The White House has announced that US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump\u2019s son-in-law, will return to Islamabad for direct talks with Iranian officials.
\nWhite House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the men would depart for the Pakistani capital on Saturday morning. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was also expected to travel to Islamabad.
\nSulaiman Hakemy reports from Islamabad:
\nIranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is preparing to travel to Islamabad with a small team on Friday, according to Pakistani sources.
\nThe visit is understood to be a pre-negotiation meeting that could pave the way for a new round of peace talks with the US and could mark a significant shift in Tehran’s approach to negotiations.
\nIslamabad has been in a state of readiness to host another round of talks since last weekend. Two hotels designated to host US and Iranian delegations stated on Friday that authorities had asked them to remain closed until at least Monday.
\nPakistani officials have also confirmed that the US military cargo planes that landed in Islamabad on Sunday with equipment and personnel to support a high-level visit remain at one of the city\u2019s airports.
\nThe Trump administration announced on Friday that it imposed sanctions on an independent “teapot” refinery in China for buying billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil, as Washington and Tehran head into another round of peace talks over the weekend.
\nThe Treasury Department targeted Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery, which it stated is one of Iran’s largest customers of crude oil and petroleum products.
\nThe department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said it also imposed sanctions on about 40 shipping companies and vessels that operate as part of Iran’s shadow fleet.
\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Hezbollah of trying to sabotage the truce in Lebanon, in his first public comments since US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a three-week extension of an initial 10-day ceasefire.
\nIsrael has continued to carry out daily attacks in southern Lebanon since the truce began on April 17, stating it is responding to Hezbollah threats inside its self-declared security zone along the border. The Iran-backed group has announced several rocket launches into Israel during that time.
\nIn a video message posted on X, Mr. Netanyahu said Israel was working in \u201cfull co-operation\u201d with the US in Iran and Lebanon.
\n\u201cI promised you that we would change the face of the Middle East \u2013 and that’s exactly what we’re doing,\u201d he said. \u201cI had an excellent conversation with President Trump. He is putting strong pressure on Iran, both economically and militarily. We are acting in full co-operation.
\n\u201cAnd so it is in Lebanon too: We began a process to achieve historic peace between Israel and Lebanon, and it is clear to us that Hezbollah is trying to sabotage it.\u201d
\nIn a post earlier on Friday, Mr. Netanyahu, 76, revealed that he had undergone successful treatment for an early-stage malignant tumour on his prostate.
\nHe said he had delayed the publication of his annual medical report by two months \u201cso that it would not be released at the height of the war, in order not to allow the Iranian terror regime to spread even more false propaganda against Israel.\u201d
\nDefence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said Iranian forces have laid mines in the Strait of Hormuz, but states pathways are open for some ships to traverse the waterway, though these are limited and risky.
\n\u201cThere are paths that are open,\u201d Mr. Hegseth said. \u201cTransit is occurring. Much more limited than anybody would like to see, and with more risk than people would like to see. But that\u2019s because Iran is doing irresponsible things with small, fast boats.\u201d
\nHe also said Iranian forces had been laying mines in the strait and stated any attempt to keep doing so would be a breach of the ceasefire. He declined to say how many mines had been laid.
\nAdla Massoud reports from New York:
\nLebanon said it secured fresh US commitments during talks with Israel at the White House on Thursday, as Washington seeks to shore up a fragile truce along the southern border.
\nIn a statement to The National on Friday, Lebanon\u2019s ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad said President Donald Trump called on Israel to respect the ceasefire and stop demolishing villages and targeting civilians.
\nShe said Mr. Trump also pledged a significant aid package for Lebanon, including support for the Lebanese Armed Forces, seen as key to maintaining security and extending state authority.
\nMr. Trump announced a three-week truce extension as he met with ambassadors of the two countries and despite recent Israeli strikes in Lebanon and fresh rocket fire from Iran-backed Hezbollah.
\nThe Pentagon\u2019s top military officer, Gen. Dan Caine, states US forces have intercepted a very large crude carrier in the Indian Ocean that was carrying Iranian oil.
\nUS forces boarded the M\/T Tifani on April 21, took control of the vessel and detained the crew. The vessel is under sanctions.
\n\u201cWe will continue to conduct similar maritime interdiction actions and activities in the Pacific and Indian Oceans against Iranian ships and vessels of the Dark Fleet,\u201d Gen. Caine said.
\nUS Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth states European countries need to do less talking and \u201cget in a boat\u201d to help patrol the Strait of Hormuz.
\n\u201cEurope and Asia have benefited from our protection for decades, but the time for free riding is over,\u201d he said. \u201cAmerica and the free world deserve allies who are capable, who are loyal, and you understand that being an ally is not a one-way street. It\u2019s a two-way street.
\n\u201cWe are not counting on Europe, but they need the Strait of Hormuz much more than we do, and might want to start doing less talking and having less fancy conferences in Europe and get in a boat.\u201d
\nThomas Watkins reports from Washington:
\nUS Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth states a second aircraft carrier is to join the blockade of Iranian ports.
\n\u201cEvery ship that the US believes meets our criteria, either Iranian ships or to and from Iranian port, has been turned around,\u201d he told a media conference.
\n\u201cNot only is the blockade growing, in fact, a second aircraft carrier will join the blockade in just a few days.\u201d
\nHe said the blockade would remain in place for \u201cas long as it takes\u201d and repeated President Donald Trump\u2019s promise a day earlier to shoot to destroy any Iranian military vessels laying mines.
\nIsrael’s military has issued displacement orders for residents of Deir Ammas, in southern Lebanon’s Tyre district.
\nIn a statement, the military ordered civilians to stay “no less than 1,000 metres outside of the village”.
\nA ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was extended by three weeks and the countries’ leaders are to meet soon in Washington, US President Donald Trump said yesterday.
\nDr. Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed, states the US and Iran “don’t want to go back to war”.
\nBut he added that Tehran’s relationship with its Gulf neighbours will be affected in the long run.
\n\u201cIran’s strategy was to enlarge the war with little consideration of its long-term regional relations and I think, in the long term, this will affect Iran’s position and posture in the region,\u201d he said.
\nDr. Gargash was speaking by video link at the World Policy Conference in France.
\nHe said regional relations with Iran “are bound to come back at some stage”, but that building trust and confidence “are different”.
\n\u201cIran will be seen as a strategic threat from the region’s perspective for many decades to come – this is independent of the nature of relations that will have to be rebuilt,\u201d Dr. Gargash added.
\nHe also said Iran’s leadership is “disjointed” and that a statement from the country stating otherwise was a “clear indication that [Iran] looks at that as a serious concern”.
\nFormer US energy envoy Amos Hochstein has dismissed scepticism about currency swap talks between the US and the UAE, stating such a move is often a sign of “economic strength”.
\n\u201cThe idea that I’ve seen some both political figures and reporters talking about a \u2018bailout\u2019 is just silly,\u201d he told CNBC.
\n\u201cIt is not something that relates to economic stress. In fact, it’s usually done because of economic strength.\u201d
\nMr. Hochstein also discussed the broader regional recovery from the war, stating the rebound has exceeded expectations.
\nHe added that schools, roads and hotels are returning to pre-war levels.
\n\u201cPeople underestimate the resilience of this region, and specifically countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia, where there’s been more diversification away from reliance on energy,\u201d he said.
\nThe EU is looking to set up its own mission to replace the UN operation in southern Lebanon, the bloc\u2019s foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas has stated.
\nThe UN interim force in Lebanon, Unifil, is set to begin its withdrawal on December 31 after nearly five decades in the country.
\n\u201cWe know the Unifil mission is ending and it\u2019s clear the Lebanese armed forces need more help to disarm Hezbollah and have control over the country,\u201d Ms. Kallas said.
\n\u201cWe have been discussing with foreign ministers, as well as with defence ministers, whether we are able to put our own mission together when Unifil ends but not with the same mandate to really address the needs that they have.\u201d
\nFlights to Muscat and Istanbul are to resume at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport from tomorrow, state media reports airport authorities as stating.
\nFlights were suspended at the airport for more than 55 days, after US-Israeli attacks on Iran began on February 28.
\nEU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas has criticised US-Iran negotiations to end the war, because there are \u201cno nuclear experts around the table\u201d.
\nTalks are currently led on the US side by Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump\u2019s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
\n\u201cIf the talks are only about the nuclear file and there are no nuclear experts around the table, then we will end up with an agreement that is weaker than the JCPOA was,\u201d Ms. Kallas said, referring to the 2015 nuclear deal from which Mr. Trump withdrew during his first term.
\n\u201cProblems in the region, missiles programmes, their support to proxies and also hybrid and cyber activities in Europe are not addressed. We will end up with a more dangerous Iran.\u201d
\n#USIranTalks #PakistanDiplomacy #MiddleEastPeace #IranSanctions #StraitOfHormuz #IsraelLebanon #Hezbollah #NuclearDeal #RegionalSecurity #TrumpAdministration<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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