CNN - Iran’s top diplomat heads to Pakistan as fresh talks expected, sources say An Iranian delegation is expected to arrive tonight as efforts ramp up to break the impasse in negotiations. Updated 8:46 AM EDT, Fri April 24, 2026

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CNN - 

Iran’s top diplomat heads 

to Pakistan as fresh talks 

expected, sources say

An Iranian delegation is expected to arrive tonight as efforts ramp up to break the impasse in negotiations.

Updated 8:46 AM EDT, Fri April 24, 2026

Trump says Israel-Lebanon truce extended 3 weeks

1:26

Here's the latest

• Iran talks: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to arrive in Pakistan tonight with a small delegation, Pakistani government sources and an Iranian source told CNN. Pakistani mediators expect there will be a second round of talks between the US and Iran, the government sources said.

• Pentagon briefing: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth railed against European allies, saying the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz “is much more their fight than ours.”

• Timeline uncertain: President Donald Trump again refused to give a timeline for resolving the Iran war, telling reporters: “Don’t rush me.” He said the US does not know who the leader is in Iran, as pressure grows from global economic impacts.

• Lebanon ceasefire: A fragile truce in Lebanon has been extended by three weeks after Israeli and Lebanese representatives met at the White House. The conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah is among the key sticking points in US-Iran peace efforts.

27 Posts

2 min ago

Trump grants 90-day extension to Jones Act waiver to ease energy costs

By Alayna Treene

President Donald Trump granted a ​90-day extension to a waiver that makes it easier to move oil, gas and other commodities throughout the US, in an effort to counter rising energy prices due to the war with Iran.

The extension of the waiver of the Jones Act will allow foreign-flagged ships to transport the commodities between US ports for another 90 days. The president first issued a waiver on the Jones Act in March for 60 days.

The White House pointed on Friday to new data since the initial waiver was issued, arguing that it showed “significantly more supply was able to reach U.S. ports faster.”

“This waiver extension provides both certainty and stability for the U.S. and global economies. The Trump Administration has taken several actions to mitigate short-term disruptions to the energy markets, and this extension will help ensure vital energy products, industrial materials, and agricultural necessities are maintained,” said Taylor Rogers, the White House assistant press secretary.

The extension will begin at 12:00 am ET on May 18, 2026, according to White House officials.

14 min ago

Hegseth says fight over Strait of Hormuz is "much more" Europe's "than ours"

By Haley Britzky

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on Friday. 

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth railed against European allies on Friday morning for not helping the US enough in its war against Iran, saying the US “barely” uses the Strait of Hormuz and that the situation “is much more their fight than ours.”

“We are not counting on Europe, but they need the Strait of Hormuz much more than we do, and might want to start doing less talking and having less fancy conferences in Europe and get in a boat,” Hegseth said during a Pentagon press briefing. “This is much more their fight than ours.”

Hegseth and President Donald Trump have repeatedly bashed US allies, particularly those in NATO, for not coming to the US’ aid after it began combat operations against Iran on February 28.

Trump lashed out against European allies last month, saying the US doesn’t “need any help actually” after insisting other countries should send naval assets to help escort oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

3 min ago

Iran's foreign minister is leading new round of talks in Pakistan. Here's why that matters

Analysis by Nic Robertson

As Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi touches down in Islamabad late Friday to lead the next round of US and Pakistan talks, questions about why Iran’s number two at the last talks almost two weeks ago has returned in pole position.

It would be wrong to assume Mohammad Baghir Ghalibaf the powerful former IRGC General and current speaker of Iran’s Parliament who led the last Iranian previous delegation and faced Vice President JD Vance across the talks table has been marginalized.

President Donald Trump claims the Iranian leadership is divided has been roundly rejected by Iranian leaders including both Araghchi and Ghalibaf in near matching tweets in recent days, with Ghalibaf saying “There are no radicals or moderates we are all Iranian and revolutionary.”

While Trump had called on the Iranians to submit “their proposal,” its not clear what the aim of Araghchi’s mission to Tehran is but it breaths live back in to the stagnating process around peace talks.

24 min ago

Hegseth: US blockade of Iranian ports is "growing and going global"

By Kaanita Iyer

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a briefing on the Iran war at the Pentagon on Friday. 

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters at a news briefing today that the US naval blockade of Iran’s ports “is growing and going global.”

“No one sails from the Strait of Hormuz to anywhere in the world without the permission of the United States Navy,” Hegseth said.

He said another aircraft carrier will join the blockade in the coming days.

In touting the blockade’s success, the defense secretary pointed to US seizure of two ships this week “in the Indo-Pacific region that had left Iranian ports before the blockade went into effect.”

“They thought they’d made it out just in time. They did not,” Hegseth said. “We seized their sanctioned ships, and we will seize more.”

18 min ago

A shaky peace, mounting outrage and gas hikes: Get up to speed for the day

By Kara Fox
A flurry of developments across the Middle East is intensifying an already volatile regional landscape, with diplomacy, military posturing and international reactions unfolding all at once. s said. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to arrive in Pakistan Friday evening.

• Lebanon ceasefire: US President Donald Trump said a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended by three weeks, expressing hope that leaders from both countries will By Kara Fox
  A flurry of develouse the window to engage in direct talks. It comes as outrage is mounting in Lebanon after an IsraelHere’s what you need to know to get you up to speed on the latest developments in the region.
  • US-Iran truce: Iran is sending a delegation to Pakistan for talks, Pakistani and Iranian sources told CNN. It is unclear if there will be any US engagement but Pakistani mediators expect there will be a second round of talks between the two parties, the government source
  i strike on Wednesday killed journalist Amal Khalil, an attack that the Lebanese prime minister condemned as a “war crime.”
• Strait of Hormuz: A US-sanctioned vessel sailing under the Curaçao flag traversed the choked critical waterway, according to an Iranian news agency, as Tehran maintains its grip on the key waterway. Trump on Thursday said he had ordered the US Navy to “shoot and kill” Iranian boats laying mines in the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz, adding that American forces are actively clearing the waterway.
• Gas prices on the rise: US gas prices edged up 3 cents to $4.06 for a gallon of regular, according to the latest reading from AAA, the largest daily gain in that measure since the start of the month.

45 min ago

NOW: Pentagon holds news briefing on Iran war

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine are now holding a news conference to provide updates on the war with Iran.

27 min ago

Netanyahu says he delayed cancer reveal so it wouldn’t be used as propaganda by Iran

By Tal Shalev and Dana Karni

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a press conference in Jerusalem on March 19. 

Ronen Zvulun/Pool/AFP/Getty Images/File

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quietly underwent treatment for prostate cancer, he said Friday as he publicized the results of his annual medical examination.

It is the first time the longest-serving leader in Israel’s history has acknowledged that he was diagnosed with cancer.

Netanyahu, 76, underwent surgery for an enlarged prostate in December 2024, an operation the Prime Minister’s Office had disclosed publicly at the time. In the latest check-up following the surgery, Netanyahu revealed in a statement on social media that doctors discovered a malignant tumor in his prostate of less than a centimeter.

The Prime Minister’s Office also released two letters from his doctors to accompany the revelation on social media. “This is an early detection of a very small lesions, with no metastases, as all other tests confirmed beyond any doubt,” one letter said.

“Thank God, I am healthy,” Netanyahu said on social media. “I had a minor medical issue with my prostate that was completely treated.”

He says he delayed the release of his annual medical report – which revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer – by two months so that it wouldn’t be used as propaganda by Iran.

Read more about Netanyahu’s cancer treatment here.

53 min ago

Iranian foreign minister to head to Islamabad as Pakistan expects fresh US talks, sources say

By Nic Robertson and Sophia Saifi

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to arrive in Islamabad tonight with a small delegation, Pakistani government sources and an Iranian source told CNN.

Pakistani mediators expect there will be a second round of talks between the US and Iran, the government sources said.

The sources added that a US logistics and security team is already present in Islamabad to facilitate the negotiation process.

Neither the US nor Iran have publicly commented.

3 min ago

Why US-Iran talks are at an impasse

By Nadeen Ebrahim

As Tehran prepares to send a delegation to Islamabad for talks, Iran and the US remain as far apart as ever on key issues.

For a start, Tehran insists it won’t resume talks unless the US ends its blockade on Iranian ports, and there’s no sign of that happening. Indeed, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth just told reporters the blockade “is growing and going global.”

Even if the two sides do restart negotiations, they remain far apart on a number of issues, from Iran’s nuclear program to the lifting of sanctions that have long crippled its economy.

Trump has said that any deal would require Iran to hand over what he called its “nuclear dust,” referring to its stockpile of near-bomb-grade uranium. He has also floated other demands relating to Iran’s ballistic and missile program.

During the first round of talks, American negotiators proposed a 20-year pause on Iran enriching uranium. Iran responded with a proposal for a five-year suspension, which the US has rejected, according to a US official.

Tehran, meanwhile, insists it be allowed to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz while also demanding the US lift sanctions.

1 hr 8 min ago

US-sanctioned vessel crosses Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media reports

By Sana Noor Haq and Eleni Giokos

A US-sanctioned vessel sailing under the Curaçao flag traversed the choked Strait of Hormuz, according to an Iranian news agency, as Tehran maintains its grip on the key waterway.

The Cuba supertanker “recently passed through the Strait of Hormuz” and anchored east of Larak Island, according to Iran’s semi-official outlet Mehr News. The ship has been on the US sanctions list since 2024 for transporting Iranian oil shipments to China, Mehr News added.

“The United States claims it has imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz and does not allow vessels linked to Iran to pass. However, according to reports, several Iranian ships have so far exited through the strait or entered the region via this waterway,” the agency said.

Remember: The pace of vessels through the channel — where ships carry one-fifth of global crude oil supplies — has stemmed to a near halt since the US-Israeli attack on Iran prompted retaliatory Iranian attacks in the region. In the ensuring weeks, Tehran and Washington launched mutual blockades on the waterway, with Iran attacking non-allied vessels and the US targeting ships from Iranian ports.

The US military has redirected at least 33 ships since the White House leveled the blockade on April 13, US Central Command said on Thursday.

However, at least 26 of shadow fleet vessels have breached the US blockade line as of Monday, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence, a maritime intelligence firm. Then on Wednesday, 10 shadow fleet tankers were heading toward the Persian Gulf area, the firm added.

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