CNN - Live Updates
US envoys will head to Pakistan for fresh Iran talks, White House says
Iran's foreign minister is in Islamabad but it's still uncertain whether the US and Iranian officials will meet.
Updated 4:15 AM EDT, Sat April 25, 2026
AC:NR.png
Nic Robertson speaks to Anderson Cooper from Islamabad, Pakistan
3:49
Here's the latest
• US-Iran peace talks: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has been meeting with Pakistani officials after arriving in Islamabad yesterday. US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to depart for Pakistan today for peace talks with Iran, but Tehran has denied there are plans for direct negotiations with the US.
• Trump comments on Iran: Trump said Iran will be making an offer to the US. He did not yet know the details, however, and just a day earlier hinted that uncertainty surrounding Iran’s leadership was complicating talks.
• In Lebanon: One day after the ceasefire in Lebanon was extended by three weeks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they will continue striking “any threat.” A CNN review of satellite imagery has revealed the scale of Israeli destruction in southern Lebanon.
All
Catch up
6 Posts
10 min ago
Satellite imagery shows scale of Israeli destruction in south Lebanon
Allegra Goodwin
By Zeena Saifi, Allegra Goodwin, Rayhana Zalter and Farida Elsebai
A CNN review of satellite imagery reveals the scale of Israel’s destruction of southern Lebanon, mirroring tactics played out in Gaza.
Bulldozers have laid waste to hundreds of buildings, demolitions have razed whole villages. Despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the Israeli army’s ground operations continue.
Read the full story here and a report from CNN’s Jeremy Diamond below.
Israel brings the Gaza playbook to south Lebanon
1:44
40 min ago
Witkoff and Kushner set to travel to Pakistan — what to know
Alejandra Jaramillo
Kit Maher
By Alejandra Jaramillo and Kit Maher
Jared Kushner, left, and Steve Witkoff, Special Envoy for Peace Missions listen as Vice President JD Vance speaks during a news conference after meeting with representatives from Pakistan and Iran, April 12, in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Jared Kushner, left, and Steve Witkoff, Special Envoy for Peace Missions listen as Vice President JD Vance speaks during a news conference after meeting with representatives from Pakistan and Iran, April 12, in Islamabad, Pakistan. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/Getty Images
Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to leave for Pakistan today for talks with Iran, the White House said yesterday.
Here’s what to know:
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Iranians reached out, “as the president called on them to do,” and requested the in-person conversation.
The White House has “seen some progress” from the Iranians, Leavitt said, though she did not say if the US has received a proposal from Iran.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi landed in Pakistan yesterday, with Iranian semi-official state media denying he will speak with the Americans.
The semi-official Iranian media outlet Tasnim news agency reported Araghchi’s trip was “not for negotiations with the Americans but rather to discuss Iran’s considerations about ending the war with the Pakistani side.”
Vice President JD Vance is on stand by to travel to Islamabad if the talks progress, Leavitt said.
1 hr 31 min ago
The US and Iran are sending mixed messages about weekend talks. Here's the latest
Jessie Yeung
By Jessie Yeung
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meets with Pakistani officials in Pakistan on April 25, 2026.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meets with Pakistani officials in Pakistan on April 25, 2026. Pakistan Foreign Ministry
The US and Iran continue to give mixed messaging about whether talks will go ahead this weekend, as Israel and Hezbollah continue trading attacks despite an extended truce.
Here’s the latest on a second round of peace talks:
What the US has said: The White House said Friday that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are headed to Pakistan on Saturday to participate in direct peace talks with Iran, with Vice President JD Vance on standby to travel to Islamabad if the talks progress. The White House has “seen some progress” from the Iranians, said the press secretary.
What Trump has said: Throughout the week, President Donald Trump offered little clarity on a timeline regarding the end of the war. He said Friday that Iran will be making an offer to the US, but he did not yet know the details. Just a day earlier, Trump suggested uncertainty surrounding Iran’s leadership was complicating negotiations.
What Iran has said: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi landed in Pakistan Friday to meet with mediators, but his ministry denied that a direct meeting with the US was planned. Semi-official state media in Iran also reported “there are no negotiations with the Americans on the agenda.”
Watch the CEO of the International Rescue Committee discuss the humanitarian crisis for the most vulnerable in the wake of the Iran war:
still_22569083_2998468.045_thumb.jpg
The Iran war's unintended consequence: a humanitarian crisis
5:03
In other news:
Meanwhile in Lebanon: Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters continued to target each other throughout Friday, a day after a three-week extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was announced. Each side has since blamed the other for violating the ceasefire.
US destroyer: US Central Command posted an image on Friday of a destroyer ship appearing to intercept an Iranian-flagged vessel near the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier Friday morning, 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 it.
Captivity in Iraq: American journalist Shelly Kittleson — who was kidnapped in Baghdad, Iraq last month — told CNN she was beaten “quite viciously,” blindfolded and zip tied while abducted by a pro-Iranian militia.
4 hr 21 min ago
Mixed signals over potential peace talks between US-Iran is nothing new. Here's why
By Billy Stockwell
US President Donald Trump speaks about the conflict in Iran in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on April 6, 2026 in Washington, DC.
US President Donald Trump speaks about the conflict in Iran in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on April 6, 2026 in Washington, DC. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
The White House said on Friday that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are headed to Pakistan today to participate in direct peace talks with Iran.
While Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is indeed in Islamabad for talks about regional peace, Iranian semi-official news agency Tasnim has reported that he would not speak with US officials, as did Nournews Agency, an outlet affiliated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
This uncertainty around the exact status of negotiations is nothing new – and it doesn’t necessarily mean dialogue between the two sides won’t happen, in some form or another.
In late March, there were also conflicting accounts about whether the US and Iran were in talks about ending the fighting.
US President Donald Trump said at the time that Washington had held “productive conversations” with Iran, while Tehran denied any talks with the US. That same day, an Iranian source accepted there had been “outreach” between Washington and Tehran, telling CNN that Iran was willing to listen to “suitable” proposals.
The US later held high-stakes talks with Iran in Pakistan in early April, which ended without an agreement.
Days later, Iranian state media said there were no plans to hold another round of negotiations, despite what it said were “claims by some Pakistani sources or Western media about holding the next round of Islamabad talks.”
4 hr 21 min ago
The ceasefire in Lebanon was extended, but there is still some fighting
By Mitchell McCluskey and Dana Karni
still_22566662_178663.85_still.jpg
Trump announces extension of Israel-Lebanon truce
0:35
The ceasefire in Lebanon has been extended by three weeks, the United States announced earlier this week, but Israel and Hezbollah are still exchanging fire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hezbollah for trying to disrupt the peace process between Israel and Lebanon. Israel will continue striking “any threat” in Lebanon, Netanyahu said.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it struck Hezbollah structures in the area of Deir Aames in southern Lebanon on Friday after a “ceasefire violation” from the Iran-backed militant group one day earlier.
The IDF also said that it exchanged fire with and ultimately killed six Hezbollah operatives in Bint Jbeil, southern Lebanon, on Friday.
A CNN review of satellite imagery reveals the scale of the destruction in southern Lebanon, with hundreds of buildings, most of which appear to be homes, have been either completely flattened or rendered uninhabitable since the start of the war.
On April 14th, satellite imagery shows the center of Bint Jbeil severely damaged, with grey debris patterns suggesting burning<strong> </strong>consistent with demolitions. By April 23rd, the remaining buildings and structures had been completely flattened.
On April 14th, satellite imagery shows the center of Bint Jbeil severely damaged, with grey debris patterns suggesting burning consistent with demolitions. By April 23rd, the remaining buildings and structures had been completely flattened. Airbus
Read more about Israel’s military offensive in southern Lebanon here.
CNN’s Zeena Saifi, Allegra Goodwin, Rayhana Zaiter and Farida Elsebai contributed reporting to this post.
4 hr 12 min ago
American journalist says she was beaten "quite viciously" by pro-Iranian militia in Iraq
Tori B. Powell
By Tori B. Powell
American journalist Shelley Kittleson — who was kidnapped in Baghdad, Iraq last month — said she was beaten “quite viciously,” blindfolded and zip tied while abducted by a pro-Iranian militia.
“I actually blacked out a few times,” Kittleson told CNN’s Jake Tapper Cooper on Friday.
shelly.jpg
American journalist details being kidnapped in Iraq
2:11
She said she was not brought any medical care during her detention and was told that her American passport is why she was kidnapped.
“They said, ‘We know that the American public is not at fault, but this is war and you’re in Iraq. You made a mistake to come here.”
No comments:
Post a Comment