DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — American and Iranian diplomats made final preparations Friday for crucial talks set to commence Saturday in Islamabad, as both nations work to stabilize a fragile ceasefire amid ongoing Israeli-Hezbollah hostilities and Iran’s continued restrictions on the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane.
Vice President JD Vance was scheduled to depart Washington to lead the American delegation, while Iran has yet to announce its representatives as it continues demanding that the U.S. stop Israeli military operations in Lebanon. The Tasnim news agency, which has ties to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, warned that discussions would “remain suspended” without such action.
Kuwait reported Thursday evening that it was targeted by a drone strike, which it attributed to Iran and its regional militia partners. While Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has denied conducting the attack, the organization has previously executed similar operations throughout the Middle East without claiming responsibility.
Alongside the Iran discussions, Israel-Lebanon talks are also scheduled to commence next week at the State Department in Washington, potentially strengthening regional ceasefire initiatives, according to a U.S. official and an informed source who requested anonymity given the sensitive nature of the discussions.
This development follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Thursday announcement that he has given approval for direct talks with Lebanon “as soon as possible” with goals of dismantling Iranian-supported Hezbollah forces and establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The two nations have remained technically in a state of war since Israel’s founding in 1948, and Netanyahu later emphasized that no ceasefire currently exists between them. Israel’s decision to pursue Lebanese negotiations comes amid disputes over whether the ceasefire agreement includes halting Israel-Hezbollah combat, and follows Israel’s devastating airstrikes on Beirut that marked the most lethal day in Lebanon since hostilities began February 28.
The Washington discussions are anticipated to include U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa representing America and Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter speaking for Israel, according to the informed source.
Lebanese officials had not issued a response by Friday morning, and Lebanon’s representative remains unclear. Axios initially reported the timing and venue details.
Following ceasefire victory declarations, both Iran and the United States have seemingly increased pressure on one another. Iranian semi-official media outlets have suggested military forces have placed mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the critical oil transport waterway that Tehran has effectively closed. Trump has cautioned that American forces would strike Iran more forcefully than previously if it fails to honor the agreement.
Thursday evening, President Donald Trump questioned the ceasefire’s success, posting on his social media platform: “Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz.”
“That is not the agreement we have!” Trump wrote regarding the limited number of vessels Iran has permitted through the essential waterway.
Demonstrating Iran’s ongoing strait control, a Botswana-flagged liquefied natural gas vessel that attempted to exit the Persian Gulf following Revolutionary Guard instructions suddenly reversed course and returned early Friday, according to ship-tracking information.
Saudi Arabia reported that recent attacks have harmed a critical pipeline within the kingdom. The Saudi Press Agency, citing an unnamed official, stated that the important East-West pipeline, which transports oil to the Red Sea while bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, sustained damage during recent strikes.
Uncertainty persists regarding Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile at the center of regional tensions, the timeline for normal strait traffic restoration, and Iran’s future missile capabilities and proxy support throughout the region.
Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, cautioned in a Thursday social media message that continued Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon would result in “explicit costs and STRONG responses.”
Qalibaf has been mentioned as a potential negotiator who might meet with Vance in Islamabad. The White House confirmed Vance would head the delegation for Saturday’s talks.
Trump revealed Thursday that he has requested Netanyahu reduce the intensity of Lebanese strikes.
Lebanon’s health ministry reported that Israeli strikes on central Beirut and other Lebanese areas Wednesday resulted in over 300 deaths and more than 1,100 injuries. Israel stated these strikes targeted Hezbollah, which entered the conflict supporting Tehran.
Early Friday, Israel’s military announced it had struck approximately 10 rocket launchers in Lebanon that had fired projectiles toward northern Israel Thursday.
Four oil tankers and three bulk carriers passed through the strait Thursday, increasing the total vessels crossing since the ceasefire to at least 12, according to data firm Kpler.
Iranian semi-official news outlets published a Thursday chart suggesting the Revolutionary Guard deployed sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz during the conflict — potentially a message designed to pressure the United States.
The chart, distributed by ISNA news agency and Tasnim, displayed a large circle labeled “danger zone” in Farsi covering the shipping route through the strait, which previously handled 20% of all traded oil and natural gas.
Sultan al-Jaber, head of the United Arab Emirates’ major oil company, stated that approximately 230 oil-laden ships await passage through the strait and must be permitted “to navigate this corridor without condition.”
The strait’s effective closure has driven oil prices dramatically higher, impacting gasoline, food, and other essential goods costs well beyond the Middle East. Brent crude’s spot price, the international benchmark, reached around $96 Friday, representing a 35% increase since the war’s beginning.
