Overview
- Iran’s foreign minister arrived in Islamabad on Friday for consultations, and the White House says envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will fly in Saturday for possible negotiations, though Iran’s Tasnim agency denies any plan for direct talks.
- US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday the naval interdiction will continue, with officials reporting that dozens of ships bound for Iranian ports have been turned back in the Strait of Hormuz.
- A Pentagon email reported by Reuters on Friday proposed pressuring reluctant NATO partners, naming a temporary suspension of Spain and a review of the US stance on the Falkland Islands, even though NATO has no formal way to suspend a member.
- European leaders outlined carrots and contingencies, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz backing stepwise sanctions relief tied to Iran reopening Hormuz and dropping nuclear ambitions, and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius pre‑positioning a German minesweeper in the Mediterranean pending an end to fighting and a Bundestag mandate.
- The US moved a third aircraft carrier into the region, and the near-standstill in Hormuz traffic has pushed up energy prices and squeezed supply lines that many countries rely on for oil and gas.