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

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that attacks against any Gulf state constitute an attack on all of them, denying that Qatar pays Iran to stop attacks against its territory.

“Qatar does not pay in exchange for stopping attacks on it,” said Majed al-Ansari in a televised interview with Al Jazeera, adding that Qatar intercepts the Iranian attacks.

Al-Ansari added Iran had also attacked civilian and industrial targets, despite Iran’s claim that it was only targeting military sites.

The United States, Pakistan and Iran were holding face-to-face trilateral talks in Islamabad on Saturday, the White House said, as top officials met to try and end the war in the Middle East.

A senior White House official said the three sides were holding the direct talks in person, a departure from recent practice where Washington and Tehran held talks only through a mediator while seated in separate rooms.

The US delegation included Vice President JD Vance, US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the White House said. It did not say who from the Iranian or Pakistani sides was taking part.

Two US warships have reportedly passed through the Strait of Hormuz, the first such transit since the war with Iran began, as President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States had started "clearing out" the strategic waterway.

The US Navy guided-missile destroyers passed through the strait with no issues reported, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing three US officials.

The operation was not coordinated with authorities in Tehran, US media outlet Axios said.

"We're now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz," Trump said on his Truth Social platform, calling it "a favor" to countries such as China, Japan and France that "don't have the Courage or Will to do this work themselves."

He insisted that Iran is "LOSING BIG!" in the conflict, while acknowledging that Iranian mines in the strategic strait - through which a fifth of the world's crude passes - still pose a threat.

"The only thing they have going is the threat that a ship may 'bunk' into one of their sea mines," Trump wrote.

US officials did not immediately respond to AFP requests for comments about the reports.

Foremost is Iran’s nuclear program, especially the status of its enriched uranium after last year’s U.S. and Israeli strikes on nuclear sites. Tehran has not allowed the U.N. nuclear watchdog to inspect since then.

Before the war, Iran’s ballistic missile program was another main issue, especially for Israel, along with Iran’s support for armed proxies in the Middle East including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi rebels in Yemen and Hamas in Gaza.

Now other issues have emerged, notably Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz, a major waterway for Middle East oil, natural gas and related products like fertilizer.

Iran now wants an end to attacks, compensation for earlier ones and a guarantee that no more will occur. It wants U.S. military forces to leave the region.

Tehran also wants longtime sanctions lifted.

Senior Iranian and American officials began negotiations in Pakistan on Saturday, Iranian media reported.

According to Iranian media reports, the Iranian delegation decided to begin talks with their US counterparts after meeting with their Pakistani host, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who also sat down with US Vice President JD Vance.

The Iranian delegation is led by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Vance was accompanied by White House envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

"Commending the commitment of both delegations to engage constructively, the Prime Minister expressed the hope that these talks would serve as a stepping stone toward durable peace in the region," Sharif's office said.

The Israeli military said Saturday it had struck more than 200 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon within the last 24 hours, among them rocket launchers.

"In the last 24 hours, the IDF struck more than 200 Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon. The Israeli air force continues to strike Hezbollah infrastructure and aid the ground forces operating in southern Lebanon," the military said.

On Friday, Lebanon's presidency said that a meeting would be held with Israel in Washington next week to discuss a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war and the potential start of negotiations between the neighbours.

The U.S. president posted on social media that Iran’s military has been destroyed and that America is beginning to open up the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway chokepoint used by Iran to restrict the shipping of 20% of the world’s oil supplies.

It was unclear from the post if Trump was referring to the possible use of mines in the Strait of Hormuz or Iran’s broader ability to control the area.

“We’re now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz as a favor to Countries all over the World, including China, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, and many others,” Trump posted. “Incredibly, they don’t have the Courage or Will to do this work themselves.”

Iran's IRNA news agency said on Saturday that after progress in indirect discussions, negotiations have begun between the United States and Iran.

The country's state-run news agency said three-party talks with the U.S., Iran and Pakistan had begun after a reduction in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon and other preconditions being met.

Iranian media said on Saturday that negotiations with the United States to end the Middle East war had begun in Islamabad, though the format of the talks remained unclear.

The Fars and Tasnim news agencies said "it was decided to begin negotiations" following "progress made during preliminary talks and the reduction of attacks by the Zionist regime in southern Beirut in Lebanon", referring to Israel.

Iranian agencies Mehr and Isna also announced the start of negotiations, after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's office said the peace talks had "commenced".

Iran has conveyed its position to Pakistani officials who are mediating between the Islamic Republic and the U.S., an Iranian official said.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told Iran's state-run television that a ceasefire in Lebanon is a "basic demand," as Iran's delegation met with Pakistani officials including army chief and prime minister.

Israel has continued striking Lebanon after a ceasefire last week between the U.S. and Iran was announced, even though mediator Pakistan has said that the tiny Mediterranean nation is part of the two-week pause.

Baghaei, meanwhile, described the talks as a "particular moment" for Iran, and framed diplomacy as a "continuation of defense and a continuation of war."

"An intense struggle is underway on the diplomatic front," he said.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in a social media post on Saturday that oil tankers “are heading, right now, to the United States to load up with the best and ‘sweetest’ oil (and gas!) anywhere in the World.”

The Iran war has led to Iranians effectively shuttering the Strait of Hormuz through which 20% of the world’s oil supplies gets shipped.

That has pushed up energy prices and given Iran a key point of leverage in negotiations with the U.S.

But Trump argues that the U.S. can serve as an alternative source of oil and natural gas, though increased demand for American energy products could further push up prices for consumers unless there is more domestic production.

Iranian negotiators submitted their terms for the talks with the U.S. in their meeting with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, according to Iran's state-run television.

Negotiators disclosed Iran's "redlines" that included compensation for damage caused by the American-Israeli strikes and releasing Iran's frozen assets.

They also include a mechanism to the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a "tangible and lasting ceasefire" in Iran and other areas - an apparent reference to Iran's allies in the region.

The Saudi Defense Ministry said Pakistani forces including fighter and support aircraft arrived at a Saudi airbase on Saturday as part of a defense deal between the two countries.

The Ministry said the forces were deployed at the King Abdulaziz Air Base which was repeatedly attacked with drones and missiles during the Iran war.

The deployment aims at “enhancing joint military coordination … and supporting security and stability at both regional and international levels,” it said.

The pact that was signed in September defines any attack on either nation as an attack on both.

Lebanon's health ministry said 10 people including three emergency workers were killed by Israeli strikes on south Lebanon on Saturday, as state media reported raids on more than a dozen locations.

The ministry said three deadly strikes hit locations in the Nabatiyeh district, with the dead including a member of the Lebanese civil defence and two paramedics from the Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee, decrying what it said was Israel's "systematic" targeting of emergency workers.

As the Islamabad talks commenced, Pakistan Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting with US Vice President JD Vance.

The US delegation included Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, while the Pakistani side was represented by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Interior Minister Senator Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi.

Commending both delegations for their constructive engagement, the Prime Minister expressed hope that the talks would serve as a stepping stone toward durable peace in the region. He also reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to facilitating progress toward sustainable regional stability.

The General Command of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) announced that all its units and formations are at the highest levels of readiness and full defensive preparedness. It confirmed that since the onset of the hostile Iranian aggression, it has intercepted and destroyed 194 missiles and 516 drones that targeted the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The General Command urged the public to exercise caution regarding any unfamiliar or suspicious objects resulting from the attacks, and to avoid approaching or handling them.

It affirmed that personnel of the Royal Field Engineering Unit remain fully prepared to safely deal with such objects, ensuring the safety of all citizens and residents.

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Qatar has announced the resumption of in-person classes and services starting Sunday, April 12, 2026.

The return applies to nurseries, kindergartens, public and private schools, and educational service centres in line with the approved academic calendar.

A senior Iraqi security official told AFP that a drone crashed near a group of US diplomats inside the grounds of Baghdad's airport earlier this week as they were escorting an American journalist freed after a recent kidnapping.

According to the Iraqi official, "the diplomatic support centre was targeted on Wednesday by three drones".

"One of them fell at least 50 metres from a diplomatic team accompanying the American journalist Shelly Kittleson," they added.

Kittleson had been released by the powerful pro-Iranian group Kataeb Hezbollah on Tuesday, a week after she was kidnapped in Baghdad.

The attack delayed her departure from Iraq, though she was able to leave a few hours later, the source said.

Iranian semiofficial media reported that Iran’s negotiating team chaired by parliament speaker Mahammad Bagher Qalibaf, met on Saturday with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Neither the Iranian delegation nor the prime minister’s office commented on the meeting in the Pakistani city city of Islamabad.

The meeting came as the US and Iranian officials are set to start indirect high-stakes talks Saturday afternoon on ending the war in the Middle East.

Officials from the region said on Saturday that Egyptian, Saudi Arabia, Chinese and Qatari officials are in Islamabad to indirectly facilitate the talks.

The officials were speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter.

The head of Airports Council International-Europe, Olivier Jankovec, warned the European Union that a ''systemic jet fuel shortage’’ could come within three weeks because of the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz.

Jankovec said that the crunch could impact the summer travel season and ''significantly harm the European economy.’'

He urged the EU to organise collective purchases of jet fuel for European countries, track stocks and identify alternative sources of jet fuel, among other measures.

The EU’s Energy Union Task Force said there is ''no immediate risk to the EU’s security of oil and gas supply’’ from the Mideast conflicts and no need to release additional stocks.

But it warned of possible longer-term risks, and said ''jet fuel remains the primary concern’’ because of its reliance on imports.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Iran enters Saturday’s talks with the US with “deep distrust” because of a pair of attacks his country sustained in the middle of negotiations over its nuclear program.

Araghchi’s office said in a post on Telegram that Iran would fight back if it was attacked.

He also called for Israeli attacks on Lebanon to stop.

Iranian delegation has departed for a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad, according to Iran’s ISNA news agency.

The talks come as Pakistan continues its role in mediating discussions between Iran and the United States over a proposed ceasefire framework. Sharif and senior government officials are expected to hold discussions with the visiting delegation as diplomatic efforts intensify in the capital.

Mohammad Reza Aref, Iran’s first vice president, says peace talks between the US and Iran could produce a deal if Washington worked to fulfill American interests in line with President’s Donald Trump’s “America First” doctrine.

Aref wrote in a social media post that there would be no deal “if we face representatives of ‘Israel first’.”

He warned “the world will face greater costs” if the talks failed and the U.S. and Israel resumed the war on Iran.

The Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital which received the casualties said the Israeli airstrike hit a security point in the urban refugee camp of Bureij in the predawn hours on Saturday.

The deaths were the latest among Palestinians in territory since a ceasefire deal last October that aimed attempted to halt a more than two-year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Pakistan's foreign minister on Saturday called for the United States and Iran to "engage constructively" at talks in Islamabad aimed at ending the Middle East war, after both delegations arrived in the Pakistani capital.

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar "expressed the hope that parties would engage constructively, and reiterated Pakistan's desire to continue facilitating the parties towards reaching lasting and durable solution to the conflict", said a foreign ministry statement.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday received the US delegation lead by US Vice President JD Vance.

The ministry said in a statement that Dar commended the US commitment to achieving lasting regional and global peace and stability.

He expressed hope that the parties would engage constructively and reiterated Pakistan’s desire to continue facilitating efforts toward a lasting and durable resolution to the conflict.

The US delegation includes President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

The Iranian delegation, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, was already in Islamabad.

Before departing for Pakistan, Vance warned Iran not to “play” the U.S.

Hours later Qalibaf said discussions would only take place if there is an Israeli ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of blocked Iranian assets.

Iran’s delegation in Pakistan comprises 71 members, including technical experts, negotiators, media representatives and security personnel, state media Tasnim reported on Saturday.

The delegation in Islamabad is being led by Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to the report.

Tasnim said the size of the team reflects the complexity and sensitivity of the talks with the United States, noting that it includes specialised technical and expert committees to support negotiations and provide consultations as needed.

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have landed in Islamabad for high-level talks with Iranian counterparts aimed at ending the ongoing conflict, sources in Pakistan told Reuters.

The visit comes as Pakistan hosts tightly secured negotiations between US and Iranian delegations in the capital, with both sides arriving for a new round of diplomacy following weeks of conflict and a fragile ceasefire.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced a reduction in fuel prices, saying the country is offering relief to the public as regional tensions ease.

Addressing the nation, Sharif said petrol prices have been reduced by 12 rupees per litre and diesel by 135 rupees per litre, with continued subsidies for motorcycles, public transport and goods vehicles.

He added that “there is no talk of war in the Gulf now,” suggesting that discussions in the region are shifting towards peace rather than escalation.

Pakistan’s government has set up a state-of-the-art media center to facilitate Pakistani and foreign journalists covering the talks between the United States and Iran, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said.

Tarar told reporters the facility at the Jinnah Convention Center offers high-speed internet and a range of free services to support media coverage. Shuttle services have been arranged to transport journalists between the media center and a hotel in the city’s main shopping mall.

The streets of Pakistan’s normally bustling capital were deserted Saturday as security forces sealed roads ahead of talks between high-level officials from Iran and the US to end their nearly six-week war.

Pakistani authorities urged Islamabad residents to stay inside, leading the city to look like it was under curfew.

The plane transporting US Vice President JD Vance, who is heading the Washington delegation, stopped for refuelling in Paris before flying on to the Pakistani capital.

US President Donald Trump asserted that Washington would not allow any attempt by Iran to impose tolls on vessels passing through the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz, describing it as an international waterway amid rising tensions with Tehran.

Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews ahead of US Vice President JD Vance's departure, Trump dismissed the possibility of permitting any transit charges in the region.

Trump's remarks come a day after he strongly criticised Tehran over its reported proposal to levy transit fees on ships crossing the Strait, which serves as a vital artery for global oil shipments.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump criticised Iran for attempting to use international waterways for leverage, stating that the United States had restrained itself only to allow space for negotiations.

"The Iranians don't seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short-term extortion of the World by using International Waterways. The only reason they are alive today is to negotiate!" the post read.

In a separate post, he also took aim at Iran's communication strategy, saying, "The Iranians are better at handling the Fake News Media, and 'Public Relations,' than they are at fighting!"

The remarks come amid renewed debate over transit policies through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy shipping route.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomes the US-Iran talks scheduled to start in Islamabad over the weekend, his spokesperson said.

"He calls on the parties to seize this diplomatic opportunity to engage in good faith toward a lasting and comprehensive agreement, with a view to deescalation and the prevention of a return to hostilities," spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a daily briefing, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The Secretary-General reiterates that there is no viable alternative to the peaceful settlement of international disputes, in full accordance with international law, including the UN Charter," Dujarric said.

The UN chief's personal envoy for the Middle East conflict and its consequences, Jean Arnault, continues to be in the region to support diplomatic efforts, Dujarric added.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expressed disappointment toward Israel’s Foreign Ministry after it criticized his social media post featuring what appeared to be a 2024 video of Israeli soldiers throwing a body from a rooftop in the occupied West Bank.

In another post on X on Saturday, Lee wrote: “One would think that, even just once, it would be worth reflecting on criticism from people around the world who are suffering due to these ceaseless actions that violate human rights and international law.”

Lee’s comments followed a post by the Israeli Foreign Ministry on X, which accused him of digging up a story from 2024 and falsely presenting it as a current event.

Iran Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf posted a photo on X of him looking at portraits of children killed in a U.S. missile strike on a school, saying they were his companions on a flight to Pakistan for peace talks.

The photo showed Qalibaf looking at four headshots of children, each placed on an airplane seat with a backpack and a flower.

A preliminary US military investigation into the strike said outdated intelligence likely led the US to bomb the school. The Feb. 28 strike killed over 165 people, many of them children, in the opening hours of the conflict.

“I wished him luck. He’s got a big thing,” Trump said of his parting message to Vance before he began his journey to lead the president’s delegation for the critical talks. “We’ll find out what’s going on. They’re militarily defeated.”

Trump, who spoke to reporters before boarding Air Force One to head to a Friday evening fundraiser in Charlottesville, Virginia, also reiterated his confidence that the Strait of Hormuz will soon be opened up.

“And now we’re going to open up the Gulf with or without them,” Trump said referring to the Iranians, who have effectively shuttered the critical waterway. “But that’ll be open.”

First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, in a post on X, wished Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf success as he leads his country’s delegation to high-level peace talks with the U.S. in Pakistan.

Aref said “we are supporters” of the negotiators, just as they were supporters of the military in the war.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says a high-powered delegation from Iran, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf accompanied by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, arrived in Islamabad late Friday to participate in the peace talks.

In a statement, the ministry said the delegation was received at the airport by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

Dar expressed hope that the parties would engage constructively and reiterated Pakistan’s desire to continue facilitating efforts toward a lasting and durable solution to the conflict.

The US defence contractor announced the Pentagon order on Friday for the critical interceptors that have been in heavy use since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran six weeks ago.

The Associated Press reported last month that a sizable number of US Patriot air defense missiles have been moved from Europe toward the Middle East as Washington diverts resources toward its war on Iran. The shift has left concerning gaps in Europe’s air defenses against Russia.

Lockheed in a statement said the order is part of the company’s agreement to increase production of the Patriot interceptor from 620 last year to 2,000 per year by 2030, a deal the defense contractor and the Pentagon signed in January.

The statement from Joseph Aoun’s office comes after Lebanon and Israel’s ambassadors to the US held a call with Washington’s ambassador to Lebanon to discuss the terms of the negotiations, slated for next Tuesday in Washington D.C. with State Department mediating.

Beirut is keen to hold direct talks to end the ongoing war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group, but under a ceasefire or truce similar to that of Washington’s talks with Iran.

Israel announced that it authorized direct talks after Lebanon’s request, but did not immediately issue a statement following the call.

Hezbollah did not immediately comment on the development, though has opposed direct talks with Israel.

During the past 40 days of war, more than 1,900 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli strikes and more that 1 million others have been displaced, according to government figures.

The Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf arrived early Saturday in Islamabad, Iranian state TV reported.

The delegation included security, political, military, economic and legal teams. The report said negotiations will begin only if the other side accepts Iran’s preconditions.

Hours earlier, Qalibaf posted on social media that two points that he said had been mutually agreed on — a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of blocked Iranian assets — have yet to be implemented.

“These two matters must be fulfilled before negotiations begin,” he wrote.

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

Day 39: UAE, Qatar on alert as Trump's deadline nears

Day 38: Iran and US receive draft proposal for war ceasefire

Day 37: Second F-15E crew member rescued in Iran

Day 36: Trump warns Iran: 48 hours or all hell will reign down

Day 35: Trump seeks $1.5t defence budget as war intensifies

Day 34: UN chief warns world on 'edge of a wider war'

Day 33: Trump says US to hit Iran 'extremely hard'

Day 32: Debris hits several homes in Dubai, 4 injured

Day 31: Trump threatens to obliterate Iran's Kharg island