Morning update

Good morning Middle East Eye readers, the latest updates from the region are as follows. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed determination to continue efforts towards de-escalating tensions between the US and Iran. Despite setbacks, Sharif remains confident that progress can still be made.

US Special Envoy Jared Kushner, speaking about the reconstruction of Gaza, emphasized the importance of a transparent approach. He outlined the country's goal to become fully demilitarized and governed responsibly by Palestinians. Kushner highlighted that many of the plans presented today were not in existence a year ago. He claimed that a security and demilitarization framework has been developed.

Reports from CNN indicate a troubling incident aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group. Eight US Navy personnel, while on deployment against Iran, attempted suicide. According to Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao, this number is "incredibly high".

Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, criticized European nations during a meeting with his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul. Araghchi accused the EU of enabling Israeli crimes in the Middle East. He warned European officials of severe long-term consequences for their support of Israeli-US war crimes, both in Gaza and Iran.

In a separate development, Turkey announced it will transfer control of its Bashiqa base in northern Iraq to Baghdad. This transfer is part of the progress achieved by security measures implemented by Iraq, according to a joint statement from Turkey and Iraq. Turkish forces will gradually hand over the base in accordance with an agreed mechanism and timetable.