Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to visit Pakistan, a venue for earlier backchannel diplomacy with the United States, raising cautious hopes that stalled talks between Tehran and Washington could resume.
Iranian state media reported that Araghchi had begun a regional tour including Islamabad, Muscat and Moscow, though it made no mention of any planned negotiations with the US.
Two Pakistani government sources told Reuters that his arrival in Islamabad on Friday night could signal a possible restart of talks, although there has been no confirmation and Washington’s response is still awaited.
A US logistics and security team is already in place in anticipation of potential discussions, Reuters reported.
Al Jazeera, citing Iranian state news agency IRNA, said the visit to Pakistan was officially bilateral, focused on meetings with Pakistani officials rather than negotiations with the US.
Pakistan has been acting as an intermediary between Tehran and Washington and has spent the past week preparing to host a second round of talks, causing disruption in parts of the capital.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon would be extended by three weeks following fresh talks between their envoys in Washington.
In a post on Truth Social, he said the discussions “went very well” and added that the US would work with Lebanon to help it “protect itself from Hezbollah”.
The ceasefire, announced after talks in Washington last week, had been due to expire on Sunday and aims to end more than seven weeks of fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed group Hezbollah.
Trump also said he hoped to host Israeli and Lebanese leaders “in the near future”.
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun has meanwhile intensified diplomatic efforts in Europe, seeking support to stabilise the country and reinforce the fragile truce.
He held meetings in Cyprus on the sidelines of an informal European Union gathering with leaders from the Middle East and North Africa, hosted by Cypriot Prime Minister Nikos Christodoulides.
However, reports of ceasefire violations have emerged. An Israeli air strike was reported in a village, while the Israeli military issued evacuation orders instructing residents to move at least one kilometre away. The sound of warplanes has continued in recent days despite the truce.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran still has an opportunity to reach an agreement, urging what he described as a “good, wise deal”.
He said the US naval blockade of Iranian ports was expanding and that maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz was continuing but at reduced levels and with increased risk.
“Iran is doing irresponsible things,” he said, warning that any attempts to lay mines would be treated as a violation of the ceasefire.
Speaking alongside US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, top US General Dan Caine said the US would continue to conduct interdictions in Pacific and Indian oceans against Iranian vessels.
“We’re closely tracking vessels of interest headed towards Iran and those moving away from Iran that were outside the blockade area when this blockade was ordered,” he said.
“And as everyone saw this past weekend, we’re prepared and postured to intercept them.”
Strait of Hormuz remains effectively blocked
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen dramatically, with only a handful of vessels transiting the crucial waterway in the past 24 hours, according to Reuters.
Data on Friday showed just five ships, including an Iranian oil products tanker, passed through the strait — a steep decline from the roughly 140 daily transits recorded before the recent US-Iran conflict.
Among the vessels was the Comoros-flagged supertanker Helga, which reached an offshore oil loading terminal at Iraq’s southern Basra port. It is only the second ship to arrive in Iraq since the strait effectively closed.
Industry experts say the disruption reflects growing security concerns among global shipping operators.
“For most shipping companies, they will need a stable ceasefire and assurances from both sides of the conflict that the Strait of Hormuz is safe to transit,” said BIMCO Chief Safety and Security Officer Jakob Larsen.
He added that, for now, vessels are being forced to use narrower routes along the coasts of Iran and Oman.
“Due to their confined nature, these routes cannot safely accommodate the normal volumes of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Larsen said.
The sharp slowdown in traffic underlines the vulnerability of one of the world’s most critical energy corridors, raising concerns over global supply chains and oil markets.
China rejects Trump claim over seized Iran ship
China has dismissed claims by US President Donald Trump that an Iranian-flagged cargo ship intercepted by American forces was a “gift from China”.
The US said it fired on and seized the vessel after it attempted to evade a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Iran’s military said the ship had been travelling from China, though it did not provide further details about its cargo.
Speaking to CNBC on Tuesday, Trump suggested the vessel may have carried suspicious items.
“It had some things on it, which was not very nice. A gift from China perhaps, I do not know,” he said.
China’s foreign ministry rejected the remarks.
“China opposes any accusations and associations that lack a factual basis,” spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing.
