Rubio cites limited progress in Iran talks as WHO lifts Congo Ebola alert

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says discussions with Iran have shown modest movement, as diplomatic efforts continue amid concern that conflict could restart.

Rubio made the comment on Friday before a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Sweden. His remarks followed President Donald Trump’s statement days earlier that he had held off on possible military action against Iran because serious negotiations were under way.

Pakistan’s army chief also travelled to Tehran in another effort to support peace talks. At the NATO meeting in Helsingborg, ministers considered what role the alliance could play in helping to secure the Strait of Hormuz once the conflict is over.

In another international development, the World Health Organization has increased its assessment of the public health danger from the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo from high to very high.

In a Friday update, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the wider regional risk in Africa was high, while the threat at the global level remained low.

The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no proven vaccine. The virus kills roughly one in three people who contract it.

The outbreak, centred in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has so far been linked to 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths. Scientists at Oxford University in the United Kingdom are working on a new vaccine that could be ready for clinical trials within two to three months.