Are US and Iran close to peace or sliding back to war?

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he was "not satisfied" yet with the terms of a deal being negotiated with Iran. A ceasefire "hanging by a thread". A diplomatic process "making progress".

And explosions echoing around the Gulf. What to make of the current, confusing state of relations between the US and Iran - are we close to peace or sliding back to war? The latest word from the White House is that negotiators from both sides have agreed a framework for a 60-day extension of the ceasefire, to allow room for further talks - but that this still needs US President Donald Trump's approval. This has not been confirmed by Iran. It comes towards the end of a week that has tested the ceasefire, which came into effect on 8 April and has now lasted considerably longer than the active phase of fighting which preceded it. Iran responded to the latest US strikes - which included what US Central Command (Centcom) described as a "ground control site" in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas - with a warning that "aggression will not go unanswered". Its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) then said it had attacked an American air base. It did not say which, but Centcom later said a ballistic missile had been intercepted over Kuwait, where the US has several bases. Echoing Tehran's language, Centcom called the attack "an egregious ceasefire violation". It all sounds ominous, but this is still a far cry from the furious exchanges that characterised the first five-and-a-half weeks of this conflict. In that time, the US and Israel launched thousands of sorties against targets all across Iran, and Tehran responded with volleys of drones and ballistic missiles against US bases, Gulf countries and Israel. The US said on Thursday it had shot down five Iranian drones which "posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz", suggesting shipping - commercial or military - was once again the focus of concern.

Key points

• And explosions echoing around the Gulf.
• What to make of the current, confusing state of relations between the US and Iran - are we close to peace or sliding back to war?
• The latest word from the White House is that negotiators from both sides have agreed a framework for a 60-day extension of the ceasefire, to allow room for further talks - but that this still needs…
• This has not been confirmed by Iran.
• It comes towards the end of a week that has tested the ceasefire, which came into effect on 8 April and has now lasted considerably longer than the active phase of fighting which preceded it.