President Donald Trump said ​on Sunday that Iran can ‌reach out to the United States if it wants to negotiate ​an end to the ​war between the two countries.

“If they ⁠want to talk, they ​can come to us, or ​they can call us. You know, there is a telephone. We have nice, ​secure lines,” Trump said ​in an interview on Fox News’ “The Sunday ‌Briefing.”

Trump ⁠cancelled a trip by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan on Saturday, ​dealing a ​new ⁠setback to peace prospects after Iranian Foreign Minister ​Abbas Araghchi departed Islamabad ​after ⁠speaking only to Pakistani officials.

Araghchi has since returned to Pakistan ⁠despite ​the absence of ​US counterparts.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi returns to Islamabad after his visit to Oman to convey an important message to Pakistan, sources said.

Araghchi had left Islamabad on Saturday without any breakthrough in discussions with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior Pakistani officials on efforts to address the US-Israel war against Iran.

The talks reportedly ended amid continuing differences between Tehran and Washington, with Iranian officials viewing the US position as “maximalist” while Iranian demands are seen by the US as unacceptable.

Although the first round of talks did not produce any breakthrough, Pakistan has said it remains ready to keep facilitating dialogue, leaving the door open for further diplomatic engagement.

Araghchi is expected to arrive back in Islamabad later on Sunday after his stop in Oman for further discussions with Pakistani officials.

His accompanying delegation has already returned to Tehran for consultations and is expected to rejoin him.

Meanwhile, no immediate face-to-face US-Iran talks are planned, with officials indicating that negotiations are currently on hold.

Barricades in parts of Islamabad have since been removed, and roads reopened following the earlier diplomatic activity.

Pakistan has said it remains committed to facilitating dialogue between the parties as efforts to revive negotiations continue.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad on Sunday after visiting Muscat, as diplomatic efforts continued amid stalled negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme and regional tensions, according to sources.

Pakistan’s efforts to broker a ceasefire between the US and Iran are ongoing, as Araghchi met Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir, on Sunday to discuss bilateral ties and regional security.

The discussions focused in detail on bilateral relations and the broader security situation in the region.

Araghchi arrived in Islamabad again from Muscat, while an Iranian delegation from Tehran also reached the Pakistani capital for talks. He said Tehran was continuing diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.

Separately, Araghchi held a telephone conversation with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud before arriving in Pakistan, according to Al Jazeera. The two discussed the latest developments in the Middle East.

During the call, Araghchi briefed his Saudi counterpart on various aspects of the regional situation, particularly progress related to ceasefire efforts, and outlined Iran’s diplomatic initiatives to reduce tensions.

The two officials also discussed ongoing regional developments and diplomatic engagement, though further details were not disclosed.

Earlier, Araghchi held meetings with political leaders in Muscat, focusing on regional developments and bilateral relations.

In addition, PM Shehbaz Sharif held a roughly 50-minute phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, during which they discussed bilateral ties and regional developments.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said talks with Iran over its nuclear programme were ongoing, emphasising that Tehran should not develop nuclear weapons.

Trump said Iran had presented an initial draft agreement, followed by a revised version shortly after a planned visit was cancelled.

He described the negotiations as straightforward, adding that while there were internal differences within Iran’s leadership, Washington would engage with whichever authority was responsible for reaching an agreement.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and ​US President Donald Trump ‌discussed the urgent need to get shipping moving again ​in the Strait ​of Hormuz during a call ⁠on Sunday, a Downing ​Street spokesperson said.

“The leaders ​discussed the urgent need to get shipping moving again in ​the Strait of Hormuz, ​given the severe consequences for the ‌global ⁠economy and cost of living for people in the UK and globally,” ​the ​spokesperson ⁠for Starmer’s office said in a ​statement.

“The prime minister shared ​the ⁠latest progress on his joint initiative with President (Emmanuel) Macron ⁠to ​restore freedom of ​navigation,” the spokesperson added.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said he presented Tehran’s “workable framework” to mediators in Pakistan aimed at ending the US–Israeli war against Iran during a “very fruitful visit” to Islamabad.

In a post on X on Saturday after concluding his day-long trip to the Pakistani capital, Araghchi said the proposal was shared as part of efforts to establish a lasting end to the conflict.

He said Iran places “very much” value on Pakistan’s mediation efforts and its “brotherly” role in trying to restore regional stability.

“Shared Iran’s position concerning workable framework to permanently end the war on Iran. Have yet to see if the US is truly serious about diplomacy,” he wrote.

After talks with senior Pakistani officials on regional security and ceasefire efforts with the United States, Araghchi left Islamabad and later arrived in Muscat on Saturday evening.

During his visit — the first stop of a three-nation tour— he met Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

Araghchi also thanked Pakistan for its role in facilitating the April 8 ceasefire between Tehran and Washington, and for continued mediation efforts since then, outlining Iran’s “principled positions” on maintaining the truce and ending what he called the imposed war.

Prime Minister Sharif described his meeting with Araghchi as a “warm, cordial exchange of views” on regional developments, adding that both sides also discussed strengthening Pakistan-Iran relations.

Hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough in the US-Israeli war with Iran receded as a new ‌week began, with talks aimed at ending the two-month conflict at a standstill and both Tehran and Washington showing little willingness to soften their terms.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi left mediator Pakistan empty-handed at the weekend, and US President Donald Trump cancelled a planned visit ​to Islamabad by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, dealing back-to-back blows to peace prospects.

The deadlock ​leaves the world’s biggest economy and a major oil power locked in a confrontation that ⁠has already pushed energy prices to multi-year highs, stoked inflation and darkened global growth prospects.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told ​Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif by phone that Tehran would not enter “imposed negotiations” under threats or blockade, according to a ​statement from the Iranian government.

Pezeshkian said the United States should first remove “operational obstacles,” including its blockade on Iranian ports, before negotiators can lay any groundwork to resolve the conflict.

Araqchi described his visit to Pakistan as “very fruitful.”

An Iranian diplomatic source in Islamabad said Tehran would ​not accept “maximalist demands” from the United States.

Trump told reporters in Florida that he scrapped the envoys’ visit because the talks ​involved too much travel and expense to consider an inadequate offer from the Iranians.

After the diplomatic trip was called off, Iran “offered ‌a lot, ⁠but not enough,” Trump said.

On Truth Social, he wrote that there was “tremendous infighting and confusion” within Iran’s leadership.

“Nobody knows who is in charge, including them,” he posted.

“Also, we have all the cards, they have none! If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!”

Pezeshkian said on Thursday that there were “no hardliners or moderates” in Tehran and ​that the country stood united ​behind its supreme leader.

Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Araqchi echoed the message in recent days.

Adding to regional strains, radical Israeli regime leader Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his troops to attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, ​his office said, further testing a three-week ceasefire.

Tehran has largely closed the Strait of ​Hormuz, which normally ⁠carries one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, while Washington blocks Iran’s oil exports.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt earlier said the US had seen some progress from the Iranian side and that Vice President JD Vance was ready ⁠to travel ​to Pakistan.

Vance led an unsuccessful first round of talks in ​Islamabad this month.

The US-Iran conflict, in which a ceasefire is in force, began with US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran on February 28.

Iran has since struck ​Israel, US bases and Gulf states.

Trump and first lady Melania Trump were rushed from the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday night after a man opened fire at a security checkpoint, officials said.

• The suspect fired a shotgun at a Secret Service agent but was arrested.
• Trump later said the injured officer was protected by a bulletproof vest and was in good condition.
• Officials said the suspect appeared to act alone. Police said he was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives.
• Surveillance video released by Trump showed the suspect running through a screening area before agents drew their weapons.
• The event, attended by about 2,600 people, was cancelled.
• Trump later said federal agents were raiding the suspect’s home in California.
• The shooting follows two assassination attempts against Trump during the 2024 campaign.
• The dinner was being held at the Washington Hilton, also the site of the 1981 attempt on President Ronald Reagan.
• The suspect is believed to have been a guest at the Hilton hotel where the dinner was held.
• Authorities cannot yet say what the suspect’s target or motivation was.
• The incident appears to have been isolated.
• Trump’s appearance at this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner marks his first time attending the event as president.
• He boycotted the event at the Washington Hilton throughout his first term and again in 2025.
• His attendance follows years of open hostility toward major news organisations, including lawsuits, accusations of “fake news” and restrictions on press access during his administration.
• For supporters, Trump’s attendance signalled engagement with a press corps he often criticises.
• For detractors, it underscored enduring tensions between the president and journalists covering his administration.

US President Donald Trump has said that the suspect involved in the shooting at the annual White House Correspondents’ dinner was carrying several weapons.

The US president was speaking to reporters at the White House after he and other senior US officials were evacuated from the annual White House Correspondents’ dinner on Saturday night following a shooting outside the ballroom.

Trump said he did not think the incident was tied to the war in Iran based on information so far, but he added that his actions toward Tehran could have made him a target and that he would not be deterred.

“When you do things like that, you become a target. If I wasn’t doing that, I guess I’d be a lot less of a target, but I’m honoured to be,” he told reporters at the White House.

“It’s not going to deter me from winning the war in Iran. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it, I really don’t think so based on what we know.”

Quoting two law enforcement officials, the Associated Press said the suspect was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from Torrance, California.

Trump said the suspect had been carrying several weapons before being stopped by the Secret Service.

One agent was struck by gunfire but was unharmed thanks to a bulletproof vest.

“He was hit at very close range with a high-powered weapon, and the vest held up,” Trump said.

Washington interim police chief Jeffery Carroll told reporters the assailant apparently acted alone and was armed with a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives.

He said the gunman’s motive was still unclear.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Saturday, presenting Tehran’s position on the recent ceasefire situation and regional developments, officials said.

The meeting, held at the Prime Minister House, was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, along with Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the talks focused on bilateral relations, cooperation in various sectors, and regional and global developments.

Iranian media reported that Araghchi conveyed messages from Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, and President Masoud Pezeshkian, reaffirming Tehran’s commitment to strengthening comprehensive relations with Pakistan and other neighbouring countries.

The Iranian foreign minister emphasised that Pakistan holds a “special place” in Iran’s foreign policy and reiterated Tehran’s desire to further expand ties between the two countries.

He also expressed gratitude to the Government of Pakistan for its role in facilitating discussions aimed at ending conflict, supporting ceasefire efforts, and hosting important diplomatic engagements in Islamabad.

Earlier in the day, Araghchi also met Field Marshal Asim Munir, accompanied by senior Iranian and Pakistani officials, including Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s ambassador in Islamabad, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, and National Security Adviser Lt Gen Asim Malik.

Before the visit, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei said the trip was aimed at consultations with Pakistani leadership on mediation efforts and regional peace initiatives.

He clarified that no meeting with US officials was planned and that Iran would convey its concerns to Washington through Pakistan’s mediation role.

The diplomatic engagements come amid heightened US-Iran tensions.

The White House confirmed that US envoy Steve Witkoff and former presidential adviser Jared Kushner are expected to travel to Pakistan for discussions linked to ongoing diplomatic efforts.

US President Donald Trump also claimed that Iran may be preparing an offer in response to American demands, though he did not provide details.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said signs of progress had been observed in recent discussions with Iran and expressed hope that diplomatic momentum would continue.

She also noted that US Vice President JD Vance could potentially visit Pakistan as part of ongoing diplomatic engagements.

Iran executed a man on Saturday over alleged links to Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency and his involvement in anti-government protests in January.

Erfan Kiani is the latest in a series of executions carried out in Iran in the aftermath of recent unrest and conflict-related tensions.

Iran’s judiciary-affiliated Mizan news agency said Kiani had been convicted of charges including involvement in attacks on security forces in the city of Isfahan in January.

Authorities also alleged he was carrying out a “mission for Mossad,” though no evidence was provided to support the claim.

The man was also accused of acts of sabotage during countrywide protests in January, Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported.

The condemned man was accused of “creating terror” and was hanged earlier today after the Supreme Court confirmed the verdict, Tasnim reports.

US consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble on Friday warned ​of a roughly $1 billion post-tax hit to its fiscal 2027 profit from surging oil prices, joining a host of global companies flagging significant cost pressures ‌from the Iran war.

The Pampers and Tide maker’s estimated profit hit is among the highest outside of airlines, which rely heavily on oil for fuel.

European rival Nestle has warned of higher costs due to the Strait of Hormuz blockade, while Nivea-maker Beiersdorf is considering price hikes later this year if commodity costs continue to rise.

“The noise, I would call it, from the commodity exposure is significant, as a billion dollars after tax is ​nothing to sneeze at from a headwind standpoint,” said P&G finance chief Andre Schulten on a post-earnings call.

“We have a lot of work to do, to work ​through the supply chain side and the cost side.”

The profit hit to P&G’s fiscal year beginning July accounts for the impact of oil ⁠price jumping from $60 a barrel before the conflict to around $100 today on plastics and paper for packaging, as well as transportation charges, the company said.

P&G said it was well-placed to ​manage the challenges, including some force majeure declarations by direct suppliers that were no longer able to carry out deliveries.

Commodity cost pressure

P&G, whose total cost of goods sold in 2025 was $40.85 ​billion, also flagged a $150 million impact for the fourth quarter due to commodity-linked cost inflation, feedstock exposure and logistics disruption from the Middle East conflict.

A Reuters review of statements from 172 companies since the start of the Iran war showed 24 of them have either withdrawn or cut their outlook, while 35 have signalled price hikes, and another 35 have warned of a financial hit from the conflict.

“Inflation across food, energy, ​healthcare, and many other areas of spending has taken a toll on consumers and how they assess value.

Recent geopolitical events have elevated this to a new level of concern,“ ​Schulten said.

Steep fuel charges are also weighing on an already-stressed lower-income US consumer.

P&G expects fiscal 2026 earnings per share to be at the lower end of its target range of flat to 4% up.

“Investors are ‌very aware ⁠of the commodity cost pressures companies like P&G face. Oil is ubiquitous, and high oil prices seep into everything,” said Brian Jacobsen, chief economic strategist at Annex Wealth Management.

“The CFO is realistic about these problems, and investors seem to be pleased with how the company is managing through the situation.”

Shares of P&G, which topped third-quarter estimates, were up about 3.6%.

Product investments pay off

Volumes rose in three of P&G’s five reported segments in the third quarter, helped by new launches of products such as Pantene shampoo and Olay skin cream at higher prices in North ​America and Europe.

“We’re increasing investments to accelerate momentum ​with consumers despite the challenging geopolitical ⁠and economic environment,” said Shailesh Jejurikar, who took over as P&G’s CEO at the start of the year.

However, P&G’s currency-neutral gross margin fell 100 basis points, sliding for the sixth straight quarter, partly due to tariffs and its ongoing investment in product innovation.

“The bigger concern is ​that much of that revenue growth was from price increases on those popular brands… they cannot continue to raise prices at this ​pace indefinitely,” said Brian ⁠Mulberry, chief marketing strategist at Zacks Investment Management.

P&G’s quarterly sales rose 7% from a year ago to $21.24 billion, topping estimates of $20.50 billion, while adjusted earnings per share of $1.59 beat expectations by three cents, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Tariff refund

P&G maintained its expectation of a nearly $400 million hit from tariffs on its fiscal 2026 profit.

About half of that was from the tariffs imposed under the ⁠International Emergency Economic ​Powers Act, which were invalidated by the US Supreme Court in February.

The company is planning to follow the ​process of applying for refunds, which was launched earlier this week.

“We have about $150 million after tax in refunds available from the IEPA tariff. How much of that is recoverable or not? We’ll find out,” CFO Schulten said.

Only five ships, including one Iranian oil products tanker, have passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours, Friday shipping data showed, after Iran seized two container ships ​this week and the US continues to blockade Iranian ports.

Shipping traffic passing through the crucial ‌waterway at the entrance to the Gulf during an uneasy ceasefire between Washington and Tehran represents a fraction of the average 140 daily passages before the Iran war began on February 28.

“For most shipping companies, they will need a stable ceasefire and ​assurances from both sides of the conflict that the Strait of Hormuz is safe to transit,” ​said Jakob Larsen, chief safety and security officer at shipping association BIMCO.

“In the meantime, shipping ⁠will be restricted to using routes close to Iran and Oman. Due to their confined nature, these ​routes cannot safely accommodate the normal volumes of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Larsen added.

The Iranian-flagged oil products ​tanker Niki, which is subject to US sanctions, was among the few vessels that sailed out of the strait with no destination listed, Kpler analysis and tracking data on the MarineTraffic platform showed on Friday.

It was unclear what would happen if it ​continued to sail further east towards the blockade line imposed by the US navy.

Nearly two months after the ​US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, there is little sign of peace talks resuming.

Container shipping group Hapag-Lloyd said on ‌Friday that one ⁠of its ships had crossed the Strait but did not provide any information on the circumstances or timing.

The Comoros-flagged supertanker Helga arrived at an offshore oil loading terminal in Iraq’s southern Basra port on Friday, the second vessel to reach Iraq since the strait’s closure.

Iran’s use of a swarm of small, fast boats to seize two ​container ships near the strait ​on Wednesday has heightened ⁠concerns among many shipping and oil companies.

“The latest seizures make clear, even an ‘open’ Strait of Hormuz is not a safe Strait of Hormuz for seafarers, ships and ​cargo,” Peter Sand, chief analyst with ocean and air freight intelligence platform Xeneta, said ​in a ⁠note.

Between April 22 and early April 23, seven vessels transited the strait, six of which were involved in Iran-related trade, analysis from Lloyd’s List Intelligence showed.

The closure of the strait has disrupted a fifth of the world’s oil and ⁠liquefied ​natural gas (LNG) supplies and triggered a global energy crisis.

Hundreds of ships ​and 20,000 seafarers remained stranded inside the Gulf, with war risk insurers and oil companies watching for any sign that the risks may ​have eased so they can prepare to sail through.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday presented Tehran’s formal response to various proposals during a meeting with Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir in Islamabad.

According to Iranian state television, the response is comprehensive in nature and reflects all key concerns and considerations of the Iranian leadership.

Officials said the discussions focused on the situation in the Middle East and related regional developments.

Media reports suggest the development comes at a time when Pakistan is actively engaging in diplomatic efforts to revive dialogue between Tehran and Washington.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and National Security Adviser General Asim Malik were also present at the meeting.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Gharibabadi and Iran’s Ambassador to Islamabad, Reza Amiri Moghadam, also attended the discussions.

Diplomatic sources said that Araghchi is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif later today, after which he is expected to depart Pakistan.

Officials said the meetings are part of consultations on developments to revive the US-Iran negotiations to bring to an end the war in the Middle East.

The sources added that the Iranian delegation does not plan to extend its stay in Pakistan.

They further said that Araghchi will travel onward to Oman and Russia as part of his diplomatic engagements.

The White House has said that US special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner are expected to depart for Pakistan on Saturday morning (US time) for potential talks.

The visit comes as diplomatic momentum builds around possible efforts to restart negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah said a US-mediated ceasefire in the war with Israel was ​meaningless a day after it was extended for three weeks, as Lebanese authorities reported two people killed by an Israeli strike and Hezbollah downed an Israeli drone.

US President Donald ‌Trump announced the three-week extension on Thursday after hosting Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors at the White House.

The ceasefire agreement between the governments of Lebanon and Israel had been due to expire on Sunday.

While the ceasefire has led to a significant reduction in hostilities, Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have continued to trade blows in southern Lebanon, where Israel has kept soldiers in a self-declared “buffer zone”.

Responding to the extension, Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad said, “It is essential to point out that the ceasefire is ​meaningless in light of Israel’s insistence on hostile acts, including assassinations, shelling, and gunfire” and its demolition of villages and towns in the south.

“Every Israeli attack … gives the resistance the right ​to a proportionate response,” he added.

Hezbollah is not a party to the ceasefire agreement and has strongly objected to Lebanon’s face-to-face contacts with Israel.

Buffer zone

The April ⁠16 agreement does not require Israeli troops to withdraw from the belt of southern Lebanon seized during the war.

The zone extends 5 to 10 km into Lebanon.

Israel says the buffer ​zone aims to protect northern Israel from attacks by Hezbollah, which fired hundreds of rockets at Israel during the war.

Hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel reignited on March 2, when the group opened fire in support ​of Iran in the regional war.

The ceasefire in Lebanon emerged separately from Washington’s efforts to resolve its conflict with Tehran, though Iran had called for Lebanon to be included in any broader truce.

Nearly 2,500 people have been killed in Lebanon in Israeli attacks since March 2, the Lebanese health ministry says.

Israeli military warns residents

Lebanon’s health ministry said an Israeli air strike killed two people in the southern village of Touline on Friday.

Hezbollah shot down an Israeli drone, the group and ​the Israeli military said.

Hezbollah identified it as a Hermes 450 and said it had downed it with a surface-to-air missile.

An Israeli drone was heard circling above Beirut throughout the day on Friday, Reuters ​reporters said.

The Israeli military warned residents of the southern town of Deir Aames to leave their homes immediately, saying it planned to act against “Hezbollah activities” there.

Deir Aames is located north of the area occupied by Israeli forces, and ‌it was ⁠the first time Israel had issued such a warning since the ceasefire came into force on April 16.

Posted on social media, the Israeli warning gave no details of the activities it said Hezbollah was conducting in the town.

The Israeli military also said it had intercepted a drone prior to its crossing into Israeli territory, and that sirens were sounded in line with protocol.

Residents seek end to fighting

The continued fighting has angered war-weary Lebanese, who say they want to see a genuine ceasefire put a full halt to violence.

“What’s this? Is this called a ceasefire? Or is this mocking (people’s) intelligence?” said Naem Saleh, a ​73-year-old owner of a newsstand in Beirut.

Residents of northern ​Israel had mostly returned to daily life, ⁠but expressed pessimism about the longevity of the ceasefire with Lebanon.

“I believe that the ceasefire is so fragile, and unfortunately, it won’t stand long, in my opinion,” said Eliad Eini, a resident of Nahariya, which lies just 10 km (6 miles) from the border with Lebanon.

On Wednesday, Israeli strikes killed at least five ​people in the south, including a journalist.

Israel’s Ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, in his opening remarks at Thursday’s talks, said, “Lebanon should acknowledge the temporary presence ​of the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) ⁠and the right of Israel to defend itself from a hostile force that is firing on the population”.

Lebanon’s Ambassador to the United States, Nada Moawad, in a written statement sent to Reuters, called for the ceasefire to be fully respected and said it would allow the necessary conditions for meaningful negotiations.

Lebanon has said it aims to secure the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from its territory in broader talks with Israel at a later ⁠stage.

Trump said ​on Thursday that he looked forward to hosting radical Israeli regime leader Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the near ​future, and said there was “a great chance” the two countries would reach a peace agreement this year.

Hezbollah attacks killed two civilians in Israel after March 2, while 15 Israeli soldiers have died in Lebanon since then, Israel says.

US President Donald Trump has said that Iran plans to make ​an offer aimed at satisfying US demands, as ‌peace talks were expected to resume in Pakistan.

“They’re making an offer and we’ll have to see,” Trump said during a phone interview.

Trump ​said he did not know what the offer would ​be yet.

He has been adamant that any ⁠deal include Iran giving up its enriched uranium and allowing ​freedom of oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump ​had earlier expressed concern about who was leading Iran, and ​US officials have said they believe the leadership is fractured.

On Friday, when ‌asked ⁠who the US was negotiating with, Trump said: “I don’t want to say that, but we’re dealing with the people that are in charge now.”

He declined to provide names.

Trump has insisted the US ​military will ⁠maintain a blockade against Iran’s ports until an agreement is reached.

When asked what is needed to lift the blockade, Trump ⁠said: “I’d ​have to be able to answer ​that question later. I have to see what they’re offering.”

Later, White House press ​secretary Karoline Leavitt said special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would leave for Pakistan on Saturday morning for talks with Araqchi.

Leavitt struck an upbeat tone, saying the US had seen some progress from ⁠the Iranian side in recent days and hoped more would come this weekend.

She added that US Vice President JD Vance, who earlier this month led a first round of unsuccessful talks with Iran to end their war, is ready to travel to ​Pakistan as well.

Pakistani sources said earlier that a US logistics and security team was already in place in Islamabad for potential talks.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry confirmed Araqchi’s ​arrival in Islamabad, where a heavy military and paramilitary presence was visible across the central parts of the city.

Araqchi went straight into a meeting with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar at the Serena Hotel, where the first round of talks with the US was held, two government sources said.

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani pledged his country’s support for mediation efforts by Pakistan in a phone call with Trump, Qatar’s state news agency reported.

Araqchi wrote on X that he was visiting Pakistan, Oman and Russia to coordinate with partners on bilateral matters ​and consult on regional developments.

The tour will include consultations on the latest efforts to end the war, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson later told state media.

Pakistani officials are expressing cautious optimism over the prospects of renewed US-Iran engagement, as diplomatic activity intensifies in Islamabad following the arrival of Iran’s foreign minister and the expected visit of a US delegation.

According to sources, mediators in Pakistan remain “cautiously optimistic” that talks between Tehran and Washington could resume, despite lingering uncertainty.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in the Pakistani capital on Friday night as part of a regional tour, amid efforts by Islamabad to revive stalled negotiations.

Pakistani leaders, including the prime minister and senior officials, are expected to hold meetings with the Iranian delegation focused on Tehran’s position regarding the ongoing dispute.

At the same time, the White House has announced that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are scheduled to arrive in Islamabad for talks with the Iranian officials.

However, Iran has downplayed expectations of direct engagement.

A spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said no formal meeting is planned between Iranian and US officials, adding that Tehran’s “observations” would instead be communicated through Pakistani intermediaries.

Diplomatic sources indicate that Pakistan has played a sustained behind-the-scenes role in attempting to bridge the gap between the two sides.

Even after talks stalled nearly two weeks ago, Pakistani officials have remained in continuous contact with both Tehran and Washington, seeking to bring them back to the negotiating table.

Analysts say the current flurry of visits reflects Islamabad’s effort to restore momentum to a faltering process.

While immediate breakthroughs appear unlikely, the parallel presence of Iranian and US representatives in the Pakistani capital is being viewed as a potential opening for indirect engagement.

The sources said discussions between Pakistan and Iran are expected to focus on bilateral consultations and Tehran’s assessment of the situation.

Mediators are also working to create conditions conducive to a possible resumption of talks between the United States and Iran.

Iran has ruled out any planned meeting with the United States during an ongoing diplomatic visit of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to Islamabad, according to officials.

In a statement posted on Saturday on X, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei confirmed the arrival of a delegation led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in the Pakistani capital.

He emphasised that the visit does not include talks with US representatives.

Baghaei said the delegation would instead focus on conveying ‘Iran’s observations to Pakistani officials’.

Araghchi is expected to hold meetings with senior Pakistani leadership as part of ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at easing regional tensions and addressing an “American-imposed war of aggression.”

Earlier, Iran’s Tasnim News Agency dismissed a CNN report claiming a possible meeting between Iranian and US officials in Islamabad.

The report had claimed that US President Donald Trump would send his special envoy Steve Witkoff, along with Jared Kushner, for negotiations with the Iranian delegation.

Rejecting the claims, Tasnim stated that no negotiations with the United States are currently on the agenda and that Araghchi’s visit is strictly focused on bilateral and regional consultations with Pakistan.

The agency added that discussions would centre on Iran’s stance regarding ‘an unprovoked aggression against the country’.

Tasnim also accused US officials and media of spreading “fabricated narratives” about renewed negotiations over the past several days, citing repeated unverified reports.

It pointed to claims involving US Vice President JD Vance travelling for talks, which it said never materialised.

Araghchi is scheduled to continue his regional tour with visits to Muscat and Moscow following his stop in Islamabad.

Iran and the United States previously held a round of talks in Islamabad earlier this month, but no agreement was reached.

The discussions stalled amid what Tehran described as Washington’s “maximalist demands.”

Iran has since maintained that it will not resume negotiations unless the United States lifts what it calls an illegal blockade on Iranian vessels and ports.

Tehran has also reiterated that it will keep the strategic Strait of Hormuz closed to traffic as long as the blockade remains in place.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad on Friday, as the United States confirmed its envoys will travel to Pakistan for a new round of talks aimed at ending the conflict.

Araghchi is expected to hold key meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar during his visit, which officials say could pave the way for the second round of negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

According to the White House, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner will depart for Pakistan on Saturday to participate in the talks.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran had requested the in-person meeting following calls by President Donald Trump for dialogue.

“We’re hopeful that it will be a productive conversation and move the process forward towards a deal,” she said.

An American logistics and security team is already present in Islamabad ahead of the negotiations, signalling preparations for high-level engagement.

Araghchi began a trip that includes visits to Islamabad, Muscat and Moscow, Iranian state media confirmed.

“The purpose of this visit is to hold bilateral consultations and discuss current developments in the region, as well as the latest situation in the war imposed by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran,” the state news agency IRNA said.

The visit follows recent telephonic contacts between Araghchi and Pakistani leadership, including discussions with Ishaq Dar and Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, on the regional security landscape and ceasefire dynamics.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office said Dar underscored the importance of sustained dialogue to resolve outstanding issues, while Araghchi praised Islamabad’s “constructive facilitation role” in ongoing diplomatic efforts.

The renewed diplomatic activity comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East and lingering uncertainty over the fragile ceasefire, with Pakistan emerging as a key intermediary in efforts to bring both sides back to the negotiating table.

The Israeli military said its forces killed six Hezbollah fighters in a southern Lebanese town on Friday during a clash that included a firefight.

According to the military, troops identified six militants operating in the town of Bint Jbeil, an area that saw heavy fighting before a ceasefire was declared last week.

“Following the identification, an exchange of fire began between the terrorists and the soldiers, during which the soldiers eliminated two terrorists,” the military said.

“Subsequently, the soldiers struck the structure from which the terrorists had been operating. In the strike, the four remaining terrorists were eliminated.”

The clash came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hezbollah was trying to “sabotage” efforts to secure peace with Lebanon following an extension of the ceasefire between the two sides.

“We have started a process to reach a historic peace between Israel and Lebanon, and it’s clear to us that Hezbollah is trying to sabotage this,” he said in his first remarks after a ceasefire with Lebanon was extended.

Switzerland said Friday it had begun sending staff back to Tehran and would gradually reopen its embassy, enabling it to continue as a facilitator for diplomatic contacts between Washington and Tehran.

For decades, neutral Switzerland has played a central role in maintaining basic diplomatic contacts between Iran and the United States.

But the country temporarily closed its embassy on March 11, days after the Middle East war erupted with the first US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

The Swiss foreign ministry said four staff had returned and insisted the channel of communication between the US and Iran had been kept open even while the mission was shut.

“The decision to gradually reopen the embassy was taken after a risk analysis and in consultation with Iran and the United States, whose interests Switzerland represents under its protecting power mandate,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Switzerland “is prepared to provide its good offices if the parties so wish and supports all diplomatic initiatives that contribute to de-escalation and a lasting peace”.

Switzerland has represented US interests in Iran since Washington broke off relations with the Middle Eastern country after the 1980 hostage crisis, which came a year after the Iranian revolution.

The Swiss embassy in Tehran handles all consular affairs between the United States and Iran, including passport requests, altering civil status and consular protection for US citizens in Iran.

Under the protecting power mandate, “Switzerland can either offer to act as a go-between on its own initiative or can fulfil this function at the request of the parties concerned, provided that all those involved agree”, the foreign ministry says on its website.

A ceasefire has been in place since April 8, but prospective peace talks between senior US and Iranian envoys in Pakistan are hanging in the balance.

Iran has all but closed the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for the war, while the US has imposed a blockade of its own on Iranian ports.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday held security talks with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in his second trip to the country in recent weeks.

Zelensky has brokered closer ties with several states in the Gulf amid the US-Israeli war with Iran, striking defence deals — including with Riyadh — to share Kyiv’s expertise in downing drones, gained through fending off over four years of Russian attacks.

Zelensky said on social media he had held a “very productive meeting with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia,” posting a photo of them meeting in an ornate wood-panelled room.

He said the countries were developing ties across three areas — “the export of Ukrainian security expertise and capabilities in air defense,” energy and food security.

During his visit last month, Zelensky said the two sides had “reached an important arrangement” on air defence.

The deal envisaged a decade-long deal on security cooperation, including establishing joint production lines, he said.

Kyiv has dispatched dozens of military specialists and drone interceptors to several countries in the region, where they were used to shoot down incoming Iranian drones.

It touts its anti-drone defences as the best in the world.

Saudi Arabia has maintained good relations with both Kyiv and Moscow, and has also hosted talks with US officials searching for an end to the Russian invasion.

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will head Saturday to Pakistan for a new round of talks with Iran on ending the war, the White House said.

“I can confirm Special Envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be off to Pakistan again tomorrow morning to engage in talks,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Friday.

“The Iranians reached out, as the president called on them to do, and asked for this in-person conversation,” she said.

“We’re hopeful that it will be a productive conversation and hopefully move the ball forward towards a deal.”

The talks would come more than two weeks after Vice President JD Vance held a first round of talks with Iranian representatives in Pakistan.

Vance was ready earlier this week to fly back out but put his trip on hold after Iran did not confirm participation.

Leavitt said that Vance remained ready to fly to Pakistan but will not for now.

“Everyone will be on standby to fly to Pakistan if necessary,” she said.

Witkoff, a Trump business associate turned globe-trotting negotiator, and Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, had been negotiating with Iran just before Israel and the United States launched attacks on February 28, leading Tehran to accuse them of deceit.

During the first round of talks in Pakistan, Vance said that Iran refused US demands on constraints on its contested nuclear program.

Trump has indefinitely extended a ceasefire, after earlier issuing genocidal threats to destroy all Iranian civilisation.

“The president always wants to give diplomacy a chance. It’s always his first option, and he’s willing to do that here again,” Leavitt said.

Iranian foreign minister arrives in Islamabad

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad on Friday for a new round of talks aimed at ending the conflict.

Araghchi is expected to hold key meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar during his visit, which officials say could pave the way for the second round of negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

An American logistics and security team is already present in Islamabad ahead of the negotiations, signalling preparations for high-level engagement.

Iranian state media said Araghchi’s regional tour also includes planned visits to Muscat and Moscow, focusing on bilateral consultations and the evolving situation following what Tehran has described as a US- and Israel-imposed conflict.

For nearly a week, Pakistan’s capital has been waiting for peace talks between the US and ​Iran to take place there, and although there is no sign the two sides will meet, large parts of the city ‌remain sealed off by authorities.

Key roads leading into Islamabad are shut down, and a strict security cordon envelops the administrative centre, the so-called “Red Zone”. In the adjacent “Blue Area”, cafes have run out of fruit, markets are deserted, and with no service at bus terminals, weekend commuters are struggling to get home.

Government officials say the measures are not ending any time soon and that ​they are ever ready for delegates, including US President Donald Trump, to show up at a moment’s notice.

“We have been told that the ​talks could be held any day,” one official said.

The current lockdown is the second in two weeks. Islamabad was first sealed off for talks between the US and Iranian delegations on April 11, which ended without a deal. The city briefly reopened, then locked down again as Pakistan waits to host a second round that has yet to materialise.

For residents, uncertainty has become the hardest part. Islamabad is a city of transients, where many residents work during ​the week and return to family homes at the weekend. Now, that pattern has been interrupted.

Rizwana Raees, 35, arrived at the intercity bus terminal on Thursday with a weekend bag, hoping to reach her hometown of Abbottabad for the first time in two weeks. The terminal was empty, no buses, no departures.

“Sometimes the government and media say that the delegations are ​coming, sometimes they say they aren’t,” she said after she called her family for help. “Nobody knows, and at this point, even if they come, no ​one will believe it till they see pictures and videos of them actually here.”

Ultimately, her brother managed to hire a shared ride through an online group to get her home.

Abdur Rehman ‌Irshad, a manager ⁠at the bus station, said the terminal had been shut for five to six days, cutting off more than 1,000 passengers each day. “People come here because it’s a popular station,” he said. “But they are sent back.”

In the lobby of an upscale Islamabad hotel, journalists who have descended on the city from around the world to report on the talks have settled into a limbo of their own. Camera crews remain poised. Equipment is ready. Phones are checked ​and rechecked.

But after a week of waiting, ​there is little to report.

“I don’t ⁠know how many times I’m going to have to request laundry,” said Fadi Mansour, Al Jazeera’s White House correspondent, who had flown in from Washington for what he thought would be a short trip. “We really don’t know where we’re headed.”

The ​disruption has also hit the city’s food supply. Saif-ur-Rehman Abbasi, 36, a fruit and vegetable seller, said trucks ​carrying produce had been ⁠held up for days outside the city’s sealed perimeter.

“You can’t have fruit and vegetables stuck in transport vehicles outside the city - they’re sensitive, they’re perishables,” he said. “We have rent to pay and a business to run.”

At a popular cafe in the Blue Area, the staff said they had run out of strawberries, and other ingredients were also ⁠in short supply.

The ​surrounding market was eerily quiet, with residents opting to avoid long detours around the closed-down Red ​Zone to get to the commercial area.

“When Islamabad opens up, Hormuz closes,” a waiter at the cafe said, referring to the Strait of Hormuz, a sticking point in the negotiations. “When Hormuz opens, Islamabad closes.”

As ​of Friday, both remained blocked, with no end in sight for either.

President Donald Trump said on Thursday the United States is in no rush to end the war with Iran but “the clock is ticking” for the Islamic Republic, as a third aircraft carrier arrived in the Middle East.

Iranian media reported blasts over the capital Tehran, a first since an increasingly tenuous ceasefire in the Middle East war came into effect two weeks ago.

It was not clear what caused the blasts, though an Israeli security source told AFP that their country was not currently striking Iran.

Prospective peace talks in Pakistan were hanging in the balance, meanwhile, with no sign of a return to diplomacy to end a standoff in the Strait of Hormuz.

Since Trump indefinitely extended a ceasefire in the Middle East war, the US and Iran have shifted their focus to Hormuz, a blockaded waterway through which a fifth of oil and liquefied natural gas exports ordinarily flow.

“I have all the time in the World, but Iran doesn’t — The clock is ticking!” Trump said on social media, adding that Iran’s military was destroyed and “their leaders are no longer with us, the Blockade is airtight and strong and, from there, it only gets worse.”

Trump had earlier ordered the US Navy to destroy any Iranian boat caught laying mines in Hormuz, which Iran has blockaded since the start of the war that spread across the region following a massive US-Israeli attack on the Islamic Republic.

‘Shoot and kill’

The USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier has arrived in the Middle East, the US military said Thursday, bringing the number of the massive American warships operating in the region to three.

A second carrier was operating in the Red Sea on Thursday, while a third is also in the region, according to social media posts by CENTCOM.

Iran’s state news agency IRNA said the “sound of air defence firing” was heard in western Tehran, while the Mehr news agency reported that air defence systems were activated in several parts of the capital to counter “hostile targets”.

Earlier, a US fleet had boarded a vessel in the Indian Ocean that was transporting oil from Iran and a senior Iranian official said Tehran had banked its first proceeds from the tolls it exacts on shipping through the strait.

Trump had said he “ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be… that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz”.

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz meanwhile said “we are awaiting a green light from the United States — first and foremost to complete the elimination of the Khamenei dynasty… and additionally to return Iran to the Dark Age and the Stone Age”.

Iran has vowed it would keep the strait closed to all but a trickle of approved vessels for as long as the US Navy blockades its ports, brushing off demands from Trump to both reopen Hormuz and surrender its enriched uranium.

The US responded to Iran’s action by imposing its own blockade of Iranian ports, and on Thursday, the Pentagon announced that US forces had “carried out a maritime interdiction and right-of-visit boarding of the sanctioned stateless vessel M/T Majestic X transporting oil from Iran, in the Indian Ocean”.

‘Not possible’

Deputy parliament speaker Hamidreza Hajibabaei said Iran received its first revenue from tolls it is imposing on ships seeking to cross Hormuz.

Analysts said Tehran believes its blockade gives it sufficient economic leverage to force Washington to back down on its main demands in peace talks.

Responding to remarks from Trump suggesting that Iranian leadership was “seriously fractured”, the Islamic Republic’s president, parliament speaker and chief justice all posted a nearly identical message on social media on Thursday.

“One God, one nation, one leader, and one path; that path being the path to the victory of our dearer-than-life Iran,” they all said.

Peace talks?

On Wednesday, Trump told the New York Post that talks could resume in Pakistan within two to three days, though no delegations were presently headed to Islamabad.

In the Pakistani capital, blanket security remained in place for the fourth straight day in anticipation of possible talks.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday said they forced two ships to the Iranian shore from the Strait of Hormuz.

The US military’s Central Command said its forces had so far “redirected 33 vessels since the start of the blockade against Iran”.

Defence minister Israel Katz said on Thursday that Israel was “prepared to resume the war against Iran”, adding that his country was awaiting a green light from the United States to return Iran to “the Stone Age”.

“The IDF is ready both defensively and offensively, and the targets have been marked,” Katz said in a video statement.

“We are awaiting a green light from the United States — first and foremost to complete the elimination of the Khamenei dynasty… and additionally to return Iran to the Dark Age and the Stone Age by destroying key energy and electricity facilities and dismantling its national economic infrastructure,” he added.

The opening US-Israel attack of the war on February 28 killed Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, whose son later succeeded him but has yet to appear in public, creating speculation over his condition and if he is still alive.

“This time, when the attack resumes, it will be different and lethal, adding devastating blows at the most sensitive points — following the tremendous strikes the Iranian terror regime has already sustained — that will shake and bring down its foundations,” Katz said.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced an indefinite extension of the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, which came into effect on April 8, to create space for talks with Tehran.

Plans for renewed negotiations in Pakistan hang in the balance.

The Middle East war has engulfed the region, leaving several thousand people dead, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, and continuing to destabilise the global economy.