The Strait of Hormuz remains closed and Israeli strikes on Lebanon have intensified, as tensions mount despite a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran ahead of planned peace talks in Pakistan.
The talks, due to begin on Saturday, are expected to be the first formal attempt to ease the conflict.
US Vice President JD Vance, who is set to lead the American delegation, said he remained cautiously optimistic.
“If they are going to try to play us, then they are going to find the negotiating team is not that receptive,” he said, according to Reuters.
The ceasefire, now in its second day, has halted US and Israeli air strikes on Iran.
However, it has not led to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil shipments, where disruption has triggered significant energy supply concerns.
It has also failed to halt Israel’s parallel military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
US President Donald Trump accused Iran of restricting oil flows through the strait and warned Tehran against imposing transit fees.
“That is not the agreement we have,” he said in a social media post.
Iran, meanwhile, has condemned Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon as a violation of the ceasefire.
Israeli forces launched what officials described as one of the largest strikes of the conflict within hours of the truce announcement, reportedly killing more than 250 people in densely populated areas.
Strikes continued across southern Lebanon on Friday, with more than a dozen people reported killed, including eight members of the Lebanese state security forces, according to state media.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that continued Israeli action could undermine diplomacy, reports Al Jazeera.
“If the US chooses to damage its own economic interests by allowing Israel to derail the ceasefire, that would be its decision,” he said, adding that Tehran was prepared for such an outcome.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said instructions had been issued to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon, although Israeli officials also signalled that military operations would continue.
Iran and Pakistan, which helped broker the ceasefire, have argued that the truce should apply to Lebanon.
The United States and Israel maintain that the agreement does not cover the conflict there.
Iran’s military said it remained on high alert, citing repeated “breaches of trust” by the US and Israel.
It also signalled it would retain control over the Strait of Hormuz, raising further uncertainty over global energy supplies.
Islamabad tightens security
Pakistan says preparations are on track for US-Iran peace talks due to begin on Saturday in Islamabad, despite rising tensions elsewhere in the region.
A Pakistani official told Reuters that “everything is on track” for the negotiations, adding that earlier signs of reduced violence in Lebanon had been seen as a positive development.
Advance teams from both countries have already arrived and are staying at the Serena Hotel in central Islamabad, where the talks are expected to take place.
No face-to-face meetings were scheduled, with Pakistan acting as an intermediary by relaying messages between the two sides, the official said.
Security has been tightened across the capital.
Authorities imposed a sudden public holiday and sealed off a three-kilometre “red zone” around the hotel, placing the city centre under lockdown.
Aggressors will not go unpunished: Mojtaba Khamenei
Meanwhile, Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since succeeding his father killed at the start of the war, issued a defiant statement.
“We will certainly not leave unpunished the criminal aggressors who attacked our country,” he said, also signalling that Tehran would seek compensation for wartime damage.
The United States is expected to press Iran to hand over enriched uranium, halt further enrichment, curb its missile programme and end support for regional allies – long-standing demands from previous negotiations.
In a separate development, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed officials to begin direct talks with Lebanon, marking a shift after earlier rejecting calls from Beirut.
A US State Department official confirmed that Washington would host an Israeli-Lebanese meeting next week, reports BBC.
The conflict in Lebanon has displaced around one-fifth of the population since Israel launched operations against Hezbollah last month, following attacks by the group in support of Iran.
Iranian officials have also set conditions for negotiations.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf said a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran’s frozen assets must take place before talks can proceed.
He said both measures had already been agreed but were yet to be implemented.
Kuwait says Iranian attacks targeted facilities
Kuwait’s army says it “dealt with” seven drones fired from Iran into its airspace over the past 24 hours, some targeting National Guard-affiliated facilities and injuring personnel, reports Al Jazeera.
In a statement, the Kuwaiti army said the injured personnel are in stable condition receiving treatment.
It follows Kuwaiti media reports yesterday of a National Guard facility sustaining damage by hostile drones. Iran’s IRGC at the time claimed its armed forces had “not launched any missiles at any country during the ceasefire hours”.
War pushes Us inflation to near-four-year high
The disruption to energy supplies has fed inflation and slowed the global economy, with an impact expected to last for months even if negotiators succeed in reopening the strait.
US monthly inflation data released on Friday, the first to show the impact of the war, showed consumer prices rose by 0.9% in March, the fastest rate since the mid-2022 inflation shock that eroded support for Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden.
As has been the case throughout the war, Iran’s own ships were sailing through the strait unimpeded on Friday, while those of other countries remained hemmed inside.
Among the handful of vessels to cross on Friday was an Iranian supertanker capable of carrying 2 million barrels of crude. Before the war, 140 ships would cross in a typical day, including tankers carrying 20 million barrels.
Daily shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to less than 10% of its historical average after the start of the US-Israel war.
