Sawt Falasteen - US promises to protect Gulf states' interests in Iran talks

Rubio was on a regional tour to reassure the Gulf states, which were targeted by Tehran's missiles and drones during the conflict and saw their crucial oil and gas shipments effectively cut off by an Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran has emerged emboldened from the war, vowing not to relinquish control of the vital waterway and going so far as to call its initial deal with Washington to stop the fighting "a declaration of America's defeat".

During a visit to Kuwait City, Rubio said Washington would be on the same page as Gulf states as it wrangles with Iran over a permanent settlement to the conflict.

"We're going to be completely aligned with our partners in the Gulf. That's why we're meeting with all of them tomorrow," he said, adding the US would "engage them on conversations about every decision that's made with regards to this negotiation".

Rubio is due to attend a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Bahrain on Thursday after sitting down with the leaders of Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.

The initial US-Iran deal, which sets out a 60-day negotiating process aimed at reaching a long-term agreement, failed to address Gulf nations' long-standing concerns about Iran's missile programme and regional proxies.

But Rubio insisted Washington was "not going to do anything that undermines the security of our allies".

Tehran, however, has already portrayed the deal as a victory.

Its top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Wednesday that the agreement, reached with the help of Pakistani mediation, was "the result of the resistance and authority of the brave Iranian nation".

"That is why the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding became a declaration of America's defeat," he said.

Both Rubio and Pakistan said that technical talks between the US and Iran were expected to resume in the coming days following a first round in Switzerland.

- At odds on Hormuz -

Rubio also insisted on Wednesday that the US was committed to preserving the pre-war status quo of toll-free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, which carries a substantial proportion of global oil and gas shipments.

"I know of no country on the planet that supports tolling or fees for the use of the strait," he said in Kuwait.

Iran, however, has repeatedly said it intends to retain control over the strait, along with Oman, and charge what it calls maritime service fees for crossing it.

On Wednesday US President Donald Trump wrote on social media that Iran had told Washington it would charge "NO TOLLS, NO INSURANCE COSTS, & NO OTHER CHARGES OF ANY KIND", but did not clarify whether that commitment would outlast the 60-day negotiating period.

Qatar's prime minister, meanwhile, travelled to Oman to initiate talks on the strait between the Gulf states, Iraq and Iran, a diplomat told AFP, explaining Gulf countries would push for no-charge freedom of navigation, while Iran was expected to ask for an environmental and security service fee.

Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, another diplomat said separate talks on reconciliation between Gulf countries and Iran were expected to be held in Saudi Arabia, though they did not specify a date.

- 'Like the phoenix' -

Iran's Ghalibaf reiterated Wednesday 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.

"For us, the ceasefire in Lebanon has been and is as important as the ceasefire in Iran," he said.

The violence in Lebanon has ebbed in recent days, but Israel's defence minister insisted that its troops in the neighbouring country's south were going nowhere.

"We have announced that in any case we are not withdrawing and, as of this moment... there is no American demand for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon," Katz said in an interview in Tel Aviv.

In the beachside Lebanese city of Tyre, 40-year-old Hussein Hassan was welcoming customers to his barbershop, despite one of its walls being cracked and its glass facade blown away in Israeli strikes.

Tyre residents "love life and work. We shake off the dust and rise up again like the phoenix," he said proudly.

A new ceasefire was hastily announced in Lebanon after the fighting there threatened to derail the US-Iran negotiations, but there have still been attacks on a smaller scale.

The Israeli military reported carrying out two airstrikes in the south on Wednesday on suspected Hezbollah operatives it said posed a threat to troops.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said that "two people were killed" when an Israeli drone targeted their vehicle near the town of Kfar Rumman.

O.Salim--SF-PST