Iranian parliament speaker Ghalibaf told an Uzbek parliamentary delegation the US must accept the “changed realities” in the region after recent confrontations involving Iran, Israel and the United States, and has been forced to accommodate a new regional configuration. He said economic and trade ties could expand under the new balance and expressed hope this would create conditions for future lifting of sanctions. Ghalibaf added that an Iran‑Oman joint-management framework for the Persian Gulf

On March 3 Israel’s prime minister’s office denied US media reports that Israel planned to assassinate senior Iranian negotiators, calling the accounts false and fabricated. The New York Times reported on March 2 that US officials had earlier this year indirectly warned Iranian foreign ministry official Abbas Araghchi and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf that Israel might attempt to target them. US officials feared such an attempt could derail ceasefire talks and spark new conflict, and asked regional partners to pass the warning to Tehran. The report said Araghchi and Ghalibaf were listed as targets after a Feb. 28 US-Israel strike on Iran, and that two senior Iranian negotiators involved in the talks had previously been killed in Israeli strikes.

CBS reports Trump is preparing pardons for a group convicted of violating emissions and clean-air regulations and is still considering other potential recipients, including Sean Combs and several other high-profile figures.