Trump says Israeli and Lebanese leaders will hold talks

A possible diplomatic opening has emerged in one of the region’s longest-running fault lines, with US President Donald Trump saying leaders of Israel and Lebanon are expected to speak after a high-level face-to-face meeting in Washington on Tuesday — the first such negotiation since 1993.

“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,” Mr Trump wrote, offering no further details and not specifying who would take part.

Israel’s cabinet met yesterday to weigh a possible ceasefire in Lebanon, a senior Israeli official said, as its war with Hezbollah entered a seventh week.

But an official source in Lebanon said the country was “not aware” of any imminent contact with Israel.

Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed more than 2,000 people since the latest conflict began, according to the Lebanese health ministry, including more than 350 killed in a single day last week.

Lebanese officials believe a ceasefire announcement could come soon, the Financial Times reported.

Stopping the war in Lebanon had been a major obstacle in earlier Middle East peace efforts, alongside the unresolved question of Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

US and Iranian officials were considering a return to Pakistan for more talks as early as this weekend after negotiations ended on Sunday without a breakthrough.

Pakistan’s army chief and a central figure in the mediation effort, Field Marshal Asim Munir, arrived in Tehran yesterday in an attempt to head off a renewed escalation.

“We feel good about the prospects of a deal,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, describing the Pakistan-mediated contacts as “productive and ongoing”.

She also pushed back on reports that the US had formally sought to extend a two-week ceasefire agreed by both sides on 8 April.

Further in-person talks have not yet been confirmed, though Ms Leavitt said they would most likely be held in Pakistan again.

Pakistan’s military confirmed Mr Munir had arrived in Tehran.

Field Marshal Asim Munir, Commander of the Pakistan Army with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi

A senior Iranian source said Mr Munir, who helped broker the previous round of discussions, would try “to narrow gaps” between the two sides.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X that he welcomed Mr Munir’s visit and that Tehran remained committed to “promoting peace and stability in the region.”

Last weekend’s talks collapsed without a deal to end the war, which Mr Trump began alongside Israel on 28 February, setting off Iranian attacks on Iran’s Gulf neighbours and reigniting the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

Financial markets have climbed sharply in recent days on hopes the fighting could be resolved quickly, with Wall Street indexes closing at record highs on Wednesday as crude oil prices steadied.

Economic pressure on Iran

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said China’s purchases of Iranian oil would likely “pause” because of the US blockade on vessels calling at Iranian ports.

He said Washington could also impose secondary sanctions on countries that continue buying Iranian crude.

The Treasury had warned two Chinese banks not to process Iranian funds or risk sanctions, he said, though he did not identify the banks.

China had previously bought more than 80% of Iran’s shipped oil.

Mr Trump said yesterday he had urged Chinese President Xi Jinping not to supply Iran with weapons, adding that Mr Xi had said he was not doing so.

Mr Trump also said 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, before adding: “President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks.”

The war has prompted Iran to effectively close the Strait — a crucial route for global crude and gas shipments — to all vessels except its own, sharply cutting Gulf exports and forcing energy importers to search for alternative supplies.

Tankers intercepted

In the first 48 hours of the US blockade on ships entering and leaving Iranian ports, no vessels succeeded in passing US forces, the US military said.

It added that nine vessels had followed US instructions to turn back toward Iranian ports or coastal waters.

Yet Iran’s Fars News agency reported that an Iranian supertanker under US sanctions had crossed the strait toward Iran’s Imam Khomeini port despite the blockade.

Fars did not name the tanker or provide additional details about the voyage.

Iran’s joint military command warned it would stop trade flows through the Gulf, the Sea of Oman and the Red Sea — which links to the Suez Canal — if the US blockade continued.

As part of proposals put forward in negotiations with Washington, Iran could consider allowing ships to move freely through the Omani side of the strait without facing attack, provided a deal is reached to avert a return to war, a source briefed by Tehran said.

Mr Trump has also warned of a sharper military response if fighting resumes.

“We could take out every one of their bridges in one hour. We could take out every one of their power plants, electric power plants, in one hour. We don’t want to do that…so we’ll see what happens,” he told Fox Business Network.

Talks complicated by nuclear issue

Iran’s nuclear ambitions remained one of the central sticking points in last weekend’s negotiations.

The US offered a 20-year suspension of all Iranian nuclear activity — a notable shift from its longstanding demand for a permanent ban — while Tehran proposed a pause lasting three to five years, according to people familiar with the talks.

Washington has also insisted that any enriched nuclear material be removed from Iran, while Tehran has demanded the lifting of international sanctions.

One source involved in the negotiations said back-channel contacts had helped narrow differences, leaving both sides closer to a deal that could be put forward at a new round of talks.