Overview
- President Donald Trump said Iran can reach out to start talks but insisted any agreement must bar Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
- Washington canceled a planned Islamabad trip by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner after Iran signaled it would not meet U.S. negotiators, putting Pakistan’s mediation in doubt.
- Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi left Pakistan for Moscow for talks expected with President Vladimir Putin after shuttle stops in Pakistan and Oman.
- Iran is restricting ship passage in the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. is enforcing a naval blockade of Iranian ports, squeezing a route that carries about one‑fifth of the world’s oil.
- A ceasefire remains in place without a formal settlement, and reports cite thousands killed along with higher oil prices and a weaker global growth outlook.