Trump positive about talks with Iran, Hezbollah included in Israel-Lebanon ceasefire

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US President Donald Trump renewed his criticism of Pope Leo XIV, repeating a claim that the pontiff supports Iran having a nuclear weapon. The assertion is not supported by the pope’s public statements.

Asked by CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins why he was “fighting with the pope,” Trump said he had “nothing against the pope” but added, “I have to do what’s right.” He then said: “The pope made a statement. He says, Iran can have a nuclear weapon. I say Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”

Pope Leo XIV has not said Iran should possess nuclear weapons and has repeatedly denounced nuclear arms and called on nations to abandon them. Pope Francis also taught that both the use and the possession of nuclear weapons are "immoral" due to their indiscriminate destructive power and the false sense of security they create.

The disagreement over the Iran war has escalated into a rare and public spat between the White House and the Vatican. US President Donald Trump and Vice-President JD Vance have repeatedly assailed the Pope Leo, accusing him of being “weak on crime” and overstepping into politics. The pontiff has refused to back down, insisting he will continue to speak out for peace.

French Finance Minister Roland Lescure told reporters Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz needs to reopen "but not at any price," adding that G7 leaders stand ready to mitigate the war's economic fallout.

Finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of Seven advanced economies added in a statement that "it is urgent to limit" the global economic cost of an enduring conflict in the Middle East.

Gunfire erupted in Beirut's southern suburbs as a ceasefire with Israel came into effect at midnight on Friday (2100 GMT Thursday), according to AFP journalists. 

A surge of oil tankers and liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers is crowding the Panama Canal, as shifting global energy routes driven by conflict in the Middle East push the strategic waterway to near-maximum capacity.

Long lines of vessels are waiting to transit the canal after loading crude oil and gas shipments from US Gulf Coast ports, underscoring a sharp rise in traffic bound for Asia, marine data trackers show. Canal authorities say daily transits have climbed to between 36 and 38 vessels, above earlier projections, with energy shipments accounting for much of the increase. Reuters reported that demand has been particularly strong among LNG and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers transporting US exports to Asian markets.

President Donald Trump said he's willing to travel to Pakistan to sign an agreement between Iran and the US.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said: "I might go, yeah. If the deal is signed in Islamabad, I might go." 

Trump added that Tehran had agreed to hand over its store of enriched uranium, as the two countries mull further talks in Islamabad.

The US leader praised Pakistan's "really great" Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir for their role in brokering the talks with Iran.

The White House says it is in discussions about a second round of talks that would likely be in Pakistan again after talks with Iranian officials led by Vice President JD Vance failed.

Trump said Thursday that the US and Iran were "very close" to a peace deal and that he would consider going to Pakistan to sign an agreement.

A Democrat-backed measure to constrain US President Donald Trump's ability to wage war with Iran has once again failed in the House of Representatives, just a day after a similar resolution was blocked in the Senate.

The House war powers resolution, which failed in a tight vote of 213-214, was largely symbolic, as it faced little chance of overcoming an expected presidential veto even if it had passed.

Most Republicans opposed the resolution in both chambers, though some lawmakers have signalled they could reconsider their position if the war extended beyond this month.

Trump has offered shifting timelines on the duration of the conflict, most recently saying the war was "close to over".

A 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel went into effect, pausing more than six weeks of intense fighting between Israeli forces and the Iran-aligned militant group Hezbollah, US officials said. The truce started at 5 pm Eastern Thursday (1am, Friday, April 17), Donald Trump announced. He spoke separately with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and welcomed the pause as a step toward broader peace. Analysts caution the truce is fragile, especially because Hezbollah itself was not a direct party to the agreement and has issued mixed signals about complying with the pause. The ceasefire could ease hostilities and create breathing room for further diplomatic engagement, bridging local conflict and the broader US–Iran negotiations.

The UAE has welcomed the announcement by US President Donald Trump of a ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel, commending the diplomatic efforts that led to the breakthrough.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed hope that the development would represent a positive step towards fostering a supportive environment for regional stability. The ministry underscored the importance of continued international coordination to prevent further escalation and to mitigate the humanitarian and security repercussions across the region.

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry on Thursday welcomed US President Donald Trump's announcement of a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting militant group Hezbollah since last month.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the Kingdom's welcome of the announcement by... Trump of a ceasefire in brotherly Lebanon. It also commended the significant positive role played by President Joseph Aoun of the Lebanese Republic, the Lebanese government headed by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri," state news agency SPA reported.

Lebanon's army on Thursday urged people not to return to the country's southern villages and towns before a ceasefire with Israel takes effect at midnight local time (2100 GMT), and warned against approaching Israeli forces there.

In a statement, the army command also called on citizens to heed instructions of Lebanese soldiers deployed in the south, where Israeli troops have invaded across the border, and to beware of unexploded ordnance and "suspicious objects".

Donald Trump said Thursday he expected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to visit the White House in coming days, after the US leader announced a ceasefire between the two countries.

"As of two hours from now, we have a ceasefire with Israel and Lebanon. And that'll be great. And they'll be meeting - probably coming to the White House - over the next four or five days," Trump told reporters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that the ten-day ceasefire with Lebanon offered an opportunity for a "historic peace agreement" with Beirut, but insisted that the disarmament of militant group Hezbollah remained a precondition.

"We have an opportunity to make a historic peace agreement with Lebanon," Netanyahu said in a televised speech, adding that Israel will maintain a 10-kilometre (6.2-mile) "security zone" along the border in southern Lebanon.

US President Donald Trump earlier said that Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had agreed to a ten-day truce starting at 2100 GMT on Thursday evening, noting that it would include Hezbollah.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hailed Thursday a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that was announced by US President Donald Trump, saying it was "crucial" it be respected.

The ceasefire "is excellent news, and I congratulate the Lebanese and Israeli governments for reaching this important milestone thanks to US mediation," Meloni said in a statement.

She said it was "now crucial that the ceasefire be fully respected" and hoped it will lead to "a full and lasting peace.

US President Donald Trump said Iran had signalled willingness to give up nuclear weapons as part of ongoing negotiations, expressing optimism that “positive things” could follow if a deal is reached.

Trump told media: "Iran wants to make a deal, and we're dealing very nicely with them. We've got to have no nuclear weapons. That's a big factor, and they're willing to do things today that they weren't willing to do two months ago."

"They've agreed to give us back the nuclear dust," Trump told reporters at the White House, using his name for the enriched uranium stockpile that the United States says could be used to build nuclear weapons.

"There's a very good chance we're going to make a deal."

However, he warned that failure to secure an agreement could lead to resumption of fighting, underscoring the fragility of current diplomatic efforts.

An Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese town of Ghazieh has killed at least seven people and wounded 33, the health ministry said Thursday, hours before a 10-day ceasefire between the two countries is scheduled to take effect.

Lebanese state media reported that rubble removal operations are ongoing, while the health ministry said its toll is "preliminary and not final".

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French Finance Minister Roland Lescure told reporters Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz needs to reopen "but not at any price," adding that G7 leaders felt the gravity of the situation as they met in Washington.

Since the Middle East war erupted following US-Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28, triggering Tehran's virtual blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, energy prices have soared, with the strait being a key waterway for oil and gas transit.

Lescure told reporters in Washington after a G7 meeting Wednesday that "the general feeling was gravity" when it came to the war.

"We need this to open, but not at any price," he added of the blockage.

His comments come as French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting talks in Paris on Friday with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on navigation through the Strait of Hormuz once there is a ceasefire.

"I'm going to tell you very seriously, I don't want to pay $1 to go through the Strait of Hormuz," Lescure added.

He said that leaders know "the range of outcomes is pretty wide" when it comes to the conflict.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he "welcomes" US President Donald Trump's announcement of a 10-day ceasefire with Israel, which was due to start at 2100 GMT on Thursday evening.

Salam said he welcomes the ceasefire, "which is a key Lebanese demand that we have pursued since the very first day of the war" between Hezbollah and Israel, after Trump announced the temporary truce following phone calls with the presidents of the two countries.

"As I congratulate all Lebanese on this achievement, I pray for mercy upon the martyrs who have fallen, and I affirm my solidarity with their families," Salam said, thanking a number of European and Arab states for their "efforts" to reach a ceasefire.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday he will invite the leaders of Israel and Lebanon to the White House after the two countries agreed a ceasefire.

"I will be inviting the Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, and the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, to the White House," Trump said on his Truth Social network.

He later said Israel-Lebananon ceasefire includes Hezbollah.

The US House of Representatives on Thursday rejected a Democratic effort to curb President Donald Trump's authority to wage war in Iran, dealing the opposition another setback in its campaign to force Congress back into decisions over military action in the Middle East.

The 214-213 vote, with one abstention, was held after Democrats forced the issue onto the floor. It came as unease over the six-week conflict continued to spread on Capitol Hill, with lawmakers wary of rising costs, an unclear endgame and the risk of a wider war.

The measure would have required Trump to end US military operations against Tehran unless Congress explicitly approved them, invoking the 1973 War Powers Resolution that limits presidential freedom to conduct prolonged hostilities without lawmakers' consent.

US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, set to begin at 5pm EST on Thursday, as US-backed negotiations gained momentum following direct talks in Washington.

Earlier today, Israeli media, including Haaretz, reported that the Israeli army had already received orders to prepare for a ceasefire window later in the evening, between 7pm and midnight local time.

"These two Leaders have agreed that in order to achieve PEACE between their Countries, they will formally begin a 10 Day CEASEFIRE at 5 P.M. EST," Trump said on his Truth Social network, without mentioning Lebanon's Hezbollah movement.

The development comes amid intensified diplomatic efforts led by Washington to halt cross-border hostilities, with officials indicating the truce is intended as a temporary measure to create space for further negotiations and de-escalation.

The United States threatened Thursday to resume air strikes on Iran and maintain a naval blockade of its ports if Tehran refuses to accept a deal to end the war that has engulfed the Middle East.

The warning came as the influential chief of Pakistan's armed forces visited Iran's peace negotiators in Tehran as part of his country's diplomatic efforts to arrange a new round of talks between the foes.

Iranian state television showed Pakistan's Field Marshal Asim Munir meeting Iran's speaker of parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led the Iranian delegation at the first US-Iran meeting in Pakistan last week, which ended without a deal.

"If Iran chooses poorly, then they will have a blockade and bombs dropping on infrastructure, power and energy," Defense Secretary Hegseth told a news conference at the Pentagon.

Earlier, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had told reporters that further talks "would very likely" be in the Pakistani capital.

The heads of the EU and NATO on Thursday discussed efforts to bolster Europe's arms production, as US President Donald Trump throws doubt on Washington's commitment to the transatlantic alliance.

"We need to invest more, to produce more and to do both faster," European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen posted online after meeting NATO chief Mark Rutte.

European nations are scrambling to bolster their militaries in the face of Russia's war on Ukraine and pressure from Trump.

Fears over Washington's role in NATO have been heightened as the mercurial US leader has threatened he could leave the alliance in anger over the European response to his war in Iran.

NATO allies last year pledged to ramp up core defence spending to 3.5 percent of GDP in a bid to assuage Trump's criticism that Europe was not spending enough on defence.

But there are ongoing complaints that Europe's defence industry is failing to keep pace and is not able to meet the new, higher demands despite a raft of initiatives from the EU.

Europe has "maybe six weeks of jet fuel left", the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned, reports BBC.

The Lebanese army said Thursday that Israeli strikes that destroyed the Qasmiyeh bridge over the southern Litani River have cut off the area from the rest of the country.

"In the context of the ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanon, the Qasmiyeh-Tyre coastal bridge was targeted and destroyed, with the aim of separating the area south of the Litani from its north and isolating it," the army said in a statement, adding that the strikes killed one person and wounded three others, among them "a soldier from the unit stationed on the bridge".

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun rejected a US request for a direct phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, an official source told AFP.

"The Lebanese president refused a direct call with Netanyahu and informed (US Secretary of State) Marco Rubio of this," adding that "the American side was understanding", the source said.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday the "leaders" of the two countries would speak the following day.

The Israeli army has been ordered to prepare for a ceasefire in Lebanon expected to take effect between 7pm and midnight, on Thursday, Haaretz reported, citing official sources, as negotiations backed by the United States advance following direct talks held in Washington between Israeli and Lebanese officials.

Israel's defence minister warned Iran on Thursday against rejecting a US proposal focused on renouncing "nuclear armament" and vowed to stage "even more painful" strikes on new targets if it did so.

"Iran is standing at a historic crossroads: one path is renouncing the ways of terror and nuclear armament... in line with the US proposal, the other leads to an abyss," Israel Katz said.

"If the Iranian regime chooses the second path, it will quickly discover there are even more painful targets than those we have already struck," he said.

As UAE schools prepare for the gradual return to in-person learning from Monday, April 20, some schools have informed parents they will not be reopening their campuses on that date — while certain schools have made physical attendance compulsory for students who travel by private transport.

At least two large oil tankers entered the Gulf apparently bound for Iran in defiance of Washington's blockade on Iranian ports, news agencies and tracking data indicated Thursday.

A trickle of ships has passed the Strait of Hormuz over the past two days, though the US military said Wednesday that its blockade of vessels going to or from Iranian ports had been fully implemented during the first 48 hours.

On Thursday, two very large crude carriers (VLCC), the RHN and the Alicia, were near Iran's coast in the Gulf having passed the strait after the US imposed its blockade on Monday, according to data from maritime tracking firm Kpler.

US regional command CENTCOM said more than 10,000 personnel were deployed for the blockade "against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas".

The two supertankers had previously broadcast their destinations as Iraq but changed them to "for order" as they passed the strait, Kpler data showed.

The United States will blockade Iranian ports for "as long as it takes," US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday, threatening renewed strikes if Tehran does not make a deal.

"If Iran chooses poorly, then they will have a blockade and bombs dropping on infrastructure, power and energy," Hegseth told a news conference at the Pentagon.

US forces began blockading Iranian ports at 1400 GMT on Monday after peace talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement the previous day.

General Dan Caine, the top US military officer, said the blockade "applies to all ships, regardless of nationality, heading into or from Iranian ports."

"If you do not comply with this blockade, we will use force," Caine said alongside Hegseth.

"So far, 13 ships have made the wise choice of turning around," Caine added.

The Tokyo stock market reached a record high Thursday on heightened optimism that the United States and Iran would extend their ceasefire, hold fresh talks on ending their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil and gas traffic.

The gains tracked Wall Street, which struck all-time peaks Wednesday with investors cheered by healthy earnings that indicated the US economy remained resilient despite surging oil prices and rising inflation overall.

Global stock markets "have staged one of the fastest recoveries in recent memory", said Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.

At the same time, "oil prices remain elevated... as investors look towards a possible extension of the ceasefire between the US and Iran while weighing the chances of a broader agreement that could ultimately reopen the Strait of Hormuz", he said.

The Pope has hit out at leaders who spend ‌billions on wars and ​said the world was "being ravaged by a ​handful of ‌tyrants".

The pontiff made the unusually forceful ​remarks in Cameroon after ​Donald Trump attacked ⁠him ⁠on social media.

Leo, who is the first ‌US pope, also criticised leaders who used religious ‌language to justify wars and urged a "decisive change of course".

He said: "The masters of war pretend ​not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild.

"They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to ​be found."

The pope and Trump were involved in a spat after the US president said he "should get his act together" and was "very weak".

In his latest remarks today, the pontiff did not name any particular leader, reported Sky News.

UK government officials have drawn up contingency plans for possible food shortages caused by a scarcity of carbon dioxide if the Strait of Hormuz remains severely disrupted, a report said Thursday.

A secret government analysis envisaged shortages of CO2, which is critical to the food industry, unless Iran and the United States reach an agreement to open the vital waterway, The Times daily reported.

Officials had been working through a "reasonable worst-case scenario" in an event codenamed "Exercise Turnstone", it said.

That scenario was based on a situation in June with traffic through the strait still severely limited and no permanent peace deal in place. The food shortages were not expected to be critical.

Reacting to the report, business minister Peter Kyle said he hoped the public would be "reassured" that the government was "doing this work".

Visiting British Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer on Thursday called for a ceasefire in Lebanon where Israel and Hezbollah are at war, and welcomed direct talks between Israel and Lebanon.

Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war on March 2 after militant group Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in support of its backer Iran. Israel has responded with huge strikes and a ground invasion in the country's south.

Falconer said that "this is not a conflict of Lebanon's making. There must be a ceasefire. We welcome the talks that have started."

"The strikes in Lebanon have had a terrible effect on civilians," he said.

"Hezbollah must stop firing" and must be disarmed, he said, adding that "it must be the Lebanese government that monopolises the use of force in Lebanon".

Iran's prominent speaker of parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told his Lebanese counterpart on Thursday that a ceasefire in Lebanon was "as important" as in Iran, according to a statement posted on Telegram.

In talks to end the war between Iran and the United States, Ghalibaf said Tehran has "been striving to compel our enemies to establish a permanent ceasefire in all the conflict zones, in accordance with the agreement. For us, a ceasefire in Lebanon is just as important as a ceasefire in Iran," he said, in a phone conversation with Nabih Berri.

Pakistan's prime minister, the key mediator in the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, arrived in Qatar on Thursday as he pushed for a second round of peace talks between Washington and Tehran.

The office of Shehbaz Sharif said in statements that his delegation had arrived in Doha after a trip to Saudi Arabia and he was expected to meet with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The pair would "exchange views on Pakistan's ongoing efforts for regional and global peace", his office said.

The Pakistani premier was later due in Turkey, the last stop in a four-day tour which comes on the heels of high-level talks between US and Iranian delegations in Islamabad last weekend.

The talks in Pakistan failed to reach an immediate agreement to permanently end the war in the Middle East following the start of a two-week ceasefire on April 7.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will speak with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday, according to Israel's Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology Gila Gamliel, a member of Netanyahu's Likud party.

"The prime minister will speak for the first time with the president of Lebanon after so many years of a complete breakdown in dialogue between the two countries," Gamliel told Israeli Army Radio on Thursday. "This move will hopefully ultimately lead to prosperity and flourishing for Lebanon as a state," she added.

US President Donald Trump had said the "leaders" of Israel and Lebanon would speak for the first time on Thursday. A Lebanese official source told AFP however that "we are not aware of any planned contact with the Israeli side, and we have not been informed of any through official channels".

Amid diplomatic engagements between the US and Iran in order to achieve a complete halt to the hostilities in West Asia, Pakistani officials say that they are hopeful of a "major breakthrough" in ongoing talks between the two countries, particularly over Tehran's nuclear programme, Al Jazeera reported, citing sources.

According to Al Jazeera, the development follows Islamabad's diplomatic outreach in order to de-escalate the crisis in the situation, with a potential second round of talks on the horizon after the first round of talks ended in a stalemate.

This development comes after a high-level Pakistani delegation, led by its Army Chief Asim Munir, arrived in Tehran on Wednesday to convey messages from Washington to the Iranian leadership.

The visit is also aimed at preparing the ground for a possible second round of negotiations between the US and Iran.

According to Al Jazeera, Pakistani officials expect progress on the nuclear issue, with continued back-channel communication between Washington and Tehran.

The report noted that key differences persist over the duration of a potential uranium enrichment freeze by Iran, with discussions ranging between a five-year and a 20-year halt.

Another major issue under deliberation is the handling of Iran's estimated 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Multiple options are being considered, including transferring the stockpile to a third country or reducing enrichment levels, the report added.

Iran’s Ministry of Education has extended remote learning for all levels until further notice, as the April 22 deadline for the two-week ceasefire approaches.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani was headed Thursday to China, seeking to boost economic ties while also calling on Beijing to help efforts towards peace in Iran and Ukraine.

Tajani, a senior member of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's hard-right government, was due to meet with China's commerce minister Wang Wentao and foreign minister Wang Yi later Thursday in Beijing, his office said.

"We're working to support our companies so they can operate more and more in such an interesting market as the Chinese one," Tajani said in a video posted online as he departed.

"And of course I will ask China and the Chinese government to lend a hand in building peace in the Middle East and also in Ukraine."

Australia has secured an additional supply of some 100 million litres of diesel from Brunei and South Korea, as the country looked to boost supplies hit by the Mideast war, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Thursday.

The Australian leader's comments come as a crucial refinery outside Melbourne was hit by a fire overnight, raising the spectre of further disruptions to the country's fuel supplies.

"I can announce that my government has secured an additional 100 million litres of diesel from two shipments. One from Brunei, where I was yesterday, and one from South Korea," the leader told a press conference in Malaysia.

"This is the first of many expected shipments secured, under the government's new strategic reserve powers," said Albanese, who is meeting his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim to strengthen energy ties.

Military adviser of Iran's Supreme Leader, Mohsen Rezaei, issued a strong warning to the US following its naval blockade on Iranian ports, stating that the Islamic Republic will not withdraw from the Strait of Hormuz until its "rights are fully secured", Iranian State Media, Press TV reported.

According to Press TV, the advisor, who was also a former commander in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), stated that Iran considers the strategic waterway a critical point of leverage and will continue to assert control over it in response to what Tehran calls unlawful restrictions on its economic and maritime activity.

"Iran will not leave the Strait of Hormuz until its rights are fully secured. Based on past negotiations, agreements must be drafted more carefully, with a stronger focus on economic issues. Unlike the US, which fears prolonged war, Iran is fully prepared and experienced in long-term war. Why do US vessels and forces avoid crossing the Strait of Hormuz if Iran's navy has supposedly been destroyed? Unlike previous talks where the other side set the terms, Iran is now setting the preconditions," Rezaei said, as quoted by Press TV.

Lebanon is 'not aware' of any upcoming contact with Israel, an official source told AFP, after US President Donald Trump said the leaders of the two countries would speak on Thursday.

"We are not aware of any planned contact with the Israeli side, and we have not been informed of any through official channels," the source said.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social network earlier that Washington was "trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon. It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow."

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that leaders of Israel and Lebanon will speak Thursday, after they held a high-level face-to-face meeting in Washington Tuesday - the first such negotiation since 1993.

"Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon. It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow," Trump wrote without specifying who will be involved or offering further details.

Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war on March 2 after Iran-backed Hezbollah attacked Israel, and more than 2,000 people have been killed by Israeli strikes since.

Amid escalating global conflicts and deepening inequalities, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for urgent dialogue and de-escalation to address 'profound geopolitical tensions.'

In a post on X, Guterres highlighted the gravity of the current global situation and said, "We are living through profound geopolitical tensions, widening inequalities, eroding trust & immense human suffering."

Emphasising the need for dialogue and de-escalation, he added, "This moment demands dialogue, de-escalation & full respect for international law."

Reaffirming the United Nations' commitment to global stability, Guterres urged continued efforts to " strengthen peace & ensure justice for all."

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday reiterated Islamabad's stance in promoting dialogue between the United States and Iran for a deal to achieve a complete end to the hostilities in West Asia, during his meeting with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah.

In a post on X, Sharif said he had the "pleasure and honour" of meeting the Saudi Crown Prince and conveyed Pakistan's solidarity with the Kingdom and also appreciated Saudi Arabia's "patience and restraint" under the Crown Prince's leadership during such times.

The Pakistan Prime Minister highlighted recent developments related to Islamabad's diplomatic outreach, stating that Pakistan's peace efforts contributed to facilitating a US-Iran ceasefire and initiating what he described as "historic peace talks" in Islamabad.

Sharif further reiterated Pakistan's firm commitment to encouraging both Washington and Tehran to move towards an agreement aimed at ensuring lasting peace and stability in the region.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart that opening the Strait of Hormuz was a unanimous demand from the international community.

Wang Yi told Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a phone call late Wednesday that Iran’s sovereignty, security, and legitimate rights should be respected as a littoral state of the Strait of Hormuz, but freedom of navigation and safety through the strait should be ensured.

Wang noted that the current situation had reached a critical juncture between war and peace and also said that the window of peace was opening .

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Wang Yi that his country was willing to continue to seek a rational and realistic solution through peaceful negotiations, the statement said.

The United States has clarified that a possible ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon is not part of its negotiations with Iran, even as Washington steps up diplomatic efforts to ease tensions along Israel's northern border.

A senior administration official said the US had "not asked for" a truce in Lebanon and that it was "not part of the peace negotiations with Iran". However, the official added that President Donald Trump "would welcome the end of hostilities in Lebanon as part of a peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon".

The remarks come a day after rare direct talks between Israel and Lebanon were hosted at the State Department by Secretary of State Marco Rubio -- the first such engagement between the two countries in years.

The discussions were described by US officials as a step towards reducing tensions and potentially opening a pathway to a broader agreement.

Iran arrested four suspected Israeli spies, state media reported on Thursday.

"The four agents linked to the Mossad were apprehended in Gilan governorate" in northern Iran, IRNA reported, citing a statement from Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

The Mossad is Israel's foreign intelligence agency.

"The arrestees had provided Mossad intelligence officers with images and locations of some sensitive and critical military and security sites via the internet", it said.

The suspects have been handed over to judicial authorities, the report added.

The United States announced that it is tightening sanctions against Iran's oil industry as Tehran keeps up its closure of the Strait of Hormuz as part of the Mideast war.

The new punishment targets oil transport infrastructure by slapping sanctions on more than two dozen people, companies and ships that operate within the network of petroleum shipping magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, the Treasury Department said.

"Treasury is moving aggressively with 'Economic Fury' by targeting regime elites like the Shamkhani family that attempt to profit at the expense of the Iranian people," US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement, alluding to a financial pressure campaign against Iran.

Hardliner Mohsen Rezaei, a top military adviser to Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, warned Wednesday that Iran would take ground-invading US soldiers hostage and sink American ships enforcing a military blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping waterway for oil, gas and other Gulf exports.

Battleships in the US armada "can definitely be exposed to our missiles and we can destroy them," Rezaei, a former commander-in-chief of Iran's Revolutionary Guards who was named as a military adviser by Khamenei last month, told state TV.

Rezaei added it would be "great" if Washington launched a ground invasion of Iran as "we would take thousands of hostages and then for each hostage we would get a billion dollars."

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Wednesday that Iran will "for sure" participate in the 2026 World Cup despite the Middle East war.

"Iran is coming for sure. We hope that by then the situation will be a peaceful situation, that would definitely help," Infantino said on broadcaster CNBC.

"But Iran has to come they represent their people, they have qualified, the players want to play," he said of the team's upcoming matches scheduled in the United States in June.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has posted a video showing him welcoming Pakistan's Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, who is on a visit with his team to Iran. The Pakistani delegation arrived in Tehran bearing a new message from Washington after President Donald Trump indicated talks could resume "this week" following last weekend's failed negotiations in Islamabad.

"Delighted to welcome Field Marshal Munir to Iran. Expressed gratitude for Pakistan's gracious hosting of dialogue, emphasizing that it reflects our deep and great bilateral relationship. Our commitment to promoting peace and stability in the region remains strong—and shared."

A supertanker heading to Iraq has made a second attempt to pass through the Strait of Hormuz into the Arabian Gulf, even as Iran warned that Red Sea trade could grind to a halt as US naval blockade threatens the fragile ceasefire. The crude carrier Agios Fanourios I, which is not blacklisted by any jurisdiction, becomes the first crude tanker to move west through the Hormuz chokepoint since the US began a naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman on Monday. The Malta-flagged very large crude carrier (VLCC) was broadcasting a route to Basrah, Iraq, according to marine vessel-tracking data.

The US Central Command said that it turned back an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel that tried to slip past the US blockade after departing Bandar Abbas port, exiting the Strait of Hormuz and moving along Iran’s coastline. In a post, the military said the guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance “successfully redirected” the vessel, which was heading back toward Iran.

White House announced that the US is currently in discussions regarding the possibility of holding a second round of negotiations with Iran in Pakistan.

His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, and US President Donald Trump discussed the latest regional and international developments on Wednesday during a phone call, amid the rapid escalation in the region. The discussion focused particularly on the repercussions of recent tensions on the security of international navigation, the stability of energy markets, and global supply chains.

The United States said on Wednesday it was discussing a possible second round of peace talks with Iran in Pakistan and was optimistic about reaching a deal, as Tehran threatened to shut down Red Sea trade unless Washington lifted a naval blockade on its ports.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters further talks "would very likely" be in the Pakistani capital, saying: "Those discussions are being had" and "we feel good about the prospects of a deal."

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