Iran news highlights: Trump says Tehran to make offer as per US demands; Araghchi-led team in Pakistan
Iran news highlights: The war has rattled energy markets since it started at the end of February, with the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz causing a sharp drop in flows from major oil and gas producers in the Persian Gulf.
Iran news highlights: Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi who landed in Pakistan on Friday has no scheduled meeting with US, Iran state TV reported. But Pakistan can convey Iran's concerns for ending conflict, the state TV reporter told broadcaster's website. Iran foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said np meeting is planned between US and Iran in Pakistan....Read More
Follow US-Iran talks live updates here.
US President Donald Trump's special envoy to Middle East Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner will travel to Pakistan on Saturday morning for talks with Iran, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.
Vice president JD Vance is currently not planning to attend, but will be on standby to travel to Islamabad if negotiations progress, CNN reported.
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency had earlier today reported that foreign minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Pakistan, and thereafter visit Russia and Oman.
Israel attacks Lebanon after ceasefire announcement
Hours after US President Donald Trump announced a three-week extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, Israeli warplanes carried out new strikes on southern Lebanon on Friday, Al Jazeera reported citing local media.
Two raids targeted the town of Touline, while a separate strike hit Khirbet Selm, the Lebanon 24 news outlet said.
US deploys third carrier near Middle East
US military on Thursday confirmed that USS George HW Bush aircraft carrier has arrived in the Middle East, bringing the number of the massive American warships operating in the region to three.
The Bush was sailing "in the Indian Ocean in the US Central Command area of responsibility, April 23," the military command responsible for the Middle East said in a post on X. The post also had an image of the carrier with its deck packed with warplanes.
A second carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, was operating in the Red Sea on Thursday, while a third carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, is also in the region.
The deployment of the third aircraft carrier to the Middle East comes during a more than two-week ceasefire that paused the devastating US-Israeli air campaign against Iran that was launched in late February.
Israel Lebanon extends ceasefire
US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to extend a ceasefire between by three weeks after talks at the White House.
Trump said the meeting between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States, the second in the past week, went “very well,” but during an Oval Office gathering he acknowledged that “they do have Hezbollah to think about.”
Trump rules out using nuclear weapons on Iran
Trump on Thursday said that he would not use a nuclear weapon in the war against Iran. Talking to the reporters at White House he said, "Why would I use a nuclear weapon? We've totally, in a very conventional way, decimated them without it."
US President also added that nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody. When asked how long he was willing to wait for a long-term peace deal with Iran, Trump said, "Don't rush me."
Trump says ‘could knock out’ Iran's weaponry
Trump said Iran might have loaded up their weaponry "a little bit" during the two-week ceasefire, but added that the U.S. military could knock that out in about one day.
"Their navy is gone. Their air force is gone, their anti-aircraft is gone ...maybe they loaded up a little bit during the two-week hiatus, but we'll knock that out about one day, if they did," Trump added.
Meanwhile, prospective peace talks in Pakistan were hanging in the balance, with no sign of a return to diplomacy to end a standoff in the Strait of Hormuz. Second round of talks could not take off as Iran refused to attend the negotiations in Pakistan over its demands, including insistence on nuclear rights.
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- 25 Apr 2026, 07:35:07 AM IST
This blog is closed.
This blog has been closed and won't be updated. Follow updates related to US-Iran peace talks here.
- 25 Apr 2026, 07:30:15 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Key points so far
Iran news LIVE updates: Here are the key points so far:
- 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 Karolien Leavitt said in an interview on Fox News Channel that the two will have talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
- Shortly after Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi touched down in Pakistan, his government made it clear that there would be no direct negotiations with the US government representatives during this visit.
- The Trump administration said on Friday it had imposed sanctions on an independent "teapot" refinery in China for buying billions of dollars' worth of Iranian oil.
- Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed six people Friday, the Lebanese health ministry said, despite an ongoing ceasefire in the more than six-week war between Israel and Hezbollah.
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- 25 Apr 2026, 07:06:43 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: UK PM vows legislation to ban Iran Guards, says report
Iran news LIVE updates: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to propose legislation within weeks to proscribe Iran's Revolutionary Guards, a report said Friday.
Starmer made the comments while speaking to the Jewish Chronicle newspaper during a visit Thursday to a London synagogue targeted by arsonists nearly a week ago.
The commitment comes after the European Union in January agreed to designate Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a "terrorist organisation" over a deadly crackdown on mass protests.
"In relation to malign state actors more generally, proscription, we do need legislation in order to take necessary measures, and that is legislation that we're bringing forward as soon as we can," Starmer said when asked about the prospect of proscribing the Guards, news agency AFP reported.
- 25 Apr 2026, 06:46:50 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Bessent rules out renewal of Iranian and Russian oil waivers
Iran news LIVE updates: 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.
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- 25 Apr 2026, 06:31:58 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: US imposes sanctions on Chinese 'teapot' refinery for buying Iranian oil
Iran news LIVE updates: The Trump administration said on Friday it had imposed sanctions on an independent "teapot" refinery in China for buying billions of dollars' worth of Iranian oil, as Washington and Tehran head into another round of peace talks over the weekend.
The treasury department targeted Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery, which it said is one of Iran's largest customers of crude oil and petroleum products. The department's Office of Foreign Assets Control said it also imposed sanctions on about 40 shipping companies and vessels that operate as part of Iran's shadow fleet.
China has said it opposes "illegal" unilateral sanctions.
(With Reuters inputs)
- 25 Apr 2026, 06:15:41 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: No direct talks planned with US in Pakistan, says Iran
Iran news LIVE updates: Shortly after Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi touched down in Pakistan, his government made it clear that there would be no direct negotiations with the US 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 US." 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."
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- 25 Apr 2026, 06:01:41 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Trump decided to send Witkoff and Kushner to hear the Iranians out: US press secy
Iran news LIVE updates: 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 Karolien 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.
Leavitt told reporters the president decided to send Witkoff and Kushner “to hear the Iranians out.”
- 25 Apr 2026, 04:51:10 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: ‘Iran has a chance to make a deal…’: Hegseth
Iran news LIVE updates: The United States has intensified its military and maritime pressure on Iran, with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announcing an expanded naval blockade that officials say is growing in scale and reach. The move comes amid heightened tensions and is being framed by the administration as part of a broader strategy to compel Iran toward a nuclear agreement.
In a statement outlining the latest developments, Hegseth emphasized both diplomatic and military pathways, while asserting that enforcement actions are already underway across key waterways.
"Iran has an important choice, a chance to make a deal, a good deal, a wise deal. As part of that effort, the U.S. has closed an ironclad blockade. It grows more powerful by the day, from the Gulf of Oman to the open oceans. Our Navy is enforcing this blockade. As usual, there's a lot of false information out there. I'll say this: every ship that the U.S. believes meets our criteria, either Iranian ships or to and from Iranian ports, has been turned around. As of this morning, 34 total non-Iranian vessels are allowed to transit and many have, including overnight. Not only is the blockade growing-in fact, a second aircraft carrier will join the blockade in just a few days-but this growing blockade has also gone global. Just this week, we seized two Iranian 'dark fleet' ships in the Indo-Pacific region that had left Iranian ports before the blockade went into effect. Because they made it out just in time, we seized the sanctioned ships, and we will seize more. Our blockade is growing and going global. America's military is unmatched, projecting power, denying passage to adversaries and protecting our interests at the time and place of our choosing".
via ANI
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- 25 Apr 2026, 04:49:14 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Israeli strikes kill six in Lebanon Friday: health ministry
Iran news LIVE updates: Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed six people Friday, the Lebanese health ministry said, despite an ongoing ceasefire in the more than six-week war between Israel and Hezbollah.
"The Israeli enemy's airstrikes on southern Lebanon today, April 24, resulted in the martyrdom of six citizens and the injury of two others," the ministry said in a statement.
Two people were killed in Wadi al-Hujair, two were killed in Touline, and one each in Srifa and Yater, all in southern Lebanon, the ministry said.
The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, also announced on Friday that an Indonesian blue helmet died in hospital of wounds suffered on March 29 in an attack on his base.
via AFP
- 25 Apr 2026, 04:48:27 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Iran says no direct talks with US in Islamabad are planned
Iran news LIVE updates: 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.
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- 25 Apr 2026, 04:15:24 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Bessent rules out renewal of Iranian and Russian oil waivers
Iran news LIVE updates: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday that the U.S. 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.
- 25 Apr 2026, 03:34:24 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: US won't renew Iranian and Russian oil waivers, Bessent says
Iran news LIVE updates: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday that the U.S. does not plan to renew a waiver allowing the purchase of Russian oil and petroleum products that are currently at sea. And, he said, a renewal of the 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.”
"And we think in the next two, three days, they’re going to have to start shuttering production, which will be very bad for their wells.”
Bessent's statements come as the world is on edge over the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran, and global energy markets have been ensnarled by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
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- 25 Apr 2026, 03:22:13 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Iran says no meeting planned with US
Iran news LIVE updates: Iran has said that there is no meeting planned between foreign minister Abbas Araghchi-led delegation with the US. Araghchi landed in Islamabad on Friday night, while the US confirmed talks saying Iran requested for in-person meeting.
“No meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the U.S. Iran's observations would be conveyed to Pakistan,” Esmail Baghaei, Iran foreign ministry spokesperson, said.
- 25 Apr 2026, 02:43:43 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Iran plans to make an offer aimed at satisfying US demands: Trump
Iran news LIVE updates: US President Donald Trump told Reuters on Friday that Iran plans to make an offer aimed at satisfying US demands, but said he did not yet know what the offer entailed.
When asked who the US was negotiating with, Trump said: "I don't want to say that, but we're dealing with the people that are in charge now."
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- 25 Apr 2026, 02:25:13 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: UK PM vows legislation to ban Iran Guards: Report
Iran news LIVE updates: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to propose legislation within weeks to proscribe Iran's Revolutionary Guards, a report said Friday.
Starmer made the comments while speaking to the Jewish Chronicle newspaper during a visit Thursday to a London synagogue targeted by arsonists nearly a week ago.
The commitment comes after the European Union in January agreed to designate Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a "terrorist organisation" over a deadly crackdown on mass protests.
"In relation to malign state actors more generally, proscription, we do need legislation in order to take necessary measures, and that is legislation that we're bringing forward as soon as we can," Starmer said when asked about the prospect of proscribing the Guards.
"We go into a new session (of parliament) in a few weeks' time and we'll bring that legislation forward," he added.
via AFP
- 25 Apr 2026, 02:20:24 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Kuwait says two drones from Iraq hit northern border posts, no casualties
Iran news LIVE updates: Kuwait's army said two drones launched from Iraq targeted two northern border posts on Friday, causing damage. It added there were no casualties.
Iraq's prime minister ordered an investigative committee to examine the attack and identify those responsible, Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari said, adding Iraq condemned the attack in a call with his Kuwaiti counterpart.
via Reuters
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- 25 Apr 2026, 02:03:29 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Iran Guards seize ship suspected of collaborating with US
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say they seized a ship suspected of collaborating with the US military after it committed violations and ignored warnings, Tasnim News Agency reported.
via Reuters
- 25 Apr 2026, 01:21:21 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Pak to convey Iran's talks proposal to US: Report
Iran news LIVE updates: Amid confusion over Iran's participation in high-stakes talks with the US in Pakistan over the weekend, reports suggest that Pakistan will convey Iran's proposal for talks to US as Iran delegates have ‘no plans’ to meet the US officials. Reuters quoted two Pakistani government sources saying that Iran foreign minister Araghchi's visit would be brief and focus on Iran's proposals for talks with the US, which mediator Pakistan would then convey to Washington.
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- 25 Apr 2026, 01:10:44 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Araghchi has no scheduled meeting with US: Report
Iran news LIVE updates: Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi who is landed in Pakistan on Friday has no scheduled meeting with US, Iran state TV reporter was quoted as saying. But Pakistan can convey Iran's concerns for ending conflict, the reporter told broadcaster's website.
via Reuters
- 25 Apr 2026, 12:31:44 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Talks or no talks? Araghchi in Islamabad, US team to leave on Saturday morning
Iran news LIVE updates: Iran foreign minister has landed in Islamabad amid chatter over second round of talks between Tehran and Washington in Pakistani capital city. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will leave for Pakistan on Saturday morning as White House confirmed talks. However, Al Jazeera quoted an Iranian official saying that there won't be any talks with the US as Araghchi is visiting Pakistan, Oman and Russia to discuss regional developments.
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- 25 Apr 2026, 12:24:23 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Iranian foreign minister arrives in Islamabad
Iran news LIVE updates: 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.
- 25 Apr 2026, 12:19:52 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: US sanctions wallets tied to Iran, freezing $344 million in cryptocurrency, says Bessent
Iran news LIVE updates: The U.S. Treasury Department is sanctioning multiple wallets tied to Iran, thereby freezing $344 million in cryptocurrency, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement on X.
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- 25 Apr 2026, 12:06:12 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: US sanctions China-based refinery over Iran oil
Iran news LIVE updates: The United States has imposed sanctions on China-based oil refinery and dozens of firms and tankers over accusations of shipping Iranian oil, the Associated Press reported.
The sanctions come just weeks ahead of President Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping meeting in China.
This marks Trump administration's fresh bid to choke Iran's oil exports, its key source of revenue. The US administration led by President Donald Trump also imposed a physical blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf waterway that is crucial to global energy supplies. Read full story here
- 24 Apr 2026, 11:35:33 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Vance on standby, says White House
Iran news LIVE updates: Vice President JD Vance, the lead negotiator for the US, will not be headed to Pakistan for now, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “JD Vance is on standby and will be willing to dispatch to Pakistan if we feel it’s a necessary use of his time,” she said.
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- 24 Apr 2026, 11:23:39 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Araghchi to be in Pakistan, no word on attending talks
Iran news LIVE updates: Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi is set to be in Pakistan but hasn’t publicly agreed to sit down with Trump’s representatives. No talks are slated to take place between US and Iranian officials during the foreign minister’s trip, semi-official Tasnim news agency reported earlier.
Araghchi earlier posted on social media that the purpose of his travel is to “closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments.” Still, Leavitt claimed the Iranians had reached out to the US to arrange a fresh round of talks.
“We’re hopeful that it will be a productive conversation and hopefully move the ball forwards towards a deal,” Leavitt said on Fox. She later told reporters that the US has “certainly seen some progress from the Iranian side in the past couple of days,” without elaborating.
via Bloomberg
- 24 Apr 2026, 10:56:55 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: We have seen some progress from Iran, says White House
Iran news LIVE updates: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday that the US had seen some progress from the Iranian side in recent days, adding that they hoped more will be made in weekend talks, Reuters news agency reported.
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- 24 Apr 2026, 10:54:47 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: White House says Iran asked for in-person meeting
Iran news LIVE updates: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Friday that Iran had reached out, and asked for an in-person meeting.
Leavitt said that US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner will travel to Islamabad on Saturday morning for talks with Iran.
- 24 Apr 2026, 10:50:32 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: White House says US envoy Witkoff, Jared Kushner to leave for Pak on Saturday morning
Iran news LIVE updates: US President Donald Trump's special envoy to Middle East and his son-in-law Jared Kushner will travel to Pakistan on Saturday morning for talks with Iran, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.
This comes after Iran confirmed foreign minister Abbas Araghchi's visit to Islamabad.
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- 24 Apr 2026, 10:18:55 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Russian foreign minister, Pak counterpart discuss West Asia situation
Iran news LIVE updates: Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, held a phone call on Friday to discuss the situation in West Asia.
In a statement released after their conversation, Russia said Lavrov had praised Pakistan's mediation efforts to reach lasting peace between US and Iran.
- 24 Apr 2026, 10:16:39 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: ‘Full freedom of action against any threat,’ says Netanyahu amid ceasefire
Iran news LIVE updates: Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday said the country had “full freedom of action against any threat”, amid reports of strikes in southern Lebanon.
“We struck yesterday and we struck today. We are determined to restore security to the residents of the north,” The Times of Israel cited Netanyahu as saying.
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- 24 Apr 2026, 10:14:31 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Iran FM Araghchi's regional visit to include consultations on efforts to end conflict
Iran news LIVE updates: Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi's visit to Pakistan, and thereafter to Oman and Russia, will include consulations on efforts to end the war, Reuters news agency cited the foreign ministry spokesperson as saying.
- 24 Apr 2026, 10:05:25 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Trump to send Witkoff, Kushner for talks with Iran FM
Iran news LIVE updates: US President Donald Trump will send special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad for talks with Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, two administration officials familiar with the matter told CNN.
Vice President JD Vance is not currently planning to attend but he will be on standby to travel to Islamabad if negotiations progress, CNN reported.
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- 24 Apr 2026, 08:50:43 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Hezbollah ‘trying to sabotage’ peace efforts with Lebanon, says Israeli PM Netanyahu
Iran news LIVE updates: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Friday said Hezbollah was “trying to sabotage” the peace efforts between Israel and Lebanon.
“We have started a process to reach a historic peace between Israel and Lebanon, and it's clear to us that Hezbollah is trying to sabotage this,” AFP cited Netanyahu as saying in first remarks after a ceasefire with Lebanon.
- 24 Apr 2026, 08:34:46 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Iran FM says ‘our neighbours are our priority’ as he heads to Pak
Iran news LIVE updates: Ahead of his visit to Pakistan's Capital Islamabad, Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi asserted that “our neighbours are our priority”, Reuters news agency reported.
Araghchi will make a brief visit to Islamabad, wherein he will hold bilateral talks and convey his side of the proposal, which will then be relayed to the United States. Araghchi will thereafter visit Oman and Russia.
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- 24 Apr 2026, 08:24:09 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Too early to talk about sanctions relief for Iran, says European Council chief
Iran news LIVE updates: European Council chief Antonio Costa told a joint press conference on Friday that it was too early to talk about relieving Iran of any kind of sanctions, Reuters news agency reported.
Costa was speaking after a meeting of EU leaders in Cyprus.
- 24 Apr 2026, 07:47:51 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Iran FM will discuss his side of proposal during Pak visit, which will be conveyed to US, says report
Iran news LIVE updates: Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi will discuss his side of the proposal for talks with the US during his Islamabad visit, which will then be conveyed to American negotiators, two Pakistani sources told Reuters news agency.
The sources said Araghchi will be on a brief visit to Islamabad for bilateral talks.
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- 24 Apr 2026, 07:35:45 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Israel strikes southern Lebanon town after evacuation order
Iran news LIVE updates: Three Israeli strikes hit the town of Deir Aames in southern Lebanon, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported, according to Al Jazeera.
Israel had earlier asked residents in the area to evacuate. The strikes come amid a 10-day ceasefire, which US President Donald Trump said will be extended for another three weeks.
- 24 Apr 2026, 07:33:13 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: ‘High likelihood of breakthrough’ in talks, says report
Iran news LIVE updates: There is a “high likelihood of a breakthrough” in US-Iran talks in Islamabad, Al Jazeera cited government sources as saying. Iran's state news agency reported that foreign minister Abbas Araghchi is headed to Islamabad.
Araghchi earlier today spoke to Pakistan foreign affairs minister Ishaq Dar, with both sides discussing regional issues and ceasefire.
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- 24 Apr 2026, 07:22:21 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: US Pentagon chief says two Iranian ‘dark fleet’ ships intercepted
Iran news LIVE updates: US defense secretary Pete Hegseth said that the American military had seized two Iranian “dark fleet” ships that left Iranian ports before the blockade came into effect.
- 24 Apr 2026, 07:21:04 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: ‘Wake up call for countries around the world,’ says US Pentagon chief on Hormuz closure
Iran news LIVE updates: US Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth addressed a press conference, saying the closure of the Strait of Hormuz was a “wake up call for countries around the world.”
“Either you have capabilities, or you don’t. Otherwise, you’re at the behest of a country like Iran, and the only country that can do something about it is the US military,” Al Jazeera cited Hegseth as saying. Hegseth further said the US would “welcome a serious European effort” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, adding that it's energy capabilities were the “most at stake.”
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- 24 Apr 2026, 07:11:13 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Hormuz blockade ‘going global,' warns US Pentagon chief
Iran news LIVE updates: US defense secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday that the American blockade on the Strait of Hormuz was “going global.”
“Our blockade is growing and going global,” Reuters news agency cited Hegseth as saying. “No one sails from the Strait of Hormuz to anywhere in the world without the permission of the United States Navy,” the Pentagon chief said. Hegseth said that US was “not anxious” for a deal with Iran, but said that Tehran had an “open window to choose wisely” during negotiations.
“All they have to do is abandon a nuclear weapon in meaningful and verifiable ways,” Hegseth said.
- 24 Apr 2026, 06:59:31 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: European Council chief Costa says Hormuz reopening ‘vital’ for world
Iran news LIVE updates: European Council President António Costa has said that it is “vital” for the world that the Strait of Hormuz be reopened, AFP reported.
The strait has been effectively closed to most vessels since the start of the conflict in West Asia.
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- 24 Apr 2026, 06:57:03 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Iran state-run agency confirms FM Araghchi headed to Pak
Iran news LIVE updates: Iran's state-run IRNA news agency is reporting that foreign minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Pakistan.
The state-run agency also said that Araghchi is also scheduled to visit Oman and Russia thereafter, the Associated Press reported.
- 24 Apr 2026, 05:22:36 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: UAE official says rebuilding trust with Iran will take ‘ages and ages’
Iran news LIVE updates: An official from the United Arab Emirates said on Friday that rebuilding the country's trust with Iran will take “ages and ages”, AFP reported.
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- 24 Apr 2026, 05:20:36 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Switzerland to gradually reopen Tehran embassy
Iran news LIVE updates: The Swiss government said on Friday it was gradually reopening its embassy in Iran, sending a small team of diplomats this week, Reuters news agency reported.
The embassy had been closed temporarily on March 11 following security concerns amid the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
- 24 Apr 2026, 05:07:59 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Iran foreign minister Araghchi likely to reach Islamabad today, says report
Iran news LIVE updates: Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to arrive in Islamabad on Friday night with a small team, Reuters news agency reported citing a government source.
The source said that the United States logistics and security team is already in Islamabad for the talks, which are likely to take place.
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- 24 Apr 2026, 03:35:21 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport to resume international flights from Saturday
Iran news LIVE updates: Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport will resume international flights from Saturday, AFP cited the ISNA news agency as reporting.
This comes after Iran reopened its airspace during the ceasefire with US and Israel. The first flights to resume will be to Istanbul and Muscat.
Officials announced last week that Mashhad airport, which serves the country's second city in the far northeast, would reopen on Monday.
- 24 Apr 2026, 03:30:38 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Kuwait said two drones from Iraq hit its border posts, no casualties
Iran news LIVE updates: Kuwait's army said Friday that two drones launched from Iraq had targeted its two northern border posts, Reuters news agency reported.
However, while the drones caused damage at the border posts, no casualties were reported in the incident.
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- 24 Apr 2026, 02:58:31 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Ukraine's Zelensky to visit Saudi Arabia, hold talks with Crown Prince
Iran news LIVE updates: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Saudi Arabia on Friday and hold talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, AFP reported citing a senior official from Kyiv as saying.
Zelensky has forged close ties with several Gulf countries amid the US-Israel war with Iran, striking defence deals to share Kyiv's expertise in downing drones. Kyiv had also earlier dispatched dozens of military specialists and drone interceptors to several countries in the region, where they were used to shoot down incoming Iranian drones.
- 24 Apr 2026, 02:41:04 PM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Amid ceasefire extension, Israel destroys houses in southern Lebanon town
Iran news LIVE updates: The Israeli army has destroyed houses in the southern Lebanese town of Khiam, located north of the Israeli border, Al Jazeera reported.
This comes even as US President Donald Trump announced a three-week extension to the fragile truce in Lebanon.
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