Optimism grew Thursday that the war in West Asia may be near an end, with Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir in Tehran and the administration of President Donald Trump talking up hopes for a deal that would open the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
US and Iranian officials were weighing a return to Pakistan for further talks as early as the coming weekend, after negotiations hosted ended 12 April without a breakthrough.
Israel’s cabinet also met Wednesday to discuss a possible ceasefire in neighbouring Lebanon, more than six weeks after Tel Aviv said it was attacking Iran-backed Hezbollah there.
According to Lebanese officials, a ceasefire could be announced soon, the Financial Times reported. Ending the fighting in Lebanon was a key sticking point in earlier peace talks, along with how to deal with Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Trump and Israel on 28 February began the war, triggering Iranian attacks on its Gulf neighbours as well as reigniting the Israel-Hezbollah conflict. Stock markets have rallied strongly in recent days on expectations of a swift resolution to the fighting, with indexes surging Wednesday as crude oil prices steadied.
US-Israel & Iran war | Live updates
11.15 am: China urges Iran to open Strait
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi to make efforts to restore normal navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, BBC reported. Wang added that Iran’s sovereignty and security in the strait should be respected and safeguarded.
Earlier, China had called the US naval blockade of Iranian ports “irresponsible and dangerous”, with the foreign ministry saying that such a move would “undermine” an “already fragile ceasefire”.
11.00 am: Trump says Lebanon-Israel to hold talks
US President Donald Trump said the leaders of Lebanon and Israel will hold talks, expected Thursday, for the first time in decades.
“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. Nice! President DJT,” the President said in a post on Truth Social Wednesday.
Israel and Lebanon held rare talks between government envoys in Washington earlier in the week. “These negotiations have not taken place for over 40 years. They are happening now because we are very strong, and countries are coming to us – not only Lebanon,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said.
According to senior Israeli officials, Netanyahu government has been under heavy pressure from Washington to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Tel Aviv’s offensive has killed more than 2,000 people and displaced 1.2 million.
10.30 am: A recap
US pressure tactics on Iran ally China: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent predicted that China’s purchase of Iranian oil would “pause” given the U.S. blockade on vessels calling at Iranian ports. He said the US could impose secondary sanctions on countries that purchase Iranian crude. China typically bought about 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports.
Trump said Wednesday he had told Chinese President Xi Jinping not to give Iran weapons, which Xi had said he wasn’t. Trump also said that China was very happy he was “permanently opening” the Strait of Hormuz. “I am doing it for them, also – And the World,” he wrote on social media, adding: “President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks.”
The blockage: During the first 48 hours of the US blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports, no vessels made it past American forces, the country’s military said. But Iran’s Fars News agency said an Iranian supertanker subject to US sanctions crossed the strait towards Iran’s Imam Khomeini port despite the blockade. Fars did not identify the tanker or give further details of its voyage.
Iran’s joint military command Wednesday warned it would halt trade flows in the Gulf, the Sea of Oman and the Red Sea, which connects to the Suez Canal, if the US blockade continued.
Negotiations: Iran’s nuclear ambitions were a key sticking point at last weekend’s talks. The US proposed a 20-year suspension of all nuclear activity by Iran, an apparent concession from longstanding demands for a permanent ban, while Tehran suggested a halt of three to five years, according to people familiar with the proposals. Washington has also pressed for any enriched nuclear material to be removed from Iran, while Tehran has demanded that international sanctions against it be lifted.
One source involved in the talks said back-channel discussions had made progress in narrowing gaps, bringing the two sides closer to a deal that could be presented at a new round of talks.
Source: Reuters
8.30 am: US ‘feels good’ about possibility of a deal
“We feel good about the prospects of a deal,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a news conference Wednesday, calling conversations mediated by Pakistan “productive and ongoing”. But she denied reports that the US had formally requested an extension of a two-week ceasefire agreed by the two sides on 8 April.
More in-person talks had not yet been confirmed but would likely take place in Pakistan again, Leavitt said.
8.00 am: Asim Munir in Tehran
Pakistan army chief and key figure in the mediation, Field Marshal Asim Munir, arrived in Tehran Wednesday to try to prevent a renewal of the war. Currently, the conflict has been paused for a two-week ceasefire that is due to end on 22 April. A senior Iranian source told Reuters that Munir, who had mediated the last round of talks, would seek “to narrow gaps” between the two sides.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X welcoming Munir and said Tehran was committed to “promoting peace and stability in the region”.
Source: Reuters