue to an alleged 14.3 percent, compared with 22 percent at standard ATP and WTA events.

To show their discontent, many competing at Roland Garros, where play begins on Sunday, are planning to limit their interaction with reporters to 15 minutes during Friday’s traditional pretournament media day.

Mauresmo, a former Australian Open and Wimbledon champion, said she remained open to dialogue and was confident of a solution. A meeting is expected on Friday between tournament organisers and the players and their representatives.

But asked whether there was a chance the prize money would change this year, Mauresmo said on Thursday: “No, we are not going to change anything. We are going to initiate discussions, and that is what everyone wants.”

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and fourth-ranked Coco Gauff were among leading players this month who supported a boycott of the Grand Slams if they don’t start receiving more compensation.

Roland Garros organisers increased the prize money by about 10 percent after the United States Open last year raised its pot by 20 percent and this year’s Australian Open by 16 percent.

The entire French Open pot was 61.7 million euros ($72m), up 5.3 million euros ($6.1m) from last year, but the players claimed their share of Roland Garros revenue declined from 15.5 percent in 2024 to 14.9 percent projected in 2026.

They said the event generated 395 million euros ($457.7m) in 2025, a 14 percent year-on-year increase, yet prize money rose by just 5.4 percent, reducing players’ share of revenue to 14.3 percent.

The singles champions at Roland Garros will each receive 2.8 million euros ($3.2m), an increase of 250,000 euros ($289,700) from 2025.

“I’m not going to tell you that everything will be resolved with the snap of a finger,” Mauresmo said. “But the discussions will continue, probably after the tournament.”

Trump says he’ll speak to Taiwan’s leader: Why that is significant

President Donald Trump has twice suggested, since his summit with China’s President Xi Jinping in Beijing last week, that he may speak with Taiwan’s President William Lai Ching-te.

That would mark the first direct contact between leaders of the governments since the US switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979. It remains committed, however, under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act to supporting the defence of the self-governing democracy.

In a foreign affairs ministry statement on Wednesday, Taiwan’s President responded to Trump’s comments, saying he would be “happy” to talk to him.

Taiwan was committed to maintaining a stable status quo in the Taiwan Strait, he added, but “China is the disruptor of peace and stability”. Beijing regards Taiwan as part of Chinese territory.

The statement comes as the White House considers a $14bn arms deal with Taiwan.

China’s foreign ministry responded saying it “firmly opposes official exchanges” between the US and Taiwan, as well as US arms sales to the island.

Trump’s comments suggest he may be willing to break with decades of diplomatic protocol, which will likely jar with Beijing, say analysts.

How China might respond?

Based on past events, Beijing will not be happy if Trump does meet with or talk to Taiwan’s president.

Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu, reporting from Beijing, said that when the former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in 2022, her two-day visit sparked heightened tensions between the two countries.

Shortly afterwards, China ramped up large-scale military drills around Taiwan and, Yu said, China-US relations “reached rock bottom”, indicating that “China is serious about not wanting to see any sort of communication between Washington and Taipei”.

In 2016, shortly after his first election victory, President-elect Trump accepted a phone call from then-Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.

Beijing lodged a formal diplomatic protest, accusing Trump of undermining the “One China” policy under which Washington officially recognises Beijing over Taipei. Chinese state media warned that the call could damage relations.

The incident caused “an enormous hoo-ha” in Beijing, Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute in London, told Al Jazeera. He added that Trump may have forgotten the call and the “very hostile” response from Beijing.

Trump “will probably be reminded by his staff… and he probably would therefore not speak to President Lai”, he said.

If he does speak to Lai, Beijing’s response “will depend partly on how Donald Trump presents it”, Tsang said.

If Trump were to simply state he spoke to Lai, Beijing “will react very strongly”; however, if he were to say he spoke to Lai as Chinese leader Xi Jinping “asked me to do so”, it may temper Beijing’s response.

Analysts say that included in its response is an awareness in Beijing that Trump is unreliable and unpredictable.

“Trump’s signature is to problematise the previously unproblematic; breaking new grounds or crossing ever so elusive red lines is par for the course,” Wen-ti Sung, a nonresident fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub, told Al Jazeera.


Will this undo any bonhomie from Trump’s visit to Beijing?

Trump visited Beijing last week to meet with Xi accompanied by a delegation of American business leaders, including the heads of Apple, Nvidia, BlackRock and Goldman Sachs.

Trump lavished praise on Xi, stating: “It’s an honour to be your friend, and the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before”.

Trump came away from the summit boasting of multiple trade deals, but Chinese statements made no mention of any such agreements. Trump also took care to publicly steer clear of Taiwan, at one point ignoring a reporter’s question about it.


But analysts say whether this sentiment is undone by his apparent openness to Taipei depends on his next move, something they say, given his erratic diplomatic overtures, can be hard to predict.

If Trump calls Lai and announces that the US will “continue to support Taiwan and provide a large arms package; all hell will break loose”, Tsang said.

However, he said, the very fact that Trump even entertained the idea of speaking with Xi about whether the United States would sell weapons to certain countries was a win for Beijing.

Any other US president “would have said it is not a subject that we can have a conversation about”, he said.


What is the US commitment to Taiwan?

The US is Taiwan’s most important backer for providing weapons. Trump announced a weapons package  worth more than $11bn last December, – the largest in history.

However, since his Beijing visit, Trump has signalled a couple of times that he may not be so supportive of Taiwanese independence.

“I’m not looking to have somebody go independent. And, you know, we’re supposed to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war. I’m not looking for that. I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down,” he told Fox News.

Taipei will not see Trump’s suggestion that he may talk to theirleader as an attempt to warm relations with the island, Sung said.

“Trumpian diplomacy can be very improvisational; think of him acting on what he thinks are his winning instincts, rather than him playing grand-strategic, three-dimensional chess.”

Taiwan will be concerned by Trump’s unpredictability, Tsang said.

“He is not anti-Taiwan…but do you trust your future in the hands of Donald Trump? Even when he loves you, he can kill you,” he said.


Will the US-Taiwan arms deal go through?

“I may do it. I may not do it,” Trump told Fox News on Friday.

Since his Beijing trip, he has also suggested that it is a bargaining chip with China, as the US weighs whether to approve the new arms sales package.

Lai’s government has insisted that US policy on Taiwan “remains unchanged”.

“I think we remain cautiously optimistic about arms purchases,” Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo has stated.

Putin and Lukashenko monitor joint Russia-Belarus nuclear exercises

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko have taken part via video conference in a joint nuclear forces exercise.

While senior military officials, including defence ministers from both countries, have conducted similar exercises on a quarterly basis, Thursday was the first time the two presidents had directly participated in such a training event, Russia’s TASS news agency reported.

Opening the meeting held via videolink and broadcast live on the Kremlin’s website, Putin stressed that the use of nuclear weapons remains “an extreme and exceptional measure for ensuring the national security” of the two countries.

“Today, as part of the exercises, we are conducting the first joint training of the armies of Russia and Belarus on managing strategic and tactical nuclear forces,” he said.

At the same time, the Russian leader said the Russian-Belarusian nuclear triad – which are nuclear weapons capable of being deployed by land, sea and air – must continue to serve as “a reliable guarantor of the sovereignty of the Union State of Russia and Belarus” amid rising global tensions and emerging threats.

According to Putin, the drills are aimed at practising coordination and interaction between military officials in the event of nuclear weapons use, including weapons deployed on the territory of Belarus.

Lukashenko said the joint drills are part of regular military coordination between the two countries.

“We absolutely threaten no one. But we have such weapons, and we are ready in every possible way to defend our common fatherland from Brest to Vladivostok,” he said.

The Belarusian leader stressed that the exercises were defensive in nature and represented “the only demonstration from our side”, adding that countries possessing such capabilities “must know how to use them”.


Drone attacks

Russia’s Ministry of Defence said in a statement that its forces launched ‌a Yars ballistic missile and a Zircon hypersonic ⁠missile as part ⁠of missile ⁠tests during the nuclear ⁠drills.

According to the ministry, the crew of a nuclear-powered submarine launched a Sineva intercontinental ballistic missile from a submerged position as part of the drills. The Russian military also conducted a launch of a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome towards a testing range in Russia’s Kamchatka region.

In Belarus, a combat crew of the Belarusian armed forces carried out a practical launch of a ballistic missile from an Iskander-M missile system at the Kapustin Yar testing range, the ministry said. The exercises also involved Tu-95MS strategic bombers, which launched hypersonic air-launched cruise missiles, while a MiG-31 aircraft carried out a launch of a Kinzhal hypersonic missile, according to the statement.

The joint drills held from Tuesday to Thursday were met with concern from Ukraine and its NATO allies. Kyiv has repeatedly accused Moscow of planning to launch a new attack from Belarus, either on its territory or one of its NATO allies, such as neighbouring Baltic states.

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said on Thursday that its units and the army were “carrying out a comprehensive set of enhanced security measures in the northern regions of our country” bordering Belarus.

The measures – including stepped up checks of individuals and properties – “will serve as an effective deterrent to any aggressive actions or operations by the enemy and its ally”, the SBU said in a statement.

Separately on Thursday, a Ukrainian drone attack on a town in Russia’s Bryansk border region killed three rail workers when it hit a locomotive at a station, Russia’s state RZhD rail network said.

Russian border towns and villages regularly come under Ukrainian fire as Moscow’s offensive against Ukraine has dragged on into a fifth year.

“[On Thursday,] a shunting locomotive came under drone attack at the Unecha station in the Bryansk region,” the network said in a statement on social media. It said the dead were a driver, an assistant driver and his repairman son.

Earlier this week. Ukraine launched what Russian officials described as one of the largest drone barrages of the war towards Moscow, killing at least five people.

NATO foreign ministers were scheduled to meet in Helsingborg, Sweden, on Thursday and Friday to discuss how to ensure that support for Ukraine remains substantial and sustainable for the long term.


Afghan women’s refugee team returns to world cricket post Taliban exclusion

Afghanistan’s displaced female cricketers will tour England next month, a landmark moment on a five-year journey to rebuild their careers and remain part of the game following their exclusion from sport after the Taliban’s return to power.

The Afghanistan Refugee team will contain players who had been contracted to the Afghanistan Cricket Board and left the country after being “systematically excluded from sport and public life” by the Taliban, the England and Wales Cricket Board said on Thursday in announcing the tour.

It will begin on June 22 and include Twenty20 matches as well as opportunities to train and also attend the Women’s T20 World Cup final at Lord’s on July 5.

The ECB said the tour “carries significant cultural and sporting importance”.

“This tour represents not only an opportunity for them to compete as a team,” the English governing body said, “but a moment for cricket in this country to stand for inclusion and the protection of women’s participation in sport.”

Most of the Afghan players resettled in Australia, where they continued playing in domestic competitions but without access to international cricket, despite International Cricket Council (ICC) regulations requiring all test-playing members to support men’s and women’s national teams.

The women have repeatedly asked the ICC to reform as a refugee team.

Their reintegration to cricket has been supported by a consultancy firm – “It’s Game On” – cofounded by former Australia international Mel Jones.

“These players have shown extraordinary courage and commitment to the game, despite everything that has been taken from them,” Jones said in the ECB statement.

“They deserve more opportunities like this; they deserve to be recognized as part of the global cricket community.”

Jones called for more plans for “sustained and meaningful action beyond this year”.

Clare Connor, the ECB deputy chief executive, said cricket had “a responsibility to stand for inclusion and opportunity.”

“We are proud to be hosting this tour,” Connor said, “and supporting the players in deepening their connection to the game.”

Arteta made a BBQ instead of watching Arsenal’s Premier League crowning

Anxious Arsenal fans around the world ‌were glued to their screens when Manchester City’s draw at Bournemouth crowned the North London club as Premier ⁠League champions – but Mikel ⁠Arteta, who led Arsenal to their first league title in 22 years, was not watching.

The manager had planned to be at Arsenal’s training centre in London Colney to watch the game with ⁠his players, but could not find the energy to make the trip, and chose to stay at home.

“I went outside to the garden, I started to build some fire. I started to do some barbecue, I didn’t watch any ⁠of it,” Arteta told reporters on Thursday.

After finishing second three times in a row, Arteta heard the news of their long-awaited triumph from his eldest son, Gabriel, who plays for Arsenal’s Under-18 side.

“My eldest son opened the garden door, he started to run towards me. He started to cry, gave me a hug and said, we are champions, daddy,” Arteta said.

“Then ‌my other two boys and my wife came over, and it was beautiful, just to see the joy on them as well.”

Videos shared by Arsenal on social media showed players dancing and chanting at their training centre after their league title was confirmed with a game to spare.

“It was their moment. And they have to be themselves in that moment. And if I’m there, I think it wasn’t going to be the same,” Arteta said.

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard called Arteta soon after, asking where the manager was.

“I said, guys, enjoy for a while and ⁠see you in a few hours somewhere in London,” Arteta recalled with a smile.


Arteta questioned whether he could lead Arsenal to EPL title

It is Arteta’s first league title as manager, and he admitted that he doubted himself during a high-pressure campaign, where they were often a slip-up away from losing their lead in the title race.

“To play with that on your back ⁠constantly is not easy. That has been one of the toughest moments… we showed very important values not only in sport, but in life. Which is perseverance, to be ⁠resilient, to be composed in moments when people are doubting,” he said.

“And ⁠to be vulnerable. I’ve asked that question to myself, am I good enough to lead these players to win a major trophy? Until you do it, you cannot validate yourself.”

Arteta said the mood in the club had changed after winning the Premier League, buoying the team’s confidence ahead of ‌a Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain on May 30.

“It changes because the level of emotion you feel, it’s something I haven’t felt before,” he said.

Arsenal will conclude their league campaign and lift the trophy at Crystal Palace ‌on ‌Sunday.

“We will have a window to celebrate and lift the trophy and connect with the people we have constantly around us. Then we have six days to write new history in this football club,” Arteta added.

US-Iran diplomacy picks up: What’s the latest?

Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday to meet with his Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported.

The United States and Iran have continued to exchange proposals for peace since a temporary ceasefire between them was agreed last month amid Pakistan’s mediation attempts to arrange talks. But hostilities have not come to a complete halt and both sides are believed to still be far apart on a number of key issues.

On Monday, Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted three drones, the day after a drone attack at the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in the United Arab Emirates. That raised more concerns about the potential for renewed military escalation in the Gulf as peace negotiations drag on.

What are the latest diplomatic developments?

While the details of discussions between Naqvi and Momeni have not been made public, Naqvi’s visit to Iran was the second in less than a week, potentially signalling new diplomatic efforts to resolve the US‑Israeli war on Iran.

The Iranian IRNA news agency said Naqvi is scheduled to hold more meetings with senior Iranian officials.

However, on Wednesday, Donald Trump told reporters that peace negotiations with Iran are “borderline” between talks and renewed strikes.

“If we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We’re all ready to go,” Trump said.

The visit to Tehran by Pakistan’s military chief was reportedly aimed at bringing the Iranian and US positions closer together, Iran’s ISNA news agency reported.

“The Iranian text is being discussed in Tehran regarding the overarching framework, some details and confidence-building measures as guarantees,” ISNA reported, adding that “the submitted text has narrowed the gaps to some extent, but further reductions require an end to the temptation for war from Washington”.

Munir’s visit is “aimed at narrowing these gaps and reaching the moment for the official announcement of the memorandum of understanding”.

What do we know about the latest peace proposals?

Tehran is reviewing the latest US peace proposal conveyed via Pakistan, Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Wednesday.

On Monday, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that Iran had submitted a revised 14-point peace plan to end the war.

In April, Pakistan hosted the only direct negotiations between US and Iranian officials since the war began on February 28. On April 8, a temporary ceasefire was reached between the conflicting parties through Pakistani mediation. Since then, armed hostilities have largely subsided, but a durable peace agreement remains elusive, with both the US and Iran dissatisfied with each other’s proposed terms.

A major point of contention is Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium. During negotiations, Washington has urged Tehran to give away its enriched uranium, a demand Tehran has resisted. It is understood that it may consider handing it over to a third party besides the US.

The question of Iran’s ability to enrich uranium at all is another important issue. The US wants to impose a 20-year moratorium on Iran enriching any uranium. However, under the Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed with a number of nations in 2015, Iran had been allowed to enrich to 3.87 percent – enough to develop a nuclear power programme. Trump withdrew the US from the agreement in 2018, even though international inspectors said Iran had stuck to its side of the bargain.

The Strait of Hormuz is another contentious issue.

Since early March, Iran has restricted shipping through the narrow waterway linking the Gulf to the open ocean, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies are shipped during peacetime. Iran has allowed passage of vessels from select countries, but they are required to negotiate transit with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

In its previous proposals to end the war, Iran has mentioned charging transit tolls for vessels. Washington and other countries have repeatedly rejected the prospect. In April, the US announced a naval blockade on ships entering or leaving Iranian ports, further adding to the disruption of global oil and gas supplies.

On Wednesday, the IRGC said it coordinated the transit of 26 vessels through the strait in the past 24 hours, as talks between Washington and Tehran remain stalled.

INTERACTIVE - IRGC releases map of control over Strait of Hormuz - May 5, 2026-1777975253
(Al Jazeera)

Another issue is Iran’s support and financing of proxy armed groups in the region, which it calls the “Axis of Resistance”. They include the Houthis in Yemen, who have disrupted Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea in protest over the war on Gaza; Hezbollah in Lebanon and a number of groups in Iraq and Syria. The US wants all support from Iran to cease, but experts say the Iranians are unlikely to agree.

What’s going on beyond the exchange of proposals?

Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir may travel to Iran as soon as Thursday, Iran’s ISNA news agency has reported. This could signal that there is conversation going on beyond the US and Iran exchanging their versions of the proposals, analysts say.

On Saturday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Munir are expected to visit China where Sharif is expected to meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qian to sign several memoranda of understanding, strengthening bilateral understanding and economic cooperation.

China hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin for a two-day visit from Wednesday, and Moscow and Beijing say they have signed several agreements. Putin’s visit came just days after Xi hosted Trump in Beijing, which yielded little evidence that they had forged any agreement on how to end the war on Iran.

After pushing China for weeks to take on a more active role in convincing Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, the Trump administration said ahead of the summit that it did not need Beijing’s help.