Trump says US-Iran talks are progressing as Tehran reviews a US proposal delivered through Pakistan.

United States President Donald Trump has said the US has held “very good talks” with Iran and suggested a deal to end the conflict could be within reach, as Tehran says it is still reviewing a US proposal delivered through mediator Pakistan.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, said the proposal remains “under review” and that Tehran will communicate its response once it has “finalised its views”.

The diplomatic push comes amid continuing regional tensions, with uncertainty remaining over whether the negotiations can produce a breakthrough after weeks of military escalation and political threats between Washington and Tehran.

Meanwhile, Israel has expanded its military campaign by bombing Beirut in the first strike on the Lebanese capital since a ceasefire, widely seen as fragile, came into force on April 17.

Here is what we know:

In Iran

• Iran reviewing US proposal: Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Baghaei said a US proposal to end the war is still “under review” by Tehran. Iran will convey its views to key mediator Pakistan after “finalising its views”, Baghaei told the ISNA news agency.
• Iranian speaker mocks US operations: Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf ridiculed recent military operations against Tehran, joking on social media that “Operation Trust Me Bro failed” and that Washington had now returned to “Operation Fauxios”.

War Diplomacy

• Iran seeks China’s help: Tehran is looking forward to China’s support for a “new post-war” regional framework following its conflict with the US, said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a post on X.
• Pakistan PM ‘hopeful’: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a key mediator between Iran, the US and Israel, said he was “hopeful” the current momentum of negotiations would lead to peace in the region.
• Trump pushes for fast Iran deal: Trump is aiming to secure an agreement with Iran before the end of his upcoming trip to China, as negotiators work through a reported 14-point framework via Pakistani mediators. Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett says the compressed timeline suggests the White House believes a breakthrough may be close, while also allowing Trump to project momentum before a high-profile foreign visit.

In the Gulf

• US warplane disables Iranian tanker: The US military says a Navy fighter jet fired on and disabled the rudder of an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman after the vessel allegedly tried to breach Washington’s blockade of Iranian ports.

In the US

• Trump predicts quick end to war: Trump says the conflict with Iran “will be over quickly” as Washington pushes for a deal over Tehran’s nuclear programme and the Strait of Hormuz blockade. Speaking to supporters, Trump said the US “cannot allow” Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, according to the Reuters news agency.
• US threatens escalation: Trump threatened to resume bombing in Iran if it did not agree to a deal. “If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before,” Trump said in a social media post.

In Israel

• Sirens sound in northern Israel: Israel’s military says it intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” launched from Lebanon after warning sirens sounded across northern Israel.

In Lebanon

• Lebanon ceasefire under strain: Israeli forces are carrying out daily air strikes deeper inside Lebanon despite a US-brokered ceasefire, signalling a widening of the conflict beyond the country’s south.
• Hezbollah steps up attacks: Hezbollah says its fighters carried out 17 targeted strikes against Israeli forces inside Lebanese territory, accusing Israel of repeatedly violating the ceasefire.

Global economy

• Hormuz closure hits global shipping: German shipping giant Hapag-Lloyd says the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is costing it about $60m a week in fuel and insurance, as companies avoid the waterway over fears of Iranian attacks and potential sanctions linked to IRGC-controlled transit procedures.
• China banks urged to halt refinery loans: Beijing’s financial regulator has reportedly advised major Chinese banks to pause new loans to five oil refineries sanctioned by the US over alleged links to Iranian oil, according to Bloomberg News.

Castle’s 21 points and Wembanyama’s 19 helped Spurs crush T’wolves 133-95 as Knicks take 2-0 lead over 76ers.

Victor Wembanyama scored 19 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as ‌hosts San Antonio Spurs dominated the final three quarters on the way to a 133-95 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, levelling the teams’ Western ⁠Conference semifinal series at one win apiece.

San Antonio swamped the sixth-seeded Timberwolves in the ⁠second quarter, turning a seven-point lead after the opening period into a 24-point advantage at halftime on Wednesday.

The Spurs expanded the margin to 98-63 after three periods as Julian Champagnie poured in all 12 of his points on the night via four 3-pointers in the frame.

From there, San Antonio ⁠cruised to the finish, building their lead to as many as 47 points.

Stephon Castle’s 21 points led the Spurs, with De’Aaron Fox scoring 16, Harrison Barnes tallying 12, Dylan Harper adding 11, Devin Vassell hitting for 10 points and Keldon Johnson pulling down 10 rebounds. Wembanyama canned two 3-pointers but is just 2 of 15 from behind the arc for the series.

Second-seeded San Antonio have not lost back-to-back contests since January 11 at Minnesota and January 13 at Oklahoma City, a stretch of 49 games.

Wembanyama said of the difference between Game 1 to Game 2, “We had intensity early ‌on. Crashing the offensive boards early, fighting for the ball and passing to the open man.

“Of course, we’re gonna keep doubling up on what worked and the few things that didn’t. We’re gonna erase them. [Minnesota] is an experienced team – we know they’re going to respond. … I love how everyone had everybody’s back. It looked like a system that worked.”

Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Friday in Minneapolis.

Knicks take 2-0 lead over 76ers

Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson scored eight of his 26 points in ‌the fourth quarter for the New York Knicks, who took control of their Eastern Conference semifinal by ⁠stopping the Philadelphia 76ers down ⁠the stretch to earn a 108-102 win in Game 2.

The Knicks lead the best-of-seven set series 2-0. Game 3 is scheduled for Friday night in Philadelphia.

“Being down 2-0 after coming back to win in the ⁠first round, I think it’s more of a challenge,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said. “It was 1-1 after two games [against the Boston Celtics in the first round], right? So it’s 2-0. Puts a lot on this next game for sure, but that’s OK.”

Karl-Anthony Towns ⁠produced 20 points and 10 rebounds despite playing just 27 minutes due to foul trouble for the Knicks, who ended the game on a 12-3 run to close out a contest that included 14 ties and 25 lead changes.

OG Anunoby, who exited the game with 2:31 left after hobbling off with a right leg injury, had 24 points while Mikal Bridges added 18 points as New York ‌won its fifth straight game overall. The Knicks’ average victory margin in the previous four games was 33.8 points.

“He looked like he was hopping,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said of Anunoby. “I have not talked to medical yet.”

Tyrese Maxey scored 26 points for the 76ers, who managed just 12 points on 4-of-19 shooting in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia took its final lead at 99-96 on Kelly Oubre Jr’s 3-pointer with 6:52 left, after which the Sixers hit 1 of 10 from the field with two turnovers.

“At the end of the day, it came down ⁠to who was going to get more stops in that fourth quarter,” Brown said. “To hold a ⁠team like that to 12 points – and they missed some shots, we know that – to have them only score 12 points in that fourth quarter, it’s huge.”

Oubre and Paul George each finished with 19 points. VJ Edgecombe had 17 points.

The 76ers Joel Embiid missed the game due to ankle and hip injuries.

Philadelphia host Game 3 and 4 on Saturday and Sunday.

Maryam watched her goats starve and her crops fail. She buried two of her children before she finally gave up hope and sought help from international aid agencies in southern Somalia.

She left her village with her remaining six children, making the long journey along the Jubba River to one of a clutch of makeshift settlements on the outskirts of Kismayo, the capital of Somalia’s Jubbaland state.

Three consecutive seasons of failed rains have doubled Somalia’s malnutrition rate. Maryam, 46, is among more than 300,000 Somalis forced to leave their homes since January alone.

Several international organisations have stopped operations in the Kismayo camp for internally displaced people (IDPs), largely due to aid cuts ordered by United States President Donald Trump last year.

“We are hungry. We need care and help,” said Maryam.

Haunted by the memory of her dead children’s swollen bellies, she says she will not return to her village, which is under the control of the al-Qaeda-linked armed group al-Shabab. Fighters there have started seizing the limited food supplies available.

But the camp is hardly better. In March alone, five children died of malnutrition, its manager says.

Since the early 1990s, Somalia has endured near-constant civil war, armed rebellions, floods and droughts. The war-torn country ranks among the world’s most vulnerable to climate change, which scientists say is leading to more frequent and more intense episodes of extreme weather such as droughts and floods.

Africa, which contributes the least to global warming, bears the brunt.

The recent cuts in foreign aid have not helped. They have had “a huge impact on our work”, said Mohamud Mohamed Hassan, Somalia director for NGO Save the Children.

More than 200 health centres and 400 schools have closed since last year.

Farmers, whose herds and crops have been decimated, describe one of the worst droughts ever recorded in a country where a third of the population already lacked regular meals. Even if the forthcoming rainy season is normal, it will take months for affected populations to recover.

“We cannot afford to actually address all the needs of these people,” said Ali Adan Ali, a Jubbaland official managing the displaced.

At a mobile health clinic supported by Save the Children, the only one still operating for multiple camps in the area around Kismayo, a woman named Khadija tried to feed a high-calorie solution to her severely malnourished one-year-old daughter.

She came to the camp after last year’s drought killed her livestock, but here also “we have nothing to eat”, the 45-year-old said.

A hospital in Kismayo is the only facility in the region capable of treating the most severe cases of malnutrition. But it is turning patients away due to a lack of space and staff.

Every bed is occupied by starving babies, some on ventilators with intravenous drips in their fragile arms. Cases have tripled since last year, and things are only getting worse.

The US-Israel war on Iran has increased fuel prices, affecting food and water supplies.

Those in the camp seek work in construction or cleaning jobs in Kismayo or sell firewood, but the options are limited.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has had to steadily reduce its Somalia programme from $2.6bn in 2023 to $852m this year, especially since Washington slashed its donations. So far, only 13 percent of this year’s target has been raised.

“It’s a toxic cocktail of factors … Things are really, really desperate,” Tom Fletcher, head of OCHA, told the AFP news agency in an interview last week.

“Often we’re having to choose which lives to save and which lives not to save.”