Pakistan hosts another round of peace talks between the U.S. and Iran
U.S. envoys headed to Pakistan on Saturday for another round of indirect talks with Iran. A ceasefire in the Middle East has mostly held, but shipping in the Strait of Hormuz is still blocked, which is being felt across the global economy.聽
U.S. envoys headed to Pakistan on Saturday for another round of indirect talks with Iran. A ceasefire in the Middle East has mostly held, but shipping in the Strait of Hormuz is still blocked, which is being felt across the global economy.聽
(REUTERS) Iranian聽Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi laid out Iran's demands and its聽reservations about U.S. positions on Saturday as Islamabad聽hosted a new push to end a war that has killed thousands and聽roiled global markets.
Though details of the talks were scant, Araqchi met聽Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other high-ranking聽officials. The White House had earlier announced that President聽Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared聽Kushner would travel to the Pakistani capital on Saturday, but聽Iran has so far ruled out a new round of direct talks.
Washington and Tehran are at an impasse as Iran has largely聽closed the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries one-fifth of聽global oil shipments, while the U.S. blocks Iran's oil exports.
IRAN SETS OUT ITS 'PRINCIPLED POSITIONS'
The conflict is now entering its ninth week, with a聽ceasefire that began on June 24 extended by Trump this week. The聽war has pushed energy prices to multi-year highs, stoking聽inflation and darkening global growth prospects.
Araqchi "explained our country's principled positions聽regarding the latest developments related to the ceasefire and聽the complete end of the imposed war against Iran," said a聽statement on the minister's official Telegram account.
Asked about Tehran's reservations about U.S. positions in聽the talks, an Iranian diplomatic source in Islamabad told聽Reuters: "Principally, Iranian side will not accept maximalist聽demands."
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had earlier told聽reporters that Iran had a chance to make a "good deal."
"Iran knows that they still have an open window to choose聽wisely," he said. "All they have to do is abandon a nuclear聽weapon in meaningful and verifiable ways."
Araqchi arrived in Islamabad on Friday. But an Iranian聽foreign ministry spokesperson posted on X that Iranian officials聽did not plan to meet U.S. representatives and that Tehran's聽concerns would be conveyed to mediator Pakistan.
Trump told Reuters on Friday that Iran planned to make an聽offer aimed at satisfying U.S. demands but that he did not know聽what the offer entailed. He declined to say who Washington was聽negotiating with, "but we're dealing with the people that are in聽charge now."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the U.S.聽had seen some progress from the Iranian side in recent days and聽hoped more would come this weekend, while Vice President JD聽Vance was ready to travel to Pakistan as well.
CEASEFIRES IN PLACE, FEW SHIPS CROSSING HORMUZ
Days after Trump extended the ceasefire, international聽flights resumed from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International聽Airport on Saturday, Iranian media said. The first passengers聽had departed for Medina, in Saudi Arabia, Muscat and Istanbul,聽with operations expected to accelerate in the coming days.
"Well, it's a good feeling. When flights resume, trade is聽done, and people can do their jobs. It鈥檚 a good feeling," said聽one passenger at the airport, where passengers were queuing at聽check-in desks.
Iranian airspace has been largely closed since the start of聽the war. Tens of thousands of flights have been canceled,聽rerouted and rescheduled worldwide, shutting much of 鈥媡he Middle聽East's airspace because of missile and drone threats.
Trump unilaterally extended a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday聽to allow more time to reconvene the negotiators.
Oil prices surged this week, with Brent crude futures聽soaring 16%, on uncertainty over the fate of the peace talks and聽as violence flared in the region.
Shipping data on Friday showed that five ships had crossed聽the Strait of Hormuz in the previous 24 hours, compared to聽around 130 a day before the war launched by the U.S. and Israel聽on February 28. The ships included an Iranian oil-products聽tanker but none of the vast crude-carrying supertankers that聽normally feed global energy markets.
Data analytics firm Vortexa said this week it had recorded聽35 total transits through the U.S. blockade from April 13 to 22,聽involving Iran-linked or sanctioned vessels for inbound and聽outbound journeys.
"The enemy, whose objective of crippling Iran鈥檚 missile and聽military capabilities has failed, is now seeking an honorable聽exit from the quagmire of war," Iranian media quoted a defense聽ministry spokesperson as saying. "Iran is today in firm control聽of the Strait of Hormuz.鈥�
On Thursday, Israel and Lebanon extended their ceasefire for聽three weeks at a White House meeting brokered by Trump, but
there was little sign of an end to the fighting in southern聽Lebanon.
Israel invaded its northern neighbor last month to root out聽Iran's Hezbollah allies after the militant group fired across聽the border. Tehran says a ceasefire there is a precondition for聽talks.
Four people were killed in Israeli strikes on southern聽Lebanon on Saturday, Lebanon's state news agency reported, after聽Israel's military said it had killed six armed Hezbollah members聽in the south of Lebanon on Friday.
The Israeli military reiterated a warning on Saturday for聽Lebanese residents not to approach the Litani River area in聽southern Lebanon as it was still battling Lebanon's militant聽group Hezbollah, and said it had struck loaded rocket launchers聽belonging to Hezbollah in three locations overnight.
Reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Daniel Trotta,聽William Mallard and Matthias Williams; Editing by Paul Simao,聽Edwina Gibbs and Timothy Heritage