US and Iran prepare for high-level talks as Israel and Hezbollah trade more fire

ISLAMABAD (AP) — With the ceasefire successful Iran inactive shaky, U.S. Vice President JD Vance headed Friday to Pakistan for high-level talks with Iranian officials, arsenic Israel and Hezbollah militants traded occurrence and Tehran maintained its stranglehold connected the Strait of Hormuz.

Many issues could derail the truce and the negotiations aimed astatine making a broader woody to halt the warring permanently.

Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim quality agency, adjacent to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, claimed that the talks acceptable for Saturday would not hap unless Israel stopped its attacks successful Lebanon. And U.S. President Donald Trump said connected his societal media level that Iran has nary leverage but to restrict vessel postulation successful the strait, done which 20% of the world’s traded lipid erstwhile passed.

Kuwait, meanwhile, said it was targeted by 7 drone attacks since Thursday that it blamed connected Iran and its militia allies successful the region. Though the Guard denied launching immoderate assault, it has carried retired attacks crossed the Mideast successful the past that it did not claim.

Preparations for the talks betwixt Iran and the U.S. appeared to beryllium moving forward, with Vance boarding Air Force Two for the agelong formation to Islamabad.

Elsewhere, negotiations betwixt Israel and Lebanon were expected to statesman Tuesday successful the U.S. capital, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's bureau said Friday. Beirut is keen to clasp nonstop talks to extremity the warfare betwixt Israel and Hezbollah, but nether a ceasefire akin to the 1 with Iran.

Before his departure, Vance said helium believed the negotiations with Iran volition beryllium “positive.”

But helium added, “If they’re going to effort and play us, past they’re going to find that the negotiating squad is not that receptive.”

In Islamabad, information forces locked down cardinal parts of the Pakistani capital, erecting barricades on routes from the airdrome to the city.

Hours later, the Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf arrived successful Islamabad, Iranian authorities TV reported. The delegation included security, political, military, economical and ineligible teams. The study said negotiations volition statesman lone if the different broadside accepts Iran’s preconditions.

Earlier successful the day, Qalibaf posted connected societal media that 2 points helium said had been mutually agreed connected — a ceasefire successful Lebanon and the merchandise of blocked Iranian assets — person yet to beryllium implemented.

“These 2 matters indispensable beryllium fulfilled earlier negotiations begin,” helium wrote.

Israel and Lebanon volition person nonstop negotiations

Israel’s insistence that the ceasefire successful Iran does not see a intermission successful its warring with Hezbollah has threatened to descend the deal. The militant radical joined the warfare successful enactment of its backer, Iran.

The time the truce was announced, Israel pounded Beirut with airstrikes, sidesplitting much than 300 people, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. It was the deadliest time successful the state since the warfare began Feb. 28.

Trump said Thursday that helium had asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to dial backmost the strikes.

Then connected Friday, Israeli warplanes struck adjacent a authorities information bureau successful the confederate municipality of Nabatieh, sidesplitting 13 officers, according to the Lebanese president's office. Israeli forces said they besides deed astir 10 rocket launchers successful Lebanon that had fired toward bluish Israel.

A time earlier, Netanyahu said helium authorized the negotiations with Lebanon with the purpose of disarming Hezbollah militants and establishing relations betwixt the neighbors, which person technically been astatine warfare since Israel was established successful 1948.

Aoun’s bureau confirmed that the 2 sides were acceptable to negociate aft Lebanon and Israel’s ambassadors to the U.S. held a telephone with Washington’s ambassador to Lebanon to sermon terms. The U.S. State Department volition mediate.

In a archetypal connection since Israel announced nonstop negotiations with Lebanon, Hezbollah main Naim Kassem urged Lebanese officials to halt offering “free concessions,” but helium did not instrumentality a wide stance connected the talks.

Two days aft Israel's barrage, radical sifted done the wreckage of their homes, trying to salvage furnishings and idiosyncratic mementos. Some expressed gratitude that they did not suffer loved ones.

“There is nary substitute for family,” said Wissam Tabila, 35. “Everything other tin beryllium replaced.”

Strait of Hormuz remains a sticking point

Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent lipid prices skyrocketing, driven stocks down and roiled the satellite economy. Tehran's power implicit the waterway has proved its biggest strategical vantage successful the war.

The spot terms of Brent crude, the planetary standard, was astir $97 Friday, up much than 30% since the warfare started.

Before the conflict, implicit 100 ships passed done the strait each time — galore carrying lipid to Asia. With the ceasefire successful place, lone 12 person been recorded passing through.

Trump said Iran has small clout successful the negotiations.

“The Iranians don’t look to recognize they person nary cards, different than a abbreviated word extortion of the World by utilizing International Waterways,” Trump posted Friday. “The lone crushed they are live contiguous is to negotiate!”

Questions linger astir rocket and atomic programs

Questions besides stay implicit the destiny of Iran’s rocket and atomic programs, which the U.S. and Israel sought to destruct successful going to war.

The U.S. insists Iran indispensable ne'er beryllium capable to physique atomic weapons and wants to region Tehran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which could beryllium utilized to marque them. Iran insists its programme is peaceful.

Trump has said that the U.S. would enactment with Iran to region the uranium, though Tehran has not confirmed that.

More than 3,000 radical person been killed successful Iran, a apical Iranian serviceman told the state-run Iran newspaper. Iran’s authorities has not provided immoderate definitive decease toll from the war.

In Lebanon, astatine slightest 1,953 radical person been killed and 1 cardinal person been displaced. Over a twelve radical person died successful Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, portion 23 civilians were killed successful Israel. Thirteen U.S. work members person been killed.

In different developments, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces changeable down Iranian‑designed Shahed drones successful respective Middle Eastern countries during the Iran war. The missions, carried retired with domestically produced interceptor drones, were portion of efforts to assistance partners antagonistic the aforesaid weapons Russia uses successful Ukraine, helium said.

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Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Mednick from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Will Weissert and Aamer Madhani successful Washington; Hannah Schoenbaum successful Salt Lake City; and Kareem Chehayeb and Hussein Malla successful Beirut contributed to this report.

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