US Iran war talks highlights: Iran, US share what happened in Islamabad talks with no breakthrough

Wrapped in bloodied bandages, Aline Saeed, seven, barely survived the Israeli strike on her home in south Lebanon last week. She was there to bury her father as hopes of a truce spread across the region, but a new strike killed her infant sister and other relatives.

The strike on the Saeed family home in the village of Srifa took place on Wednesday, the first day of a US-Iran ceasefire that many in Lebanon hoped would apply to their country, too. Instead, Israeli strikes killed more than 350 across Lebanon and left the Saeed family with four more relatives to bury.

"They said it was a ceasefire. Like all these people, we went up to the village. We went to the casket to read the prayers and walk home... suddenly we felt like a storm was landing right on us," said Nasser Saeed, Aline's 64-year-old grandfather, who also survived.

On Sunday, he joined other relatives in the southern port city of Tyre to pick up the bodies wrapped in green cloth. One of them, a fraction of the rest, contained his granddaughter, Taleen, Aline's sister.

She had not yet turned two.

Pope Leo XIV expressed his closeness to the people of Lebanon on Sunday, saying there was a "moral obligation" to protect them while calling on warring parties to seek peace.

Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war last month as Israel pursues the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, with Lebanese authorities reporting that more than 2,000 people have been killed in Israeli strikes.

"I am closer than ever, in these days of sorrow, fear, and unconquerable hope in God, to the beloved Lebanese people," the pope told the crowd at St Peter's Square following his Regina Coeli prayer.

"The principle of humanity, inscribed in the conscience of every person and recognised in international law, entails the moral obligation to protect the civilian population from the atrocious effects of war," he said.

As he has done in the past, without naming the parties, the American pope called on those involved to seek a peaceful resolution.

The comments from the 70-year-old pontiff came as Iran and the United States failed to strike a deal during talks in Pakistan to end the war in the Middle East.

Al Jazeera has reported that two rockets have been launched from southern Lebanon towards the Upper Galilee in northern Israel.

The Israeli Home Front Command said sirens were activated in the Upper Galilee’s Metula area.

Iran's internet blackout entered its 44th day, internet watchdog NetBlocks said on Sunday.

The watchdog declared earlier this month that the blackout now amounts to the longest nationwide internet shutdown on record in any country.

“The human and economic impacts of the extended censorship measure continue to pile up, breaking global records for shutdowns in a connected society,” NetBlocks wrote on X.

Since the US and Israel first struck Iran, Tehran has almost completely blocked the country’s access to the internet.

The East-West pipeline, used to send oil to the Red Sea for transport, was repaired after an attack, the Saudi Energy Ministry said in a statement Sunday. It said it has a full capacity of about 7 million barrels a day.

The pumping station was attacked on Thursday, affecting about 700,000 barrels of output through the pipeline, which has allowed Saudi Arabia to continue exporting a substantial portion of its oil.

Saudi Aramco operates the pipeline from the Aqaiq oil processing centre near the Persian Gulf to the Yanbu port on the Red Sea, avoiding the Iranian chokepoint on the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. The ministry said the Manila oil field was also repaired, restoring a capacity of around 300,000 barrels a day.

It said work was still underway at another field, Kurais, to restore a capacity of another 300,000 barrels a day.

Iran’s First Vice President Reza Aref said Tehran sought US recognition of its control of transit through the Strait of Hormuz in the collapsed Islamabad talks.

Aref said that having “authority in the Strait of Hormuz” and pursuing compensation for the damage caused by US and Israeli strikes in Iran were “the rights of the (Iranian) people.”

“This is our firm commitment to a strong Iran,” he wrote on social media.

British PM Keir Starmer and Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman have spoken about the faltered peace talks between the US and Iran, and said further escalation should be avoided, a UK spokesperson said.

“They discussed the peace talks held in Pakistan over the weekend and urged both sides to find a way through,” Sophie Clare said in a readout of the call from London.

“It was vital there was a continuation of the ceasefire, and that all parties avoided any further escalation, the leaders agreed.”

Starmer, who just visited the Gulf region and met allies, including Qatar and the UAE, said international partners are continuing to work towards restoring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Israeli media is reporting damage to a home following the fall of shrapnel from intercepting a drone in the Metula area in the Upper Galilee region.

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem on Sunday, saying he was seeking greater access for Jewish worshippers and drawing condemnation from Jordan.

The compound in Jerusalem's walled Old City is one of the most sensitive sites in the Middle East. Known to Jews as Temple Mount, it is the most sacred site in Judaism and is Islam's third-holiest site.

Under a delicate, decades-old arrangement with Muslim authorities, it is administered by a Jordanian religious foundation, and Jews can visit but may not pray there.

Suggestions that Israel would alter the rules have sparked outrage among Muslims and ignited violence in the past.

"Today, I feel like the owner here," Ben-Gvir said in a video filmed at the site and distributed by his office. "There is still more to do, more to improve. I keep pushing the Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) to do more and more — we must keep rising higher and higher."

A statement from the Jordanian foreign ministry said it considered Ben-Gvir's visit to be a violation of the status quo agreement at the site and "a desecration of its sanctity, a condemnable escalation and an unacceptable provocation".

Ben-Gvir's spokesman said the minister was seeking greater access and prayer permits for Jewish visitors. He also said that Ben-Gvir had prayed at the site.

Al Jazeera is reporting more air raids in southern Lebanon, including in the towns of Bint Jbeil and Siddiqin.

Earlier, the outlet had reported raids on the towns of Haniya in the Tyre district and Shaitiya, also in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah denied on Sunday any link to a cell accused by Syrian authorities of planning an attack on a religious figure in Damascus, saying it conducts no activity in the country.

Syria's interior ministry said Saturday that security forces had arrested a woman attempting to plant an explosive device in front of a house belonging to an unidentified religious figure in the Bab Touma area of the Syrian capital.

Security forces dismantled the device and arrested five members of the cell, a ministry statement said.

According to initial investigations, the cell was linked to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and "its members received specialised military training abroad", the ministry added.

But the Iran-backed movement denied the ministry's claims on Sunday, saying they were "false and fabricated".

Hezbollah said it has "no activity, no ties and no relationship with any party in Syria, and has no presence on Syrian soil".

The group called on Syrian authorities "to conduct a thorough investigation before making accusations without evidence".

It blamed "the presence of intelligence services" on Syrian soil that it said were "seeking to inflame tensions between Lebanon and Syria".

Former Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif said on social media that it was “not too late” for the United States to learn that it “can’t dictate terms to Iran.”

Zarif was in office when the United States reached its nuclear deal with Iran in 2015. Donald Trump dispensed with that agreement in 2018.

Al Jazeera is reporting that Israel has launched air raids on the towns of Haniya in the Tyre district and Shaitiya, both located in southern Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday criticised Turkish President Recep Tayyip in a post on X in which he wrote: “Israel under my leadership will continue to fight Iran’s terror regime and its proxies, unlike Erdogan, who accommodates them and massacres his own Kurdish citizens.”

In response, Omer Celik, spokesperson of the ruling Islamic-oriented Justice and Development Party, or AKP, said Sunday that Israel’s comments aimed to sabotage the peace talks in Pakistan, foment unrest among the Kurdish minority and pit Turkey against Iran.

Numan Kurtulmus, the speaker of Turkey’s parliament, called Netanyahu “the ringleader terrorist of the 21st century’s massacre and terror network.”

“The audacity of someone whose hands are stained with children’s blood — someone pursued by international law — to presume to lecture Turkey on morality is merely an indicator of his efforts to cover up his own crimes against humanity, and it holds no validity whatsoever,” Kurtulmus said.

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, in his first official statement since the Islamabad talks ended, thanked Pakistan.

“I am also grateful for the efforts of our friendly and brotherly country, Pakistan, in facilitating the process of these negotiations, and I send my regards to the people of Pakistan,” he wrote on X.

Iran's Parliamentary Speaker, Mohammad ​Bagher Ghalibaf, said on Sunday that his country's delegation raised "forward-looking" initiatives during negotiations in Pakistan's Islamabad, but the US failed to gain the trust of the delegation in the talks.

"The US has understood Iran's logic and principles and it's time for them to decide whether they can earn our trust or not," Ghalibaf, who was among Iran's negotiating team, said in a post on X.

Iran is pushing to restore its damaged refining and distribution facilities to about 70 to 80 percent of prior capacity over the next two months, Deputy Minister of Oil ⁠Mohammad Sadegh Azimifar has said.

Speaking to the SNN news agency, Azimifar said Iran’s refineries, transmission lines, oil depots and aircraft refuelling facilities were “repeatedly attacked in all parts of the country”.

Teams have been deployed to remove debris and replace damaged equipment, including at a refinery on Lavan Island, Azimifar said.

Officials plan to relaunch operations at part of the refinery within the next 10 days, he added.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar met UAE President in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

“Deeply honoured to call on the President of the UAE, HH @MohamedBinZayed, in Abu Dhabi today. Conveyed warm greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and our gratitude for ensuring the well-being of the Indian community during the West Asia conflict. Thank him for his guidance on further strengthening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” Jaishankar wrote on X.

US-Iran war talks LIVE updates: The UK has described the stalled US-Iran negotiations in Islamabad as “disappointing,” while calling for continued diplomatic efforts.

Minister Wes Streeting said the lack of a breakthrough was a setback but not the end of the road.

“It’s obviously disappointing that we haven’t yet seen a breakthrough in negotiations and an end to this war in Iran that is a sustainable one,” he told Sky News.

“As ever in diplomacy, you’re failing, until you succeed. So while these talks may not have ended in success, [it] doesn’t mean there isn’t merit in continuing to try,” he added.

US-Iran war talks LIVE updates: Iran expects to bring most of its damaged refining and distribution facilities back to 70–80% of pre-attack capacity within one to two months, as recovery efforts continue following strikes on energy infrastructure, Reuters reported.

Deputy Oil Minister Mohammad Sadeq Azimifar said repair work is already underway.

He told the Student News Network that part of the Lavan refinery is expected to resume operations within about 10 days, with other units coming back online in phases.

US-Iran war talks LIVE updates: Iran has reportedly warned that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed unless the United States adopts what it called a “realistic outlook” in negotiations, signalling continued pressure after talks in Islamabad failed.

An Iranian security source told CNN that the situation would not change without a shift in Washington’s approach, adding that Tehran has already demonstrated its ability to enforce restrictions in the strategic waterway.

The source cautioned that any repeat of what it described as US “miscalculations” would be “to America’s detriment”.

A view of the Strait of Hormuz after negotiations between the United States and Iran in Islamabad ended without a breakthrough, leaving one of the world’s most critical waterways at the centre of tensions.

US-Iran war talks LIVE updates: US-Iran war talks LIVE updates: Iran’s Vice President for rural affairs, Hosseinzadeh on Sunday criticised US secretary of war Pete Hegseth over the use of the term “Arabian Gulf” instead of “Persian Gulf.”

In a post on X, Hosseinzadeh lashed out at Hegseth, linking the remark to broader tensions following the collapse of talks.

“Are you upset about the failure of your warmongering project? You have every right to be,” he wrote.

“Are you looking to milk the Arab countries? I get it.”

He also addressed regional governments, adding, “Not from you, but I expect my Arab brothers not to spend their money on the delusions of someone who couldn't defend them.”

“The 2500-year-old name #PersianGulf couldn't be changed by Alexander's and Mongol generals, and you're nothing more than a captain,” he said.

US-Iran war talks LIVE updates: Iran has said its talks with the United States broke down over key disagreements, pointing to a “gap” on major issues and accusing Washington of overreach.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the collapse came due to differences “over two or three important issues,” adding that the Strait of Hormuz was among the topics discussed.

He blamed “US overreach” for the impasse, but did not directly mention nuclear weapons, even as Iran’s state broadcaster earlier flagged the nuclear programme as a key sticking point, reported the Associated Press.

On the US side, Vice President JD Vance said that nuclear commitments were central to Washington’s position after the 21-hour talks.

“We need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,” Vance said.

US-Iran war talks LIVE updates: Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has called for unity and restraint, urging citizens to prioritise national interest amid ongoing regional tensions.

In a post on X marking Orthodox Easter, Salam appealed to the public to avoid divisions and stand together.

“I hope that this feast inspires all Lebanese to hold fast to our unity, to steer clear of strife, and to elevate the language of reason and the national interest so that we may together overcome the dangers facing us, and so that stability, peace, and prosperity may prevail throughout Lebanon,” he wrote.