Iran Defense Ministry Says US Seeks ‘Face-Saving’ Exit From War

Iran cast the United States as a power looking for a way out of a deepening conflict, as senior US envoys travelled to Pakistan for what Washington hopes will be a new push toward peace.

“Our military power today is a dominant force, and the enemy is looking for a face-saving way to escape the war quagmire it has become trapped in,” media outlet ISNA quoted a ministry spokesperson as saying.

The remarks came as Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner headed for Islamabad, although Iranian state media said direct negotiations were not expected.

Iran’s foreign minister has arrived in Pakistan and US envoys headed to Islamabad in a bid to kickstart a new round of peace negotiations amid a fragile ceasefire.

Even after US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that a ceasefire in Lebanon would be extended by three weeks, violence continued. Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed six people yesterday, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

Mr Trump struck an upbeat tone about the chances of securing lasting peace in Lebanon, but reaching a broader agreement to halt the wider Middle East war remains far more complicated, especially as pressure builds to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial artery for global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner would head to Pakistan today “to engage in talks with representatives from the Iranian delegation.”

“The Iranians reached out, as the president called on them to do, and asked for this in-person conversation,” Ms Leavitt said, adding that the talks would “hopefully move the ball forward towards a deal.”

Ms Leavitt said Vice President JD Vance, who led a first round of negotiations in Islamabad two weeks ago that concluded without a deal, would not be joining for the time being, but was on “standby to fly to Pakistan if necessary.”

Late last night, it was still unclear whether Iranian officials would meet the US envoys face to face.

Iranian state television said Mr Araghchi has no plans to meet with the Americans and Pakistan would serve as a bridge to “convey” Iranian proposals to end the conflict.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Mr Araghchi had arrived in Islamabad to discuss “ongoing efforts for regional peace and stability” with Pakistani officials, without directly referencing talks with Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner.

The White House said Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would engage in an ‘in-person conversation’ with Iranian representatives

An Iranian spokesman said Mr Araghchi would visit Oman and Russia after the Pakistan stop to discuss efforts to end the war launched against the Islamic Republic by Israel and the United States on 28 February.

EU says opening Hormuz ‘vital’

Since the last round of talks, attempts to bring Tehran and Washington back together have stalled, with Iran refusing to take part while a US naval blockade on its ports remains in force.

Iran, in turn, has imposed a de facto blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, allowing only a small number of ships through the strategic passage and rattling global energy markets.

Oil prices fell yesterday on hopes that renewed diplomacy could bring an end to Iran’s disruption of shipping through the strait.

European Council President Antonio Costa said that the strait “must immediately reopen without restrictions and without tolling.”

“This is vital for the entire world,” Mr Costa added.

Major Wall Street indices finished at fresh record highs yesterday as investors welcomed a strong run of earnings reports and watched US and Iranian officials make their way to Pakistan.

US President Donald Trump previously spoke in glowing terms of peace prospects for Lebanon

The United States, meanwhile, continued to reinforce its military presence in the Middle East with the arrival of a third aircraft carrier in the region, the USS George HW Bush.

‘Destroyed’

Mr Trump spoke enthusiastically on Thursday about the prospects for peace in Lebanon after meeting Israeli and Lebanese envoys, and said he hoped to convene a three-way meeting with the Lebanese and Israeli leaders.

Israel and Lebanon have officially been at war for decades and, until last week, had not met so directly since 1993.

Mohammed Raad, head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, called on the Lebanese government to pull back from direct talks with Israel and warned that the kind of lasting peace deal sought by Mr Trump “will in no way enjoy Lebanese national consensus.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed to destroy the Iran-backed movement, said, “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.”

In Tyre, in southern Lebanon, Mohamad Ali Hijazi sifted through a vast pile of rubble in search of keepsakes belonging to relatives killed in an Israeli airstrike just minutes before the ceasefire began.

“I’m trying to find my mother’s hairbrush and a bottle of perfume that she loves,” said Mr Hijazi, 48 – some of the last things he sent her from France, where he has long lived with his wife and two daughters.

“My life has been destroyed. I haven’t slept for five days,” he told AFP, repeatedly fighting back tears.

Turkey may consider role in Hormuz demining after Iran-US deal, minister says

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey could consider joining demining operations in the Strait of Hormuz if Iran and the United States reach a peace agreement.

Speaking to reporters in London yesterday evening, Mr Fidan said a technical team was expected to carry out mine-clearing work in the strait after any deal, adding that Turkey viewed such efforts positively in principle as a humanitarian duty.

However, he cautioned that Turkey would reassess its position ifany ⁠future technical coalition of countries became a ⁠party to renewed conflict,

Mr Fidan also said he believed issues related to Iran’s nuclear programme could be resolved at the next round of talks in Pakistan.