Iran peace hopes$HYPE

Uncertainty has come to surround discussions to end a nearly three-month old war between the U.S. and Iran.

News outlet Al Jazeera has reported that indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran have continued, despite an exchange of fire earlier this week. The U.S. stressed that a shaky ceasefire remained in place, although Iran has warned of retaliation should the truce be violated.

Media reports this week have suggested that the U.S. and Iran were close to a framework deal. The terms of the agreement included an extension to the ceasefire and a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway off Iran's southern coast through which a fifth of the world's oil flows. The strait has been largely shuttered since the start of the war in late February.

Potentially complicating the diplomatic efforts was a new clash between Israel's military and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, the Associated Press reported. Tehran has demanded that any peace deal also conclude fighting in Lebanon.