Iran and the US could still reach a peace agreement as long as the “American government abandons its totalitarianism,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has stated.
His remark on X came hours after US President Donald Trump declared that the US Navy would immediately begin a “blockade” of the Strait of Hormuz, following talks in Islamabad that ended in an impasse. He accused Tehran of extortion, referring to the fees charged to vessels seeking to traverse the strategically vital waterway.
“I have also instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran,” the US president stated on Truth Social, threatening not to deny “safe passage” to ships that have complied with Iranian requirements.
According to Trump, the US Navy will also begin a minesweeping operation in the strategically important waterway, threatening to destroy vessels obstructing the effort. Tehran, for its part, has insisted that any attempts by enemy warships to operate in the strait will be met with force.
The US president also claimed that a number of other countries would take part in the US-imposed blockade of the strait. Meanwhile, British media, citing a government representative, have reported that the UK, a key NATO ally, will not take part in the operation.
US Vice President J.D. Vance, who led the US delegation during the failed Islamabad negotiations, said on Sunday that Iran had “chosen not to accept our terms.”
A source close to the Iranian delegation told Fars that Washington was “looking for an excuse” to walk away, adding that Tehran refused the US conditions on the Strait of Hormuz, peaceful nuclear energy, and other core issues, and added that Iran has no plans for further talks.
Commenting on the failed talks in Islamabad, Trump claimed that the Iranian negotiators “were very unyielding” on uranium enrichment, the “single most important issue” to the US.
Key developments:
US Vice President J.D. Vance, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and the rest of the US negotiating team have left Pakistan, according to media reports.
The IDF has been instructed to assume a “heightened state of readiness” in anticipation of a resumption of the hostilities, Israeli media reports.
- Trump has said he ordered the US Navy to remove Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM earlier announced that the US Navy destroyers USS Frank E. Petersen and USS Michael Murphy crossed the waterway and operated in the Arabian Gulf as part of the mission.
Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari has denied US claims of a minesweeping operation in Hormuz, insisting that any vessel seeking to pass through the key waterway requires permission from the Iranian armed forces.
Follow our live coverage below for continuous updates. You can also read our previous updates here.
12 April 2026
Americans should “enjoy the current pump figures” as fuel prices are set to rise, Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has warned.
“With the so-called ‘blockade’, soon you’ll be nostalgic for $4–$5 gas,” he wrote on X.
Iran's Fars News Agency has published a photo of what it claims to be ships awaiting Iran’s permission to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. It comes hours after US President Donald Trump announced a naval blockade of the strategically important waterway, and threatened to deny “safe passage” to vessels that have paid Tehran a fee to traverse the strait.
Trump’s approach to global politics is “not workable” and reflects a “desperate” strategy, Nelson Wong, Valdai Club Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Centre for International Studies has told RT.
He criticized Washington’s confrontational stance, noting that “you cannot do things like either my way or hit the highway,” and stressed that international relations require “coexistence” and respect for other countries.
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has accused the Israeli military of ramming its vehicles with a tank on two occasions on Sunday. One of the vehicles sustained “significant damage,” according to the statement. Over the past week, IDF troops have also fired “warning shots” at “clearly identifiable UNIFIL vehicles,” which also resulted in material damage, the UN peacekeeping force said.
On top of that, since the start of the month, “Israeli soldiers have also destroyed force protection cameras in UNIFIL’s Naqoura headquarters and five other positions on the Blue Line from Ras Naqoura to Maroun ar Ras,” according to UNIFIL.
The statement warned that these actions constitute a violation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1701 as “they hinder peacekeepers’ ability to report violations by both sides on the ground,” while putting UN personnel at risk.
“Peacekeepers will remain in position and will continue to impartially report violations,” UNIFIL stated.
An agreement between Iran and the US could still be reached “if the American government abandons its totalitarianism and respects the rights of the Iranian nation,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said in an X post.
Iranian warships are monitoring “all movements” by the US military in the region, the commander of the Iranian Navy, Amir Irani, has said, according to local media. He dismissed Trump’s threat to impose a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz as “laughable.”
Trump’s latest threats “have no effect on the Iranian nation,” Iran’s parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said upon returning from Islamabad, as quoted by local media.
“We have proven that this is not a slogan… that we do not surrender to threats,” he said.
“If you fight, we will fight, and if you come with logic, we will respond with logic,” Ghalibaf stated, vowing that Iranian forces will teach the US an “even bigger lesson… if they test our will again.”
The senior lawmaker also said there is a decades-old “wall of distrust” between Tehran and Washington, which has only deepened following two US attacks on Iran within a year.
“So, they are the ones who must earn our trust,” Ghalibaf stressed.
Last June, the US and Israel carried out a wave of strikes on Iran targeting its nuclear facilities, in what became known as the Twelve-Day War.
The UK will not take part in the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which President Trump declared earlier on Sunday, British media reports, citing an unnamed UK government spokesperson.
“We are urgently working with France and other partners to put together a wide coalition to protect freedom of navigation,” the official reportedly stated, without elaborating.
During the failed talks in Islamabad, the US delegation doubled down on demands that Tehran end all uranium enrichment, dismantle major nuclear enrichment facilities, and surrender its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, the Times of Israel reports, citing an unnamed US official.
Washington’s ‘red lines’ also reportedly included the cessation of alleged support for militant groups operating across the Middle East by Tehran, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen. The US negotiators also demanded that the Islamic Republic fully open the Strait of Hormuz and stop charging vessels passing through it a fee, according to the report.
An Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon has killed an infant girl during the funeral of her father, who had been killed in a separate Israeli strike days earlier, Iran’s Press TV reports.
The girl’s grandfather, Nasser Saeed, said the family had “gone to the casket to read the prayers and walk home… [when] suddenly we felt like a storm was landing right on us.”
He added that the strike occurred while a ceasefire between Iran and the US was still in force, according to Press TV.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have inspected IDF troops in southern Lebanon amid the ongoing operation against Hezbollah militants.
“We have thwarted the threat of invasion from Lebanon by moving within this security zone… but there is more work to do,” Netanyahu stated.
He went on to claim that the Israeli military has “essentially changed the face of the Middle East,” with Iran and armed groups it allegedly supports now “fighting for their survival.”
Iran began restoring nearly all oil infrastructure damaged in US-Israeli strikes shortly after the attacks, Mohammad Sadeq Azimifar, CEO of the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC), has told the SNN media outlet.
He said the facilities include an oil refinery on Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf, which was hit after the two-week ceasefire between Tehran and Washington was declared last week.
“A multi-phase restoration plan was immediately drafted to bring the refinery back online as quickly as possible, despite the extent of the damage,” Azimifar said.
According to the NIORDC CEO, part of the Lavan refinery is expected to be restored within ten days, with other units to follow shortly.
Tehran has characterized the US and Israeli attacks on critical civilian infrastructure as a “flagrant violation” of international law.
“Any military vessels attempting to approach the Strait of Hormuz under any pretext or excuse will be considered a violation of the ceasefire and will be dealt with harshly and decisively,” a spokesperson for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned.
The IRGC representative added that “contrary to the false claims of some enemy officials, the Strait of Hormuz is under intelligent control and management [of Tehran’s forces], open for the safe passage of non-military vessels under specific regulations.”
Iran “stands firm” on its right to exercise authority in the Strait of Hormuz and to seek compensation from the US and Israel for the damage caused during the war, First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref has said on X.
On Sunday, Trump declared that the US Navy would impose a blockade on the strategically important waterway and begin a minesweeping operation.
The bodies of 3,375 people killed during the US-Israeli war on Iran have been identified, the head of Iran’s Forensic Medicine Organization, Abbas Masjedi Arani, has said, according to media reports.
At least 258 women and 221 children were among the victims, Iranian media reported, citing the head of the country’s Emergency Organization, Majid Miadfar. Authorities say nearly 5,000 women and more than 2,000 minors under 18 have been injured since early February.
Miadfar said the highest number of casualties was recorded in Tehran province, as well as in Khuzestan, Lorestan, Kermanshah, Ilam, and Isfahan.
He also accused the US and Israeli militaries of repeatedly targeting Iranian medical personnel and ambulances, saying 26 paramedics were killed and 118 injured.
Trump’s plan to impose a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz is “brazenly illegal” and amounts to the US “threatening the global economy,” journalist Sam Husseini, who writes at husseini.substack.com, has told RT.
“He is saying that we will prevent anyone from going through the Straits of Hormuz… on the other side of the planet,” Husseini said, adding that Washington is effectively moving to block ships worldwide over Iran’s actions.
The move reflects a “hyper ramped up empire posture” by the US, he argued, warning that it could have far-reaching global consequences.
The war against Iran has so far cost Israel around $11.5 billion, the Times of Israel reports, citing an initial estimate by the Finance Ministry. According to the publication, aside from the direct military expenditure on the IDF and national security, Israel has incurred a considerable loss of GDP as a result of the conflict.
Additionally, the Israeli government has had to shell out considerable sums of money in the form of compensation for missile damage and lost business, as well as the operational costs related to national medical and emergency services.
Democratic Senator Mark Warner, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has expressed skepticism over Trump’s order to impose a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.
“I don’t understand how blockading the strait is somehow going to push the Iranians into opening it,” he told CNN. Warner also claimed, citing US intelligence, that Iran’s current leadership is “even more radical” than its predecessors, who were killed in US-Israeli strikes at the start of the conflict in late February.
Speaking to Fox News, Trump has claimed that “it won’t take long to clean [the Strait of Hormuz] out,” and that other nations will be able to use the waterway “in not too long a distance.” He added that he expected “numerous” countries to contribute to the effort.
Trump also criticized NATO, saying he was “very disappointed… that they didn’t come.”
“We’re putting on a complete blockade, we’re not gonna let Iran make money on selling oil to people that they like,” he reiterated. According to Trump the operation in the Strait of Hormuz will be similar to “what we did with Venezuela… but at a higher level.”
He also predicted that Iran would “come back [to the negotiating table and]... give us everything we want.”
“I want everything, I don’t want 90%, I don’t want 95%,” the US president proclaimed.
Iranian media has published a video purportedly showing several civilian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz after US President Donald Trump declared a naval blockade of the strategically important waterway earlier on Sunday.
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has instructed the Israeli military to assume a “heightened state of readiness” in preparation for a resumption of the conflict with Iran, the Ynet media outlet reports, citing anonymous military officials.
In a separate post, Trump has demanded that Iran “begin the process of getting this INTERNATIONAL WATERWAY OPEN AND FAST!” He also claimed that Iranian negotiators “were very unyielding” on uranium enrichment during the failed talks in Islamabad.
“IRAN IS UNWILLING TO GIVE UP ITS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS!” Trump wrote, describing it as the “single most important issue.” This outweighed all the other concessions that Tehran allegedly offered to Washington during the negotiations, the US president concluded.
“Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump has announced on Truth Social. He added that “other Countries will be involved with this Blockade,” accusing Tehran of extortion by way of charging vessels seeking to traverse the strategically important waterway a fee for safe passage.
“I have also instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran. No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas,” Trump proclaimed. He also stated that the US Navy will start destroying Iranian mines in the strait and said that Iranian forces attempting to obstruct the effort “will be BLOWN TO HELL!”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed gratitude for Moscow’s “principled stance aimed at deescalating the situation” during a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sunday, according to the Kremlin.
Putin emphasized that Russia is ready to continue contributing to a political and diplomatic resolution of the conflict and to engage in mediation efforts aimed at “establishing a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.”
Russia will maintain “active contact with all the partners in the region” to achieve this objective, Putin said.
Pezeshkian also thanked Moscow for providing humanitarian aid to Iran.
A plane carrying US Vice President J.D. Vance touched down for refueling at Ramstein Air Base in Germany just before 11:00 AM GMT on its way back to the US, CBS News reports. According to the outlet, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and the technical team have also departed Islamabad.
Speaking to reporters in the Pakistani capital on Sunday morning, Vance confirmed that the US negotiators were heading home with no additional round of talks expected. “We go back to the United States having not come to an agreement.”
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner remain in Islamabad “to continue talks,” according to Al Arabiya.
Conservative American journalist Tucker Carlson has called Trump a “slave” to Israel, suggesting that the war against Iran was based on “fantasy.”
“The United States went to war in Iran in order to effect regime change, to throw out the people who run the country and collapse it, at the behest and then the demand of Israel,” he told the BBC, adding that he thinks Trump immediately recognized his mistake after falling for Israel’s ploy.
Asked about his feelings for Trump, who he once supported, Carlson said he “feels sorry for him, as I do for all slaves.” He added that he does not think “it’s as simple as he’s under the control of Netanyahu, but you could summarize it that way, and you wouldn’t be totally inaccurate.”
The Israeli and US leadership had different timelines in mind when launching the war on Iran in late February. Trump sought a relatively short campaign, while Netanyahu was counting on a prolonged conflict, former Israeli Interim President Avraham Burg has told Going Underground host Afshin Rattansi.
Trump wanted to avoid the war having an “impact on the [US] midterm elections,” meaning it “should’ve been a very short exercise,” Burg said. Netanyahu, facing elections by October 27, instead needed to extend the conflict, as Israelis “usually rally around the flag” during wartime.
However, Netanyahu’s gamble seems to have backfired, Burg argued, saying that the prime minister “did not profit a thing politically” from the campaign against Iran. Burg predicted that the “next elections will show that the Israelis are fed up with both his manipulation [and] his tricks.”
“That’s, if you ask me, the very last couple of months of his [time in office],” he added.
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led Tehran’s delegation at the Islamabad talks, said that the US failed to earn the country’s trust despite “Iran’s goodwill and constructive proposals.”
“Iran’s delegation presented forward-looking initiatives, yet the other side ultimately could not build confidence,” he said, as cited by Press TV, adding that the US now understands Tehran’s principles and now has to decide how to gain its trust.
Former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif explained the failure of the talks by a quote from Vance, who earlier said, “they have chosen not to accept our terms.”
“Bingo. No negotiations – at least with Iran – will succeed based on ‘our/your terms’. The US must learn: you can’t dictate terms to Iran,” he said, adding that “it’s not too late to learn.”
Passage through the Strait of Hormuz appears to be far from guaranteed, with two empty supertankers, including the Iraq-bound Agios Fanourios I and Pakistani-flagged Shalamar, making U-turns after attempting to cross the chokepoint.
Later, however, the Shalamar once again headed through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the VesselFinder website.
A third tanker, the Liberian-flagged Mombasa A, sailed through while keeping closer to the Iranian coast.
The Saudi Energy Ministry has announced that energy facilities and the East-West pipeline damaged by Iranian attacks have recovered and restored operational capacity.
The Iranian authorities claim they have arrested 50 “mercenaries and affiliated elements who cooperated with the enemy,” accusing them of disclosing data on sensitive locations and “facilitating enemy military actions and targeting.”
The Israeli strike on the Lebanese town of Qana has led to significant destruction in the residential area, according to footage circulating on social media.
The Israeli State Prosecutor’s Office has accepted Netanyahu’s request to cancel his testimony in his corruption trial this week, adding that the decision on whether to hold a hearing next week will be made separately.
Netanyahu’s legal team previously asked for a postponement “due to classified security and diplomatic reasons.”
At least five people were killed and several others wounded in the town of Qana in southern Lebanon amid continued Israeli strikes, National News Agency reports, citing local officials.
Iranian media has shared footage of what appears to be the country’s delegation leaving Islamabad after the talks.
Trump has reposted an article titled ‘The Trump card the president holds if Iran won’t bend: a naval blockade’ on Truth Social. The piece suggests avoiding military action against Iran to embrace a “successful blockade strategy to choke an already teetering Iranian economy,” drawing a comparison to US pressure on Venezuela several months ago.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has expressed frustration over the results of the US-Iran talks and urged the sides to uphold the ceasefire.
“It is disappointing that the Islamabad talks between the United States and Iran have ended without agreement,” she said, adding that “the priority now must be to continue the ceasefire and return to negotiations.”
“Any escalation in the conflict would impose an even greater human cost and further impact the global economy.”
The failure of the Islamabad talks to produce a swift deal was not surprising, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said, stressing that the negotiations took place after 40 days of US-Israeli war and in an atmosphere of deep “mistrust and suspicion.”
“It is natural that we should not have expected from the beginning to reach an agreement within one meeting,” Baghaei said. “No one expected that either.”
Baghaei said Iran and the US had “reached an understanding on a number of issues” but still had “differences of opinion on 2-3 important” matters. He also repeated Tehran’s broader position that any progress depends on the other side showing “seriousness and good faith” and accepting Iran’s legitimate rights and interests.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the latest round of talks with the US produced some progress on several issues, but ultimately ended without an agreement because differences remained on “two or three key points”. According to remarks carried by Press TV, Baghaei said Iran would continue to rely on its own means to defend national interests despite the diplomatic effort.
He also said this round of negotiations expanded beyond the usual agenda, with the Strait of Hormuz and broader regional issues added to the discussions. Baghaei added that Iran would continue consultations with Pakistan and other regional allies after the talks.
Pakistan has urged the parties to remain committed to the ceasefire after the collapse of the latest round of talks in Islamabad, while pledging to continue facilitating contact between Tehran and Washington. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said all sides should keep honoring the truce, as Islamabad tries to preserve the diplomatic track.
While Iran’s negotiators have not spoken publicly since the talks ended, state-linked media is pushing a clear line: the US came to Islamabad asking for what it could not win on the battlefield.
A source close to the Iranian delegation told Fars that Washington was “looking for an excuse” to walk away and demanded “through negotiation everything they couldn’t obtain during war.” The source said Tehran refused US conditions on the Strait of Hormuz, peaceful nuclear energy and other core issues, and added that Iran has “no plans” for a next round of talks.
JD Vance is now on his way back to Washington after the failed US-Iran talks in Islamabad. The White House press pool said the vice president boarded Air Force Two at 7.08am local time, with the aircraft departing Pakistan shortly afterwards and bringing the marathon diplomatic push to a close.
Iranian state media says the Islamabad negotiations collapsed because of what it described as “unreasonable” American demands, offering Tehran’s clearest public explanation yet for why the marathon talks ended without a deal.
“The Iranian delegation negotiated continuously and intensively for 21 hours in order to protect the national interests of the Iranian people; despite various initiatives from the Iranian delegation, the unreasonable demands of the American side prevented the progress of the negotiations. Thus the negotiations ended,” IRIB said on Telegram.
Vance’s post-talks appearance was strikingly brief. Speaking at a podium in front of two American flags, with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner beside him, the vice president talked for about a minute, took three questions, and ended the event after just over three minutes without taking anything further.
Vance said Washington's delegation was leaving the talks with what he described as its final proposal to Tehran.
“We were negotiating in good faith,” he said. “And we leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We’ll see if the Iranians accept.”
Vice President J.D. Vance said his delegation remained in close contact with President Donald Trump and the wider national security team throughout the 21 hours of negotiations with Iran, portraying the talks as tightly coordinated from the top levels of the administration.
“Yeah, obviously we were talking to the president consistently. I don’t know how many times we talked to him, a half dozen times, a dozen times over the past 21 hours,” Vance said. He added that the US team was also in regular contact with “Admiral Cooper, Pete, Marco, the entire national security team” and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Pressed by CNN on which terms Tehran had rejected, Vance declined to spell out the full list in public.
“Well, I won’t go into all the details because I don’t want to negotiate in public after we’ve negotiated for 21 hours in private,” he said.
He then pointed to the core US demand: “We need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon.” Vance added: “We haven’t seen that yet. We hope that we will.”
Vice President J.D. Vance said the latest US-Iran talks ended without an agreement after 21 hours of what he called “substantive discussions”, marking the clearest public acknowledgement yet that the marathon Islamabad negotiations failed to produce a breakthrough.
“The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement,” Vance told reporters. “So we go back to the United States having not come to an agreement.”
He added that Washington had made its “red lines” and possible areas of accommodation “as clear as we possibly could”, but said Iran had “chosen not to accept our terms”.
Any breakthrough in Islamabad talks would depend on Washington showing seriousness, good faith and a willingness to respect what he called Iran’s legitimate rights and interests, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei added.
“The success of this diplomatic process depends on the seriousness and good faith of the other side, refraining from excessive demands and unlawful requests, and accepting Iran’s rightful rights and legitimate interests,” he said. Baqaei also said Iran had not forgotten past US “bad faith” and would continue using diplomacy alongside other tools to protect national interests.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry offered one of the clearest official breakdowns yet of the agenda under discussion in Islamabad, with spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei saying the past 24 hours of negotiations had covered several of the main disputes between Tehran and Washington.
“Over the past 24 hours, different dimensions of the main topics of the negotiation have been discussed, including the Strait of Hormuz, the nuclear issue, war compensation, sanctions relief, and the complete end of the war against Iran and in the region,” he said.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei described Saturday as a “long and busy day” for the delegation in Islamabad, saying the Pakistan-mediated talks had produced “multiple messages and texts” between the two sides.
In a statement posted on X, Baqaei said Iranian negotiators were drawing on “all their ability, experience and knowledge” to safeguard the country’s rights and interests, adding that the losses suffered during the war had only hardened Tehran’s resolve.
A Pakistani official told AFP that the talks in Islamabad were moving in “the right direction,” as negotiators pushed on with another round of discussions.
“I can say that discussions are moving positively and the overall atmosphere is cordial,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
11 April 2026
The White House said the US talks with Iran are still ongoing, with a senior official telling the press pool: “15 hours and counting!”
The Iranian government said the Pakistan-mediated talks would resume for another round after a pause on Sunday, “at Pakistan’s proposal and with the agreement of the Iranian and US negotiating teams,” according to a statement posted on social media.
Iran’s government said the Pakistan-mediated talks with the US ended after 14 hours on Saturday, with technical teams from both sides now exchanging expert texts and negotiations set to continue despite remaining differences.
Press TV said the talks have been extended by one more day as the process moves into a more detailed drafting phase.
The head of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Committee, Ebrahim Azizi, told RT that Iran’s parliament was preparing legislation that would allow Tehran to impose a new control and toll regime in the Strait of Hormuz, linking access through the waterway to compensation for countries that have, in Iran’s view, harmed the Islamic Republic.
“The law we are preparing and which, God willing, will soon be presented and approved in parliament, stipulates that those who have caused us damage, those who are in fact liable to pay compensation, may only cross this waterway if they pay their damages and compensation,” he said. “You made a great mistake by blocking [our assets]. Now you also want to cross this waterway? That era is over.”
Azizi said the proposed system would be based on “environmental safety, security, and services,” adding: “It is crucial to include in the legislation that, from the date this law takes effect, the government must establish a management and control system for the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. Any vessel wishing to enter based on the national interests [of Iran] must then pay tolls.”
Speaking to RT in Tehran, Azizi also cast doubt on whether the US and Israel would stick to any agreement, despite aknowledging that one key Iranian demand – a ceasefire in Lebanon – had been met before talks began.
“Did this precondition materialize before the negotiations? Yes,” he said. “So will the Americans refrain from violating it after this, whether now or in later stages? The American president and the Zionist regime are not actually trustworthy.”
Azizi added that if the talks concluded within the agreed framework, “Iran and the Resistance Front, especially Hezbollah, will not tolerate any deviations or mistakes. And we will not hesitate to take decisive action against anything that violates what we have agreed upon.”
In an exclusive interview with RT recorded in Tehran at the height of the Islamabad negotiations, Ebrahim Azizi, the head of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Committee, said Iran was under no pressure to make concessions and argued that Washington had more to lose if the process failed.
“Americans need this agreement more than we do,” Azizi said. “When they need it, they should accept both the conditions and the prerequisites. If they don’t, we’ll do our work and go our own way, nothing will change.”
Azizi added that some Iranians were angry their leadership had entered negotiations at all, saying many believed Tehran should have “punished the Zionist regime and America even more.”
President Donald Trump struck a triumphant tone on Saturday as the "very deep negotiations" with Iran continued into the third round, saying the US had already secured victory whether or not a deal is reached.
“We win regardless of what happens,” Trump told reporters outside the White House. “Maybe they make a deal, maybe they don’t.”
Trump claimed the US was moving to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. “We have minesweepers out there. We’re sweeping the strait,” he said, while reiterating that US forces had “defeated” Iran’s navy and air force.
President Donald Trump warned that China would face “big problems” if it sent weapons to Iran, after being asked about anonymously sourced reports alleging possible Chinese arms deliveries to Tehran.
“If China does that, China is gonna have big problems, ok?” Trump said when CNN reporter Betsy Klein asked him about the network’s own allegations, which are attributed to three anonymous sources but are not backed by public evidence from US officials.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington said Beijing had “never provided weapons to any party to the conflict” and that “the information in question is untrue”.
“We urge the US side to refrain from making baseless allegations, maliciously drawing connections, and engaging in sensationalism,” a spokesperson told CNN.
Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari has denied CENTCOM’s claim that two US Navy destroyers crossed the Strait of Hormuz.
Any vessel seeking to pass through the key waterway requires permission from the Iranian armed forces, he claimed.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry has described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “the Hitler of our time,” and accused him of aiming to tank the Iranian-US negotiations.
“Netanyahu’s current goal is to undermine ongoing peace talks and continue his expansionist policies in the region,” the ministry said in a statement. “Otherwise, he will face trial in his own country and likely be sentenced to imprisonment.”
Speaking in a video address earlier in the day, Netanyahu said that Israel has left Iran reeling after the recent hostilities, but said that “there is still more to do.”
A crowd of left-wing demonstrators has gathered in Tel Aviv to protest against the wars on Iran and Lebanon.
The rally was organized by Alon-Lee Green, member of the Jewish-Arab cooperation movement Standing Together, according to the Times of Israel.
Green claims that there are at least 10,000 participants, according to the news outlet
Unverified footage circulating on social media purportedly shows Israeli airstrikes on the southern Lebanese municipality of Al-Tiri, near the border.
A new round of Pakistan-mediated talks between Iran and the US has begun in Islamabad, Iranian media have reported.
Pope Leo XIV has condemned war in his prayer vigil for peace at St Peter's Basilica.
“Enough of the idolatry of self and money. Enough of the display of power. Enough of war. True strength is shown in serving life,” he said in his speech.
Turkish President Recep Erdogan has shown himself to be a “paper tiger,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has said.
Erdogan failed to “respond to missiles fired from Iran onto Turkish soil,” he wrote on X, adding that the president “is now resorting to antisemitism and announcing sham trials in Turkey against Israel’s political and military leadership.”
NATO air defenses intercepted several ballistic missiles bound for Türkiye during the US-Israeli war on Iran, which Ankara blamed on Tehran. Iran has denied the attempted strikes, suggesting they may have been false-flag operations.
The US team’s “unreasonable demands” are hindering the possibility of a peace framework, Tehran University Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi, who is present at the scene of the talks, has said.
“The Iranian team insists on its demands and conditions to solidify the military achievements it has gained,” he wrote on X, citing a source close to the negotiations. “There may be another round of negotiations tonight or tomorrow, aimed at making a final effort to reach an acceptable framework.”
It is now past midnight in Islamabad, and there has been no news about the talks wrapping up.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has hinted that the war on Iran is not over.
“Iran tried to encircle us with a stranglehold – Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Assad regime in Syria, militias in Iraq, the Houthis in Yemen, and Iran itself,” he claimed in a video address.
“We have struck them, and there is still more to do, which I will detail shortly. But I want to begin with Iran itself.”
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam says that he has postponed a trip to the US due to the nation’s internal circumstances and in order to “fulfill his duty in safeguarding the security of the Lebanese people and their unity.”
This comes as hundreds of Hezbollah supporters picket outside his office building in Beirut, protesting the government’s upcoming talks with Israel. The IDF has continued attacks on southern Lebanon even as it has paused the bombing of the nation's capital.
The trilateral direct talks between Iran, the US and Pakistan are ongoing as of 10:32 pm Islamabad time, a White House official has confirmed to the media.
At least five people have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on the town of Teffahta in southern Lebanon, Lebanese state news NNA has reported.
A paramedic was also injured in a follow-up attack “while approaching the site of the first strike,” it said. “Enemy drones continue to fly over the town.”
The Iran-US talks have hit a “stalemate” over the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times has reported, citing sources familiar with the discussions.
Tehran has insisted that it controls the key freight corridor and could charge a toll, and refused options for “joint control,” despite high-level face-to-face talks between Ghalibaf and Vance, the news outlet claimed.
Technical discussions will continue into Saturday night, it added.
Talks between the Iranian and US delegations in Islamabad have resumed after a break, the Associated Press has reported, citing anonymous Pakistani officials. Both sides are reportedly backed by technical experts.
Pakistan’s leaders are encouraging both sides to resolve their differences and settle for a durable peace, AP cited its sources as saying.
The Iranian and US delegations have switched to exchanging written text following hours of talks, Iran’s PressTV has reported.
The toll from Israeli strikes in Lebanon since March 2 has risen to 2,020 dead and 6,436 wounded, the Lebanese Health Ministry has reported.
The seemingly conflicting US and Iranian claims about the passage of American Navy ships through the Strait of Hormuz are “sort of consistent,” Tehran University Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi told RT from the negotiations venue in Islamabad.
“The Americans have been saying that the ship moved back and forth, but I think that sort of is consistent with what the Iranians are saying,” he said.
“The Americans didn’t want it to be seen as a form of retreat. But from what the Iranians have been saying, it’s clear that the Americans had to pull back.”
The US military has begun preparations for a mine-clearing operation in the Strait of Hormuz, CENTCOM has said in a statement.
The US Navy destroyers USS Frank E. Petersen and USS Michael Murphy crossed the strait and operated in the Arabian Gulf as part of the mission, it added.
“Today, we began the process of establishing a new passage, and we will share this safe pathway with the maritime industry soon to encourage the free flow of commerce,” CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper said.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency claimed earlier that a US Navy vessel had turned back after Iranian negotiators warned it would be fired upon and that talks could be affected. No traffic is currently passing through the strait, it said, citing its correspondent on the scene.
The Iranian delegation will staunchly guard Iran’s interests in the talks with Washington’s negotiators in Pakistan, President Massoud Pezeshkian has said.
The IDF has released graphic footage of what it says was a strike on two Hezbollah members in southern Lebanon.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said he spoke with his Iranian counterpart, Massoud Pezeshkian, urging him to “seize the opportunity presented by the talks launched in Islamabad.”
“I emphasized the need for Iran to swiftly restore freedom and security of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” Macron wrote on X, stressing the importance of “fully respecting the ceasefire, including in Lebanon.”
Israel has continued strikes on Hezbollah in southern Lebanon despite halting attacks on Beirut, where more than 300 people were killed earlier this week, according to local authorities.
Washington is prepared to “reset” if the US-Iranian talks do not go well, Trump told NewsNation in a short phone interview, adding that the Strait of Hormuz will open in the “not too distant future.”
If the negotiations fail, “we’re ready to go,” he reportedly said.
Trump rails against the media in another social media post, insisting that the US “destroyed” Iran’s military “and everything else.”
“Their Leadership is DEAD! The Strait of Hormuz will soon be open, and the empty ships are rushing to the United States to “load up.” But, if you listen to the Fake News, we’re losing!” he says in a Truth Social post.
The Iranian delegation is meeting the US negotiators “with great suspicion,” given past American actions during talks, Tehran University Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi has told RT from the venue in Islamabad.
“We have a very dark past with the US. As everyone knows, we negotiated last year and, as we were negotiating, the US secretly conspired to attack the country,” he said.
“If the Americans fail to abide by their commitments, then there’s no point in continuing the negotiations.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei has accused US policymakers and media figures of normalizing “terror.”
“While US authorities accuse Iran of lacking ‘good faith’ and engaging in ‘extortion,’ elements within the US policy and media space are outright recommending the assassination of Iranian negotiators in the event that negotiations fail,” he said.
Hundreds of Hezbollah supporters have gathered outside the prime minister’s headquarters in Beirut to protest the government’s decision to enter talks with Israel, according to footage provided by RT’s correspondent in Lebanon.
Israel has stressed that it would not negotiate with Hezbollah, and continued strikes on the group.
A large-scale Israeli bombing of the Lebanese capital killed more than 300 people on Wednesday.
The Iranian, US, and Pakistani delegations are holding face-to-face meetings, AP reports, citing the White House.
Iran has the upper hand in the negotiations, Deputy Minister of Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi has said in a video interview in Islamabad.
“Americans have not achieved their strategic goals and have suffered major defeats so far,” he claimed, adding that Iran “will reach the desired results.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has published photographs of the Iranian delegation’s talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Israeli forces have struck more than 200 Hezbollah targets in the past day, the IDF has said, adding that it is continuing to strike the group’s launchers in Lebanon.
A pause of attacks on Lebanon was one of Iran’s preconditions for negotiations with the US.
Just days before, a massive Israeli bombing of the Lebanese capital killed more than 300 people and injured more than 1,100.
An unnamed Iranian security official cited by Tasnim has dismissed an Axios report of a US Navy ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian news agency said that while there had been an incident involving an American destroyer moving from the UAE port of Fujairah towards the Strait of Hormuz, it was immediately checked by the Iranian military.
According to Tasnim, Iranian negotiators also told Pakistani mediators that “if the ship's movement continues, it will be targeted within 30 minutes and the negotiations between Iran and the United States will also be affected.”
The warning, it added, ultimately led to a halt order by the US.
US-Iran negotiations in Islamabad have moved to the level of technical experts, Press TV has reported.
Several US Navy ships have crossed the Strait of Hormuz, Axios journalist Barak Ravid has reported, citing an unnamed senior US official. He said that the move – the first since the start of the war – was not coordinated with Iran.
Trump once again took to Truth Social to claim that Iran is “LOSING, and LOSING BIG” as its military, including the navy, has been almost completely obliterated.
”The only thing they have going is the threat that a ship may “bunk” into one of their sea mines,” he said, adding that the US has already started mine sweeping operations as a favor to the global community, including China, Japan, South Korea, France, and Germany.
”Incredibly, they don’t have the Courage or Will to do this work themselves,” the president remarked.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said he's had a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which revolved around “the need to restore fully free and safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz as quickly as possible.”
Reiterating his support for the ceasefire, Macron noted that the two leaders “agreed to remain in close contact to contribute to de-escalation, freedom of navigation, and the conclusion of an agreement to ensure lasting peace and security in the region.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei has confirmed that the tentative ceasefire with the US is generally holding except for some incidents in the early hours of the truce.
“A few violations occurred, and our armed forces responded decisively, quickly, and with all their power, we have not received any reports indicating a serious violation of the ceasefire against the Islamic Republic of Iran since then,” he said.
He added that Tehran on Saturday detected what appeared to be preparations for a violation, but “a very quick and serious warning was issued, and the enemy quickly corrected its action.”
Negotiations between senior Iranian officials and their Pakistani counterparts have lasted for more than two hours, and Tehran’s “considerations, viewpoints, and demands, based on the ten‑point proposed package, were clearly conveyed to the Pakistani side,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei has said.
The US and Iran have started talks in Istanbul, according to several reports.
Tasnim News Agency noted that Iran believes that the ceasefire in Lebanon has not yet been fully implemented and is pushing the US to compel Israel to fulfill this commitment.
Iran will demand a toll payment from every ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz, Behnam Saeedi, the Secretary of National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament, has said, adding that the fee had to be paid in rials.
He also noted that in the documents submitted by shipping companies, “only one name will be accepted: the Persian Gulf.”
The official was referring to a proposition by Trump last year to rename the Persian Gulf as the “Arabian Gulf” or “Gulf of Arabia.”
Behnam Saeedi, Secretary of National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament, has reiterated that hostile ships are still not allowed to sail through the Strait of Hormuz, while singling out Israel in this regard.
“If we see a vessel belonging to the Zionist regime, we will not even ask for a permit; it will be seized immediately. If it does not comply with Iran’s necessary orders, it will be targeted and set on fire.”
Pictures on social media show the head of the Iranian delegation, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, wearing a pin with the faces of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, and late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Trump has said that “massive numbers of completely empty oil tankers” are now heading to the US “to load up with the best and ‘sweetest’ oil (and gas!) anywhere in the World” amid the Hormuz crisis.
What are the US conditions?
Prior to the talks, several US media outlets reported an initial 15-point plan, which included the following demands:
- Dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program
- Handing over highly enriched uranium to the IAEA
- Strict caps on Iran’s defense capabilities, including the ballistic missile program
- Halt in support for Tehran-aligned regional groups
- Keeping the Strait of Hormuz open
Iran reportedly rejected the roadmap, saying it would not allow the US to dictate terms.
What are Iran’s conditions?
Several days prior to the Islamabad talks, Iranian media shared a ten-point proposal that Trump described as a “workable basis” for negotiations. It includes, among other things:
- Non-aggression
- Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz
- Acceptance of uranium enrichment
- Lifting of all sanctions
- Payment of war damages
- Complete cessation of hostilities by the US and Israel, including in Lebanon
The US previously rejected almost all of the terms.
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has reiterated the call to end the Iran war, arguing that “Americans are paying the price for Trump’s idiocy every day” amid skyrocketing inflation.
On a lighter note, some Pakistani attendees in the media center were seen playing traditional instruments, including what appeared to be a daf drum, as well as the stringed rubab and sitar.
A US official cited by several media outlets has denied reports that America has agreed to unfreeze Iranian assets.
Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani has warned that Iran is pursuing negotiations “with our hands on the trigger,” stressing that the country “will neither retreat from its rights nor back down.”
Vance has held a bilateral meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the White House has said.
Mohammad Reza Aref, Iran’s first vice president, has suggested that it is entirely possible to strike a mutually beneficial deal with the US if it negotiates with representatives of ‘America First’.
“However, if we face representatives of ‘Israel First’, there will be no deal; we will inevitably continue our defense even more vigorously than before, and the world will face greater costs,” he warned.
Fars has released a photo of the Iranian negotiating team working in Islamabad.
The US has agreed to release Iranian frozen assets in Qatar and other foreign banks, Reuters has reported, citing a senior Iranian source, who welcomed the move as a sign of serious intention to reach a deal.
The source added that the step was “directly linked to ensuring safe passage through Strait of Hormuz,” which is to be discussed in the talks.
Iran’s $6 billion – which were frozen in South Korea in 2019 – was transferred to Qatar in September 2023 as part of a US-Iran prisoner swap for humanitarian use. However, following the Hamas October 7 attacks, Washington and Doha reportedly reached a “quiet understanding” to re-freeze the funds, keeping the assets locked in Qatari banks under US Treasury oversight.
You can READ MORE on the back-and forth around the Iranian assets here and here.
New Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is still reeling from “disfiguring” facial injuries, as well as a leg wound he suffered in US-Israeli strikes, Reuters reported, citing sources close to the cleric.
Khamenei, however, reportedly remains “mentally sharp” and is playing a role in the decision-making via audio conference on such key issues as diplomacy with Washington.
The Iranian delegation is now holding talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and after the meeting will decide on whether to negotiate with the US later in the day, according to Fars news agency.
US Vice President J.D. Vance has arrived at the Serena Hotel in Islamabad for talks with Pakistani and Iranian officials, according to the New York Times.
International journalists have gathered in a press center organized by the Pakistani authorities.
Some seats in the Iranian delegation’s plane were symbolically occupied by children who perished in the suspected US strike on a school in Minab, according to a video released by the Iranian Embassy in South Africa.
Former US National Security Adviser and Iran hawk John Bolton has suggested that Tehran “senses weakness” from the Trump administration and will push it for concessions.
He also criticized the White House for the makeup of the delegation, saying he would have put Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the helm.
“I think it’s a big mistake to send out the vice president to meet some unknown Iranian, maybe the speaker of their parliament. Vance is, by definition, the next thing below the president, and the stakes are made much higher by his presence,” he said.
Bolton also expressed discontent over reports that the delegation’s composition is to some extent formed based on Iranian officials’ preferences. “You don’t let your adversary pick who your negotiating team is… This is sort of basic.”
The US and Iranian delegations are expected to hold preliminary meetings with senior Pakistani officials, Al Hadath reports, adding that if the overall dialogue yields positive results, it could continue until Sunday or Monday.
The outlet said the talks will begin after 5 PM local time (12 PM GMT), and that the negotiations between the American and Iranian delegations could be held in three locations which are not hotels.
US negotiators in Islamabad intend to discuss the release of American citizens detained in Iran, the Washington Post reports, citing sources. It noted, however, that it is unclear how aggressively the US will push for this.
According to the newspaper, at least six Americans are believed to be in Iranian custody. Their advocates say they are hopeful that Iran will release them as a gesture of goodwill.
Iranian media has shared footage of an apparent Israeli strike in the Nabatieh District in southern Lebanon.
Vance has received the red carpet treatment in Islamabad, where he was welcomed by Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar and First Chief of Defense Forces Asim Munir.
Despite Trump’s claims that US-Israeli airstrikes have crippled Iran’s military, the country still has thousands of ballistic missiles that it could fire from launchers hidden in underground storage sites, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing intelligence assessments. It added that some US officials fear that Iran could use the lull in fighting to replenish its military capabilities.
Al Jazeera has shared new footage of an Iranian strike on Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar’s main site for LNG production. The attack took place in March, long before the current ceasefire.
The US delegation, headed by US Vice President J.D. Vance, has landed in Islamabad, Reuters reports, citing sources.
Vance has been instrumental in setting up US-Iran talks in Islamabad, CNN reports, citing a senior Pakistani source. The network suggested that the negotiations would take several days to secure the truce, and that Pakistani officials hope Vance will stay to help make that happen.
Sources in the Gulf nations also told CNN that the Iranians have little trust in US special envoy Steve Witkoff – who is also traveling to Islamabad – after talks with Witkoff collapsed shortly before the start of the war.
A Boeing C-32A, apparently carrying US Vice President J.D. Vance, is about to land at an Islamabad airport, after a seven-hour-long flight from Paris, according to FlightRadar 24.
Iran has been unable to meet the US demand to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to more shipping because it cannot locate all the mines it laid in the chokepoint, the New York Times reports, citing US officials. The report added that this could complicate talks in Pakistan.
The NYT noted that neither Iran nor the US has the required mine sweeping capability to fully neutralize the threat.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has yet to recover in any meaningful way despite the US-Iran ceasefire, with vessel movements still far below normal levels and operators waiting for clearer guarantees on how transit will work.
“Essentially, the ceasefire hasn’t materially changed much. We haven’t seen many ships transit the Strait of Hormuz since the ceasefire was announced. If anything, the volumes have gone down,” Richard Meade, editor-in-chief of Lloyd’s List, told Xinhua.
Meade said the shipping industry remains in wait-and-see mode, with Iran still exercising effective control over passage and the future rules for transit likely to become a central issue in the Islamabad talks.
Hundreds of vessels remain backed up in or around the Gulf, suggesting that even if traffic resumes soon, it could take weeks to clear the backlog. Only a handful of ships have passed through the strait since the ceasefire, far below the prewar norm of more than 100 a day.
Qatar has released new footage showing damage at Ras Laffan Industrial City after the Iranian missile strikes in March, with Al Jazeera airing images of blast sites and damaged infrastructure at the heart of the country’s LNG sector. The footage comes after Qatar’s foreign ministry said the attack caused “significant damage” at the facility.
QatarEnergy has said the strikes on March 18 and 19 caused “extensive damage” to production facilities at Ras Laffan that could take up to five years to repair, forcing long-term force majeure and cutting Qatar’s LNG export capacity by 17%. The company estimated the loss at about $20 billion a year in revenue.
The White House has warned staff against using non-public information about the Iran war to trade or place bets on financial markets, according to multiple reports earlier this week citing administration officials.
The reminder, reportedly sent in a March 24 email from the White House Management Office, came after unusual market activity before several Trump policy announcements on Iran.
Reports said more than $760 million in oil futures changed hands within minutes before Trump announced a five-day pause in planned strikes on Iranian infrastructure, while several Polymarket accounts also made well-timed bets on this week’s ceasefire.
Pakistan has opened a dedicated media center for journalists covering the US-Iran negotiations in Islamabad, with Information Minister Attaullah Tarar saying the facility offers high-speed internet and a range of free services for local and foreign reporters. According to AP, the facility at the Jinnah Convention Center includes workstations, laptops, charging points, live broadcast areas and spaces for press briefings and interviews.
The government has also introduced visa-on-arrival for journalists and official delegations travelling from the US and Iran for the so-called “Islamabad talks,” while shuttle services have been laid on between the media center and a hotel in the city.
The fragile ceasefire between Iran and the US appeared to be largely holding into Saturday, with no confirmed new Iranian missile or drone launches reported since Wednesday.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps previously said Iran’s armed forces had not carried out any airstrikes against other countries since the ceasefire began, while the Wall Street Journal said attacks on Gulf states appeared to have halted after a burst of launches around the truce announcement.
Over the course of the conflict, Iranian officials have denied responsibility for many reported attacks and, in some cases, framed such claims as provocations or “false flag” operations by the US and Israel designed to drag its regional neighbors into the war.
Iranian analyst Seyed Mohammad Marandi told RT India on Thursday that Israel could try to derail both the fragile ceasefire and the Islamabad talks, arguing that continued Israeli strikes on Lebanon show the US is not delivering on its side of the bargain.
Al Jazeera has aired exclusive footage showing damage across Qatar after Iranian strikes launched in response to the US-Israeli attack on Iran. The report, from the programme What Lies Hidden Is Greater, shows blast sites, debris and interception operations at and around Al Udeid air base, early-warning radar sites in northern Qatar, Ras Laffan industrial city and other roads, neighbourhoods and infrastructure.
Part of the footage appears to show damage to the AN/FPS-132 early-warning radar at Al Udeid after the Iranian strike on March 3, when Qatar said one Iranian missile hit the base without causing casualties. Neither Qatar nor the US has publicly confirmed the extent of any damage to the radar itself.
The economic fallout from the Middle East war will not end with a ceasefire, according to the heads of the World Bank and the IMF, who have both warned that the conflict is already dragging on growth, fuelling inflation and disrupting trade and energy markets.
World Bank President Ajay Banga told Reuters that even in a baseline scenario with an early end to the war, growth in emerging markets and developing economies could be lowered by 0.3 to 0.4 percentage point, while a longer conflict could cut growth by as much as 1 percentage point. Inflation in those economies could rise by 200 to 300 basis points in the baseline scenario, he said.
The IMF has struck a similar tone. Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the war would leave a lasting scar on the global economy even if peace is reached, warning that the conflict has already driven up oil and gas prices, damaged confidence and dimmed the outlook for many economies.
Israel has confirmed it will begin formal talks with Lebanon in Washington on Tuesday, but rejected the Lebanese framing that the meeting would include the discussion of a “ceasefire.”
Lebanese officials say the talks are meant to lay out both a ceasefire and a path to direct negotiations. Israel, by contrast, is insisting it will not discuss a ceasefire with Hezbollah and is instead focused on disarming the group and pursuing broader “peaceful relations.”
Israel's offensive in Lebanon since March 2 has killed 1,888 people and wounded 6,092 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. The April 8 bombardment alone involved “over 100 strikes within minutes,” leaving more than 300 dead and in excess of 1,100 injured.
Israel has reportedly agreed to halt strikes on Beirut at the request of the US, Haaretz said, citing an unnamed diplomatic source who claimed there were no longer “significant military targets” in the Lebanese capital. There has been no official Israeli confirmation.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf struck a deeply sceptical tone on arrival in Islamabad, saying Tehran was approaching the talks with “goodwill” but not trust after what he described as repeated American betrayal during earlier diplomatic efforts.
“Twice within less than a year, in the middle of negotiations, and despite the Iranian side’s good faith, they attacked us and committed numerous war crimes,” Ghalibaf said. “We have goodwill, but we do not have trust.”
He added that Tehran would only show readiness for an agreement if Washington was “ready for a genuine agreement and to grant the rights of the Iranian nation”.
Ghalibaf also warned the US against using the talks as what he called a “futile performance” or a “deception operation”, saying Iran was prepared to defend its interests by relying on its own capabilities if diplomacy again proved to be a cover for pressure or attack.
President Donald Trump said ahead of the Islamabad talks that Washington’s main demand from any deal with Tehran was simply that Iran not obtain a nuclear weapon – a generic objective the Islamic Republic has long denied pursuing, and one that had already dominated years of diplomacy before the latest war.
“No nuclear weapon. That’s 99% of it,” Trump said of his vision for a good deal, adding that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen “automatically” and “fairly soon” – “with or without” Iranian cooperation.
Trump’s remarks narrowed expectations for the talks to the same core nuclear issue that has shaped US-Iran negotiations for years, while also presenting the reopening of Hormuz as a win even though the crucial waterway had been functioning freely before the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.
The reported full list of Iran’s delegation for the Islamabad talks shows how high the stakes are for Tehran. The 71-member team is led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati, senior Supreme National Security Council figures, deputy foreign ministers, MPs and other senior officials, experts and media staff.
The composition of the team suggests Iran is preparing to negotiate on several tracks at once. Ali Bagheri Kani brings long experience from earlier nuclear talks, while hardline MP Mohammad Nabavian’s presence points to the need for any agreement to pass muster with conservative factions in Tehran. Hemmati’s inclusion also signals that sanctions relief and financial issues are likely to be central from the start.