Overview
- Vice President JD Vance and Iranian speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf arrived in Islamabad Saturday for negotiations under a two‑week ceasefire that began Tuesday, with Pakistan locking down the capital for security.
- Tehran says formal talks cannot start without a Lebanon ceasefire and access to frozen funds, while US officials have not confirmed any assets release reported in foreign media.
- The Strait of Hormuz remains largely restricted as Iran requires ships to coordinate with the Revolutionary Guard and pay reported transit fees, and US officials told the New York Times that unresolved mines still hamper safe passage.
- Israeli strikes in Lebanon continued this week, with reports of more than 300 people killed on Wednesday and fresh attacks Friday, which Israel says fall outside the US–Iran truce and which Iran links to any broader deal.
- President Trump said the US would reopen Hormuz “with or without” Iran and warned the US would “finish” the war if talks fail, a stance that raises stakes for oil flows and for civilians already displaced in Lebanon.