Diplomatic efforts to end the Iran war stalled again over the weekend as both sides dug in on their demands, even as they face mounting pressure to reach a compromise. Iran said it won't reopen the Strait of Hormuz unless the United States lifts its blockade and ends the war. U.S. President Donald Trump wants a broader deal that would end Iran's nuclear program and address other issues like its missile program and support for regional proxies. For both sides, the clock is ticking.
President Donald Trump is sending his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan to meet with Iran's foreign minister as officials in the South Asian nation push to revive ceasefire talks. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that the two would meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday. Arachchi arrived in Islamabad late Friday. Leavitt says the White House hopes the talks will "move the ball forward to a deal." She says Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the president's national security team will fly to Pakistan "if necessary."
U.S. President Donald Trump is giving mixed messages on the path ahead for the U.S. war with Iran. In a series of media interviews and social media posts Monday, Trump insisted he's in no rush to end the war while also expressing confidence that peace negotiations with Tehran will soon resume in Pakistan. A two-week ceasefire between the two countries is set to expire Wednesday. Trump said he expects the negotiation team lead by Vice President JD Vance to return to Pakistan for more talks. Tehran said there were no plans yet to attend the talks with the U.S.
Israel has agreed to a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon. The truce announced Thursday could pause fighting with the Hezbollah militant group and boost attempts to extend the ceasefire between Iran, the United States and Israel after weeks of devastating war. U.S. President Donald Trump announced the agreement as a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. However, Israel has not been fighting with Lebanon itself, but rather with the Iranian-backed militants inside the country. Hezbollah said in a statement that any truce must apply across all Lebanese territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he agreed to the ceasefire "to advance" peace efforts with Lebanon.
Diplomats are working through back channels to arrange a new round of talks between the United States and Iran. As Washington enacted its blockade of Iranian ports, Tehran threatened to retaliate by striking targets across the war-weary region. Though last week's ceasefire appeared to hold, the showdown over the Strait of Hormuz risked reigniting hostilities. Meanwhile in Washington, direct talks between Israel and Lebanon concluded on an upbeat note. That's according to Israel's ambassador to the U.S. They are the first such negotiations in decades. Talks aimed at permanently ending the conflict in Iran failed to produce an agreement last weekend. Pakistan has proposed hosting a second round in the coming days.
President Donald Trump says the only reason the Iranians are alive today "is to negotiate," as he sends Vice President JD Vance overseas to work on a resolution to the war. Vance is warning Iran not to "play" the U.S. as he heads to Pakistan for talks aimed at ending the 6-week-old conflict. The Republican vice president set off Friday to lead mediated talks with Iran in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. Vance says he's "looking forward to the negotiation" and thinks it'll be positive. Vance's trip comes as a temporary ceasefire appears to be on the precipice of collapsing.
Friday marks six months since the ceasefire in Gaza took effect, but progress remains limited. The fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas-led militants has mostly stopped, yet challenges persist. Disarming Hamas, deploying an international stabilization force and beginning reconstruction are pending. The U.S.-created Board of Peace has not met since its initial meeting, and Hamas has not responded to a disarmament proposal. Such challenges could represent what's to come in the latest war in the Middle East, as U.S. President Donald Trump's approach to peacemaking appears to focus on stopping bombardment while leaving the bigger picture for others to work out.
With the ceasefire in Iran still shaky, U.S. and Iranian negotiators are heading to Pakistan for high-level talks with Iranian officials. Many issues could derail the truce and the negotiations aimed at making a broader deal to stop the fighting permanently. Iran's semiofficial Tasnim news agency claimed that the talks set for Saturday would not happen unless Israel stopped its attacks in Lebanon. U.S. President Donald Trump complained that Iran was doing "a very poor job" by not allowing the free flow of ships through the strait, through which 20% of the world's traded oil once passed.
Over the course of a single day, President Donald Trump went from threatening Iran with "annihilation" to proclaiming that Iran's leadership had presented a "workable" plan that led him to agree to a two-week ceasefire. Trump says he expects this to pave the way to end the nearly six-week war with Iran. Trump's shift came as intermediaries led by Pakistan worked to head off a further escalation. Even China quietly pulled strings to urge Iran to find a path toward a ceasefire. Trump was meeting Wednesday with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, with the Strait of Hormuz expected to be a focus.
A ceasefire deal to pause the war in Iran appears to be hanging by a thread after the Islamic Republic closed the Strait of Hormuz again in response to Israeli attacks in Lebanon. The White House demanded Wednesday that the channel be reopened and sought to keep peace talks on track. The U.S. and Iran both claimed victory after reaching the agreement, and world leaders expressed relief, even as more drones and missiles hit Iran and Gulf Arab countries. Israel intensified its attacks on the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, killing least 112 people in one of the deadliest days in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war.
