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The United States and Iran began face-to-face negotiations Saturday in Pakistan, days after a fragile, two-week ceasefire was announced.<\/p>\n
The war\u00a0that has killed thousands of people and shaken global markets\u00a0entered its seventh week.<\/p>\n
The White House confirmed the direct nature of the talks. The talks came after U.S. and Iranian officials met separately with Pakistan\u2019s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.<\/p>\n
The U.S. delegation led by\u00a0Vice President JD Vance\u00a0and the Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker\u00a0Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf\u00a0were discussing how to advance the ceasefire already threatened by deep disagreements and Israel\u2019s continued attacks against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.<\/p>\n
Here is the latest:<\/p>\n
Trump downplays Iran negotiations, says deal \u2018makes no difference\u2019<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Saturday, Trump claimed military victory against Iran and downplayed the importance of ongoing ceasefire negotiations involving Vice President JD Vance because \u201cregardless what happens we win.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s see what happens \u2013 maybe they make a deal maybe they don\u2019t,\u201d the president said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter. From the standpoint of America, we win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump acknowledged \u201cvery deep negotiations\u201d with Iran. But he also said the U.S. military was searching for mines in the Strait of Hormuz, which still remained effectively closed to most freighters carrying oil and natural gas out of the Persian Gulf.<\/p>\n
Qatar to fully resume maritime navigation activities<\/p>\n
The country\u2019s Ministry of Transport announced Saturday the full resumption of maritime navigation activities effective Sunday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., extending the decision to \u201call categories of marine vessels and transport modes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ministry urged operators in a statement to comply with safety protocols.<\/p>\n
It was not immediately clear whether the decision meant that Qatari vessels would be allowed to transit the Strait of Hormuz, which remained effectively closed as of Saturday.<\/p>\n
Iran denies claims that US vessels entered the Strait of Hormuz, state media say<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for Iran\u2019s joint military command denied an earlier claim by the U.S. that two Navy destroyers transited the waterway, adding that \u201cinitiative over the passage of any vessel rests with the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran\u201d, according to Iran\u2019s state media.<\/p>\n
The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil and natural gas traded once passed, is expected to be one of the most challenging points of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, currently taking place in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.<\/p>\n
Thousands attend anti-war demonstration in Tel Aviv after wartime restrictions eased<\/p>\n
The protesters filled Tel Aviv\u2019s Habima Square on Saturday evening, holding up signs calling for an end to Israel\u2019s \u201ceternal war\u201d and chanting \u201cmore suffering in Lebanon will not bring us security.\u201d<\/p>\n
At a smaller protest held there the previous weekend, amid missile attacks from Iran and Yemen, police dispersed the protesters using force and arrested at least 17, citing security restrictions.<\/p>\n
Ifat Kalderon, whose cousin Ofer Kalderon was held hostage by Hamas in Gaza and released last year, told the Associated Press she came to the protest to call for Israel to put an end to its wars \u201cin Iran, in Lebanon and in Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the war with Iran had achieved no positive results. \u201cThe reality is the same as before, perhaps even worse. We need to translate everything into agreements, we can\u2019t keep living constantly in war.\u201d<\/p>\n
US says talks with Iran and Pakistan continuing<\/p>\n
As of 10:21 p.m. local time in Islamabad, the trilateral in-person talks were ongoing, a senior White House official told reporters traveling with Vice President JD Vance.<\/p>\n
More than 2,000 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon during the Israel-Hezbollah war, according to health officials<\/p>\n
The death toll in Lebanon from Israeli strikes in the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah has risen to 2,020, the Lebanese health ministry said Saturday.<\/p>\n
The death toll from nearly six weeks of war includes 248 women,165 children and 85 health workers, the ministry said. Another 6,436 people have been wounded. Nearly 100 people were killed in the past 24 hours.<\/p>\n
The Iran-backed Lebanese militant group fired missiles into Israel on March 2 in retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran. A tentative truce is now in place in Iran, but the U.S. and Israel say the agreement does not apply to Lebanon, while Tehran says it does. The question is likely to be one of the thornier points in the U.S.-Iran ceasefire negotiations now underway in Pakistan.<\/p>\n
2 destroyers transit Strait of Hormuz ahead of mine-clearing operation, US military says<\/p>\n
The U.S. military on Saturday prepared for mine-clearing operations in the Strait of Hormuz as two Navy destroyers transited the waterway through which 20% of the world\u2019s oil normally flows, U.S. Central Command said in a news release.<\/p>\n
The destroyers are part of a broader mission to ensure the strait is fully clear of sea mines previously laid by Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, CENTCOM stated.<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s state media said earlier on Saturday that it had forced a U.S. military ship that was attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz to turn around.<\/p>\n
The strait has been effectively closed to most oil and gas freighters since the U.S. and Israel began to strike Israel on Feb. 28. Cease-fire talks are now underway in Pakistan.<\/p>\n
Pope Leo XIV blasts \u2018delusion of omnipotence\u2019 fueling the US-Israeli war in Iran<\/p>\n
In his strongest words yet, Pope Leo XIV on Saturday denounced the \u201cdelusion of omnipotence\u201d that is fueling the U.S.-Israel war in Iran and demanded political leaders stop and negotiate peace.<\/p>\n
Leo presided over an evening prayer service in St. Peter\u2019s Basilica on the same day the United States and Iran began face-to-face negotiations in Pakistan and as a fragile ceasefire held.<\/p>\n
History\u2019s first U.S.-born pope didn\u2019t mention the United States or President Donald Trump in his prayer, which was planned before the talks were announced. But Leo\u2019s tone and message appeared directed at Trump and U.S. officials, who have boasted of U.S. military superiority and justified the war in religious terms.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough of the idolatry of self and money!\u201d Leo demanded. \u201cEnough of the display of power! Enough of war!\u201d<\/p>\n
Talks between US and Iran officials resume after a break<\/p>\n
U.S. and Iranian officials resumed a second round of talks Saturday night in Islamabad after a break, with both sides backed by technical experts, two Pakistani officials said.<\/p>\n
They added that Pakistan\u2019s top political and military leadership is encouraging both sides to resolve their differences to ensure durable peace in the region, and the talks were progressing.<\/p>\n
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.<\/p>\n
The officials declined to share further details, saying they hoped for a win-win solution.<\/p>\n
-By Munir Ahmed<\/p>\n
Trump says he has \u2018no idea\u2019 how talks will go with Iran<\/p>\n
Trump confirmed in a phone interview with NewsNation that talks among the U.S., Iran and Pakistan had begun, though he does not know how successful they could be.<\/p>\n
When asked how negotiations would go, Trump said: \u201cI have no idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
The U.S. president said he would know shortly if he felt Iran was acting in good faith about resolving the war.<\/p>\n
Trump added that the U.S. knew where mines had been placed in the Strait of Hormuz and that the military was bringing equipment to remove them.<\/p>\n
Saturday\u2019s negotiations mark rare face-to-face meeting between US and Iranian leaders<\/p>\n
Saturday\u2019s face-to-face talks in Pakistan that are being led by\u00a0Vance\u00a0and\u00a0Qalibaf\u00a0mark a rare instance of high-level engagement between American leadership and the Iranian government.<\/p>\n
Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the highest-level direct contact had been when President Barack Obama, a Democrat, in September 2013 called\u00a0newly elected Iranian President Hassan Rouhani\u00a0to discuss Iran\u2019s nuclear program.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a high-stakes political task for Vance, who has been a\u00a0reluctant defender\u00a0of the U.S. war with Iran, and has little previous diplomatic experience. Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are joining Vance at the table, also are relatively new players in international diplomacy.<\/p>\n
The White House said it sent \u201ca full suite of U.S. experts on relevant subject areas\u201d to join the negotiators in Islamabad, and said other experts were supporting the team from Washington.<\/p>\n
In Jerusalem, thousands of Orthodox Christians gather in Church of Holy Sepulchre after restrictions lifted<\/p>\n
Thousands of worshippers took part in the annual \u201cHoly Fire\u201d ceremony on Saturday in Jerusalem\u2019s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, an Orthodox Christian ritual that dates back more than 1,200 years.<\/p>\n
The ceremony, held the day before Orthodox Easter, symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus, where the Greek Orthodox Patriarch brings out candles reportedly lit by a miraculous, non-burning flame from the tomb, which is then passed to thousands of worshipers.<\/p>\n
Holy sites across Jerusalem\u2019s Old City, including Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Western Wall, remained closed for 40 days under Israeli security restrictions following the war on Iran, but reopened on Thursday as a fragile, two-week ceasefire between Iran, Israel, and the U.S. appeared to hold.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust two days ago there was absolutely no one in the Old City, it felt like an orphaned town,\u201d said Fr. Antonious Al-Orshalemy. \u201cBut now we see wedding-like celebrations on every level. Everyone is happy, and everyone is joyful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thousands protest Lebanese planned negotiations with Israel<\/p>\n
Amid the protests, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Saturday he had postponed a planned trip to Washington \u201cin light of the current internal circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ahead of his announcement, an adviser to Iran\u2019s supreme leader on international affairs warned against sidelining Hezbollah, saying in a social media post: \u201cMr. Nawaf Salam must know that ignoring the unparalleled role of the Resistance and the heroic Hezbollah will expose Lebanon to irreparable security risks.\u201d<\/p>\n
President Joseph Aoun said Friday a first meeting will be held Tuesday at the U.S. State Department to discuss a ceasefire and launch U.S.-mediated Lebanon-Israel negotiations, following a call between the two countries\u2019 ambassadors in Washington with the participation of the U.S. ambassador to Beirut.<\/p>\n
Protesters burned portraits of Salam in downtown Beirut near the Grand Serail, calling him a \u201cZionist\u201d as they carried Hezbollah flags.<\/p>\n
It was not immediately clear whether Salam was joining the delegation on Tuesday or what his decision meant for the talks.<\/p>\n
Qatari official says Iranian attacks have decreased but \u2019not stopped\u2019<\/p>\n
Qatar\u2019s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that attacks against any Gulf state constitute an attack on all of them, denying that Qatar pays Iran to stop attacks against its territory.<\/p>\n
\u201cQatar does not pay in exchange for stopping attacks on it,\u201d said Majed al-Ansari in a televised interview with Al Jazeera, adding that Qatar intercepts the Iranian attacks.<\/p>\n
Al-Ansari added Iran had also attacked civilian and industrial targets, despite Iran\u2019s claim that it was only targeting military sites.<\/p>\n
Pakistani official says talks \u2018progressing well\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI cannot say whether they are sitting in the same room or in separate rooms, but talks have started and are progressing well,\u201d the official with knowledge of the peace efforts said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.<\/p>\n
-By Munir Ahmed<\/p>\n
Face-to-face negotiations have begun between the United States and Iran in Pakistan<\/p>\n
The White House said that delegations from the United States, Iran and Pakistan are holding face-to-face meetings on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The start of the meeting represents a significant test as to whether the ceasefire, which has already shown strains, is durable enough to resolve the Iran war.<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump ahead of the meeting has engaged in provocative social media posts, suggesting that the U.S. energy sector will benefit from Iran effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz to oil and natural gas tankers.<\/p>\n
Energy prices have risen sharply since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February, with the stated goals of stopping its development of ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n
Vice President JD Vance is leading the U.S. delegation, along with Steve Witkoff, the special envoy, and Jared Kushner, who is President Donald Trump\u2019s son-in-law.<\/p>\n
US releases names of delegation in talks with Iran and Pakistan<\/p>\n
The White House provided a list of the U.S. officials involved in negotiations for ending the Iran war, including Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump\u2019s son-in-law.<\/p>\n
Also participating are Andrew Baker, the national security adviser to the vice president, and Michael Vance, the special adviser to the vice president for Asian affairs.<\/p>\n
Difficult issues for the talks<\/p>\n
Foremost is Iran\u2019s nuclear program, especially the status of its\u00a0enriched uranium\u00a0after last year\u2019s U.S. and Israeli strikes on nuclear sites. Tehran has not allowed the U.N. nuclear watchdog to inspect since then.<\/p>\n
Before the war, Iran\u2019s\u00a0ballistic missile program\u00a0was another main issue, especially for Israel, along with Iran\u2019s support for armed proxies in the Middle East including\u00a0Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi rebels in Yemen and\u00a0Hamas in Gaza.<\/p>\n
Now other issues have emerged, notably Iran\u2019s grip on the\u00a0Strait of Hormuz, a major waterway for Middle East oil, natural gas and related products like fertilizer.<\/p>\n
Iran\u00a0now wants\u00a0an end to attacks, compensation for earlier ones and a guarantee that no more will occur. It wants U.S. military forces to leave the region.<\/p>\n
Tehran also wants longtime\u00a0sanctions\u00a0lifted.<\/p>\n
Israel says it struck over 200 Hezbollah targets in the last 24 hours<\/p>\n
The Israeli military said its air force hit infrastructure of the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon and was continuing to support its ground forces operating in southern Lebanon.<\/p>\n
The statement came as Teheran was pressing for a halt to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah in three-party talks that began Saturday afternoon between Iran and the US in Pakistan.<\/p>\n
Earlier Saturday, the Lebanese state-run news agency reported at least three people killed in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon. There were no reported strikes in the afternoon hours.<\/p>\n
In Israeli communities along the border with Lebanon sirens continued to warn of drone and rocket attacks from Lebanon throughout the day Saturday. There were no reports of injuries.<\/p>\n
Trump says he opposes higher fertilizer costs for US farmers<\/p>\n
The U.S. president posted on social media that he is monitoring fertilizer price and \u201cwill not accept\u201d any increase in costs for farmers.<\/p>\n
Fertilizer costs have increased globally because of natural gas supplies being stranded due Iran\u2019s control of the Strait of the Hormuz. Iran has used the strait as strategic leverage in its ongoing war with the U.S. and Israel.<\/p>\n
But Trump\u2019s post was targeted at a domestic audience.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am watching fertilizer prices CLOSELY during our FIGHT FOR FREEDOM in Iran,\u201d he posted. \u201cThe United States will not accept PRICE GOUGING from the fertilizer monopoly! American Farmers, we have your back!\u201d<\/p>\n
US revokes green cards of more Iranian born relatives of current and former Iran officials<\/p>\n
The Trump administration has revoked the green cards of more long-term Iranian residents of the United States who are related to current or former senior Iranian officials.<\/p>\n
The State Department said Saturday it had taken action against Seyed Eissa Hashemi, a Los Angeles-area psychology teacher, his wife and son, all of whom were Iranian born lawful permanent residents of the US.<\/p>\n
The department said in a statement released as talks to end the war with Iran were getting underway in Pakistan that they had been taken into custody by immigration authorities and are slated for deportation.<\/p>\n
Hashemi, it said, is the son of Masoumeh Ebtekar who served as a spokeswoman for the attackers who took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and was later promoted to be Iran\u2019s first female vice president.<\/p>\n
Just last week, the State Department revoked the green cards of the niece and grand-niece of former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad in early 2020.<\/p>\n
3-way talks with the US and Iran begin in Pakistan after earlier indirect discussions<\/p>\n
Iran\u2019s IRNA news agency said on Saturday that after progress in indirect discussions, negotiations have begun between the United States and Iran.<\/p>\n
The country\u2019s state-run news agency said three-party talks with the U.S., Iran and Pakistan had begun after a reduction in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon and other preconditions being met.<\/p>\n
Trump says on social media that US has begun \u2018clearing out\u2019 Strait of Hormuz<\/p>\n
The U.S. president posted on social media that Iran\u2019s military has been destroyed and that America is beginning to open up the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway chokepoint used by Iran to restrict the shipping of 20% of the world\u2019s oil supplies.<\/p>\n
It was unclear from the post if Trump was referring to the possible use of mines in the Strait of Hormuz or Iran\u2019s broader ability to control the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz as a favor to Countries all over the World, including China, Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, and many others,\u201d Trump posted. \u201cIncredibly, they don\u2019t have the Courage or Will to do this work themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
#Trump #downplays #talks #ceasefire #deal #Iran #claiming #military #victory #doesnt #matter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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