Iran sends revised peace plan, Trump calls it insufficient

Day 56: European Union calls for reopening of Strait of Hormuz

Day 55: Trump: US could make a deal with Iran 'right now'

Day 54: Trump extends US-Iran ceasefire

Day 53: Pakistan urges the US and Iran to extend their ceasefire

Day 52: Fighting to resume as ceasefire ends Wednesday: Trump

Day 51: Iran refuses new round of talks, say reports

Day 50: Indian ships reverse course in Strait of Hormuz

Day 49: Trump says Iran agrees to 'never' close Hormuz strait again

Day 48: Trump: Iran agreed to hand over its enriched uranium

Day 47: US optimistic about reaching peace deal with Iran

Day 46: 2 days to US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump thinks so

Day 45: US, Iran discuss 'another round' of direct talks

Day 44: US to begin 'blockade' of Iranian ports on Monday

Day 43: 3-way talks with the US and Iran begin in Pakistan

Day 42: Trump says Iran has 'no cards' as Vance heads for talks

Day 41: Kuwait condemns drone attacks, US warns vs Hormuz toll

Day 40: Trump agrees to suspend attack on Iran by two weeks

US President Donald Trump is sending his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan on Saturday to continue talks with Iran, the White House said Friday.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an interview on Fox News Channel that the two will have talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

"We're hopeful that it will be a productive conversation and hopefully move the ball forward to a deal," Leavitt said.

She said that Vice President JD Vance would not be traveling but that he remains "deeply involved." She said he will be in the US, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the president's national security team, on "standby" to fly to Pakistan "if necessary."

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said an Iranian delegation led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad on Friday.

Araghchi was received by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and other senior officials upon arrival.

In a statement, it said during the visit Araghchi is expected to meet Pakistan’s senior leadership to discuss the latest regional developments and ongoing efforts to promote regional peace and stability.

The United States has frozen $344 million in cryptocurrency assets over ties to Iran, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday, as Washington seeks to raise pressure on Tehran amid energy supply disruptions due to war in the Middle East.

The Treasury Department "will continue to systematically degrade Tehran's ability to generate, move, and repatriate funds," Bessent vowed in a statement on X.

He added that his agency was imposing sanctions on "multiple wallets tied to Iran," resulting in the freeze of funds.

A US official said on condition of anonymity that Washington is targeting both typical sanctions evasion means like front companies, alongside newer technologies like digital assets.

The official added that Treasury is in active dialogue with financial institutions including digital assets exchanges.

The UAE condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack that targeted two northern border posts in the State of Kuwait using two explosive-laden drones launched from the Republic of Iraq.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) affirmed that this terrorist attack constitutes a violation of the sovereignty of Kuwait and a threat to its security and stability.

The UAE expressed its full solidarity with Kuwait and its support for all measures aimed at safeguarding its security and stability.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday that the US does not plan to renew a waiver allowing the purchase of Russian oil and petroleum products that are currently at sea. He also said a renewal of a one-time waiver for Iranian oil at sea is totally off the table.

“Not the Iranians,” Bessent told The Associated Press. “We have the blockade, and there’s no oil coming out.”

In an AP interview about the impact of the war on the global energy market and other topics, Bessent also said he had no plans to extend the sanctions relief for Russia.

“I wouldn’t imagine that we’d have another extension. I think the Russian oil on the water has been largely sucked up,” he said.

Shortly after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi touched down in Pakistan, his government made it clear that there would be no direct negotiations with American government representatives during this visit.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmael Baqaei said on X that "No meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the U.S." Instead, Baqaei said Pakistani officials would convey messages between the delegations.

Baqaei thanked the Pakistani government for its "ongoing mediation; good offices for ending American imposed war of aggression."

The White House said earlier Friday that its envoys would meet Araghchi.

The State Department says a detained Kuwaiti-American journalist who was arrested in Kuwait has been released after intervention by the Trump administration.

The department said late Friday that Ahmed Shihab-Eldin had been freed and allowed to leave Kuwait. It offered no other details, citing privacy concerns.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi will convey Iran's considerations regarding the end of the war with the United States and Israel in his visit to Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

Heading a diplomatic delegation, Araghchi is scheduled to visit Pakistan, Oman and Russia, the report said, adding the visits are aimed at ensuring close coordination with Iran's partners regarding bilateral issues, and holding consultations on the latest regional developments.

Araghchi will not hold any negotiations with US officials during his visit.

Commenting on his tour in a post on social media platform X on Friday, Araghchi said, "Embarking on a timely tour of Islamabad, Muscat, and Moscow. The purpose of my visits is to closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments. Our neighbours are our priority."

Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met overnight with Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir shortly after arriving in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, officials said.

Araghchi is scheduled to meet them again later Saturday. Photos released early Saturday by Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry showed Araghchi seated with Dar, Munir and Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the Iranian delegation will hold talks with Pakistan’s senior leadership on the latest regional developments and efforts to promote peace and stability.

The visit comes as Pakistan also is preparing to receive U.S. envoys, although officials have not specified when Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are due in Islamabad.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari is expected to travel to Beijing on Saturday to begin a weeklong visit at the invitation of the Chinese government.

Discussions will include economic and trade cooperation and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

China has played a role in facilitating Pakistan as a host for ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran. Zardari is expected to discuss his country’s efforts to host a second round.

The visit is part of a longstanding tradition of high-level exchanges between Pakistan and China and holds special significance as they mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said.

“It reflects the deep commitment of both countries to further strengthening the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership,” the ministry said.

US envoys headed to the Pakistani capital Saturday in a bid to kickstart a new round of peace negotiations with Iran amid a fragile ceasefire, though the prospect of direct talks remained uncertain.

The White House said emissaries Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would engage in an "in-person conversation" with Iranian representatives, but Iranian state media said that direct negotiations were not in the cards.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has already arrived in Islamabad.

Iran hanged a man Saturday over alleged ties to Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency and his participation in anti-government protests in January.

Erfan Kiani was the latest in a series of executions in Iran following the war and nationwide protests.

The Mizan news agency of Iran’s judiciary announced Kiani was convicted of charges including attacks on security forces in the city of Asfahn in January.

The agency claimed he was on a “mission for Mossad” without offering evidence.

Human rights activists long have said Iran convicts people in closed-door trials without allowing defendants to properly defend themselves.

There recently have been multiple executions of alleged spies, as well as protesters and those affiliated with an Iranian exiled opposition group.

Pakistan’s capital Islamabad appeared to be in a near-lockdown Saturday morning, hours after Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived on a closely watched visit as Pakistan attempts to ease tensions between the United States and Iran.

The weeklong security restrictions have disrupted daily life, with hundreds of thousands of residents struggling to commute even short distances. Checkpoints, road closures and diversions have become routine sights, particularly around sensitive zones.

The usually busy arteries leading to the airport and the heavily fortified Red Zone were largely deserted early Saturday, with movement tightly restricted. Soldiers and police were at key intersections while helicopters circled overhead.

The measures were reinforced over the past 24 hours on the city’s outskirts with additional forces stationed along key airport access routes. Soldiers were visible on rooftops overlooking major approach roads, particularly near the airport where the Iranian delegation arrived late Friday.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said his country plans to deploy minesweeper ships to the Mediterranean, which later could be transferred to the Strait of Hormuz.

“We will deploy a minesweeper to the Mediterranean and provide it with a command and supply ship,” Pistorius told the Rheinische Post newspaper Saturday.

He did not say exactly when the ships are scheduled to depart.

After an end to hostilities between the US, Israel and Iran, the German minesweepers could be deployed in the Strait of Hormuz, though such a mission would need to be approved by Germany’s Parliament.

“To save time, we have decided to deploy part of the German units to the Mediterranean early on so that — once the mandate is approved — we do not lose any further time,” Pistorius said.

Commercial flights resumed Saturday at Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran for the first time since the war with the United States and Israel started about two months ago.

Iran’s state-run television reported the airport has flights to Istanbul in Turkey, Oman’s capital Muscat and the Saudi city of Medina.

Flightradar24, a flight tracking platform, showed at least three Istanbul-bound flights departed Saturday morning.

Iran partly reopened its airspace earlier this month during a ceasefire with the US

Dr Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the President of the UAE, said rebuilding trust between Iran and countries in the region would take “a very long time”, stressing that there is a clear distinction between restoring relations and restoring trust after sustained attacks.

Speaking via video link at a public policy conference hosted by the French Institute of International Relations, Gargash said it was unrealistic to speak of trust after the launch of around 2,800 missiles and drones. “Rebuilding relations is one thing; rebuilding trust is something entirely different,” he said, adding that the wounds left by the attacks could take “generations” to heal.

The United States "is looking for a face-saving way to escape the war quagmire it has become trapped in", a spokesman for Iran's defence ministry said.

The comment, reported by Iran's ISNA media outlet, came as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner headed to Pakistan, where Iran's foreign minister was.

The White House said the two would have "talks" with Iranian representatives. But Iranian state media said that direct negotiations were not in the cards.

Iran’s president has urged people to reduce their use of electricity after American and Israeli strikes damaged the county’s energy infrastructure, state media reported.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said the government aims to “control consumption” of electricity, according to the Iranian state television.

“Instead of turning on 10 lights at home, turn on two lights. What is wrong with that?” he said.

He said the US and Israel “destroyed our infrastructure,” and noted that the US imposed a blockade on Iran’s ports.

Iran military says will respond if US blockade and 'banditry' continues

Iran's military said on Saturday it would respond if the United States maintained its blockade of Iranian ports, calling it "banditry" and "piracy".

In a statement carried by state-run media outlet IRIB, the military's central command Khatam Al-Anbiya said that if "the invading US military continues blockading, banditry, and piracy in the region, they should be certain that they will face a response from Iran's powerful armed forces".

"We are ready and determined, while monitoring the behaviour and movements of enemies," it added.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said that Israeli airstrikes on village of Yohmor in southern Lebanon targeted a pickup truck and a motorcycle, killing four people.

Saturday’s airstrikes came despite a 10-day ceasefire in place since April 17. Since the truce went into effect, it has been repeatedly violated by both sides.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that Lebanon and Israel agreed to extend the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah by three weeks.

President Donald Trump says the US Navy is clearing Iranian mines from the Strait of Hormuz, a vital sea route for oil shipments whose disruption is increasingly threatening the global economy.

Sweeping for underwater explosives could take months despite a tenuous ceasefire between the United States and Iran in the weekslong war, experts say. Any future claims that the US cleared the waterway where 20% of the world's oil typically passes might fail to convince commercial freighters and their insurers that it is finally safe.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a high-level meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday, even as the highly anticipated second round of US-Iran peace talks in the capital teeter on the brink of total collapse.

Taking to the X, Sharif said: “Was pleased to meet H.E. Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Foreign Minister of Iran, and his delegation in Islamabad today. Had a most warm, cordial exchange of views on the current regional situation. We also discussed matters of mutual interest, including the further strengthening of Pakistan–Iran bilateral relations.”

Pakistan Army Chief Marshal Asim Munir and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar also participating in the talks.

Two Pakistani officials say Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has left Pakistan without meeting US officials.

Senior Pakistani officials were at an airport near Islamabad to see him off. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Araghchi had met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and other senior officials about matters including Iran’s red lines in negotiations.

President Donald Trump says he told top US envoys not to travel to Pakistan to negotiate with Iran, telling Fox News that ″they can call us anytime they want."

In a brief phone interview Saturday, Trump told Fox News that he told US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner "you're not going to be making any more 18 hour flights to sit around talking about nothing."

Trump also said of the US side "we have all the cards."

His comments came after the White House said Friday that Witkoff and Kushner would be heading to Pakistan for another round of negotiations with Iran.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday said Iranian negotiators could call Washington "anytime they want" after he canceled a trip by his envoys to peace talks in Pakistan.

"They can call us anytime they want," he told Fox News, while adding in a Truth Social post shortly afterward that if the Iranians "want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!"

US President also said that canceling his envoys' trip to Islamabad for talks did not automatically mean war with Iran would restart despite the setback in peace efforts.

Asked whether the cancellation meant he would resume the war, Trump told Axios: "No. It doesn't mean that. We haven't thought about it yet."

Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s Foreign Minister, said today’s trip to Pakistan was “very fruitful,” praising Islamabad’s “good offices and brotherly efforts” to help restore peace in the region.

“Very fruitful visit to Pakistan, whose good offices and brotherly efforts to bring back peace to our region we very much value,” Araghchi wrote on X.

Araghchi added that he shared Tehran’s position on a “workable framework” to permanently end the war on Iran, stressing that any resolution must go beyond a temporary ceasefire. He also voiced caution over Washington’s intentions, noting that it remains unclear whether the United States is genuinely committed to diplomacy.

US President Donald Trump said Saturday it was unclear who was running Iran as he canceled his envoys' trip to Pakistan for negotiations towards ending the war.

"There is tremendous infighting and confusion within their 'leadership.' Nobody knows who is in charge, including them," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday that controlling the Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint for global oil and gas supplies, was Tehran's "definitive strategy" in its conflict with the United States.

"Controlling the Strait of Hormuz and maintaining the shadow of its deterrent effects over America and the White House's supporters in the region is the definitive strategy of Islamic Iran," the Guards said in a statement on their official Telegram channel.

Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli strikes on Saturday in the country's south killed six people, despite a ceasefire that was extended this week in the war between Israel and militant group Hezbollah.

"Two Israeli enemy strikes, on a truck and a motorbike, in the town of Yohmor Al Shaqeef in the Nabatieh district killed four people," a ministry statement said.

It later reported that an "Israeli enemy airstrike on the town of Safad Al Battikh, in the Bint Jbeil district, resulted in two fatalities and 17 injuries".

Israel's military said it "eliminated" three Hezbollah operatives on Saturday who were driving "a vehicle loaded with weapons", as well as another one riding a motorcycle, and two more armed members of the group elsewhere.

It also said it identified two projectiles launched from Lebanon, decrying "a blatant violation of the ceasefire understandings" by Hezbollah, and later intercepted another "suspicious aerial target".

Abbas Aragchi has arrived in the capital, Muscat. He’s expected to meet about regional developments. Oman was a mediator for indirect talks before the war.

The statement by the Israeli Prime Minister’s office follows a string of rocket and drone attacks by Hezbollah on northern Israel and on Israeli ground troops in southern Lebanon on Saturday. There were no injuries.

Also on Saturday, Israel launched multiple airstrikes in southern Lebanon while a fragile temporary ceasefire was in effect, killing at least six people it said were Hezbollah militants.

Netanyahu has instructed the army “to vigorously attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon,” the statement said, without providing further detail.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke by phone on Saturday with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, holding what he described as a “warm and constructive discussion” on the evolving regional situation.

In a post on X, Sharif said he appreciated Iran’s continued engagement, including the dispatch of a high-level delegation to Islamabad led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

He added that, with the support of friends and partners, Pakistan remains committed to serving as an “honest and sincere facilitator” to advance durable peace and lasting stability in the region.

Amid the stalled negotiations with Iran, the US President said the Iranians sent over a new peace proposal, but that it “could have been better,” and rejected it.

“They gave us a paper that could have been better, and interestingly, immediately when I cancelled it, within 10 minutes we got a new paper that was much better,” Trump said to reporters on Saturday before boarding Air Force One to return to Washington from Florida.

The President wouldn’t offer specifics about what was in the latest proposal other than saying “they offered a lot.” But he stressed that one of his conditions is that Iran “will not have a nuclear weapon.”

Trump said he cancelled the latest rounds of negotiations with Iran because it was “a lot of travelling” and because his negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, “weren’t meeting with the leader of the country.”

Trump said the US will “deal by telephone and they can call us anytime they want” before adding that “we have all the cards.”

Shots were fired as US President Donald Trump attended a press dinner in Washington on Saturday night, witnesses and AFP reporters confirmed.

Loud bangs were heard and guests at the black-tie White House Correspondents' Dinner scrambled to hide under tables.

Tactical teams with guns drawn took position on the stage where Trump had been sitting before he was evacuated.

Police swarmed the Washington Hilton Hotel where the event was taking place, and helicopters hovered overhead.

The pool report said the alleged shooter was in custody, citing the Secret Service.

US President Donald Trump said Saturday he would give a press conference from the White House press briefing room, shortly after a shooting incident at a gala dinner in Washington.

The press conference is set to take place shortly after 10 p.m. (0200 GMT), Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding: "The First Lady, plus the Vice President, and all Cabinet members, are in perfect condition."

US President Donald Trump holds press conference after shooting at White House Correspondents' Dinner.

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