A woman walks past a large billboard referring to the Strait of Hormuz in Vanak Square in Tehran on April 15, 2026.
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The United States and Iran hope to host a second round of peace talks aimed at permanently ending the nearly seven-week war in the Middle East, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, as a delegation of Pakistani mediators arrived in Tehran for talks with Iranian officials.
Pakistani officials said Lebanon remains part of the two-week ceasefire currently in force.
Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi said, “Peace in Lebanon is essential for peace talks.” told Reuters.
However, Israel continued actions in southern Lebanon on Thursday, including an airstrike that destroyed the last bridge connecting southern Lebanon to the rest of the country. Attacks resumed as soon as President Trump arrived announced That both sides were “trying to get a little relief” between Israel and Lebanon and that the leaders of the two countries were scheduled to speak on Thursday for the first time in three decades.
An Israeli official said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will talk to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday, though the Lebanese president told NPR he had no information about such a conversation.
Here are more updates from the field:
Lebanese displaced woman Mariam Zein sits with her son inside a classroom at a school converted into a displaced reception center in the Dekwaneh area, east of Beirut, on April 15, 2026.
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Pakistan Army Chief visits Tehran to resume talks
Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, a key mediator in talks between the US and Iran, was in the Iranian capital Tehran on Thursday to secure a second round of US-Iran talks ahead of the April 22 deadline for a two-week ceasefire.
Pakistan, which has strong diplomatic ties with both the US and Iran, has emerged as a key mediator in talks between the two countries.
White House Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt emphasized the point On Wednesday, he said the Pakistanis “are the sole arbiters in this negotiation” and the President felt it was important to streamline the process through them.
Washington’s chief negotiator, Vice President J.D. Vance, said a key sticking point in Saturday’s talks broke down was Iran’s refusal to commit to giving up its nuclear ambitions.
In this photo released by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s Telegram channel, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, right, welcomes Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Gen. Asim Munir upon his arrival in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 15, 2026.
AP/Telegram channel of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
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AP/Telegram channel of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Vance said, “The simple fact is that we need to see a positive commitment that they will not seek nuclear weapons, and they will not seek equipment that would enable them to quickly acquire nuclear weapons.”
Iran demanded an end to Israeli attacks against Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah as part of any permanent agreement under its 10-point talks plan. Other demands from the Iranian delegation include the release of $6 billion in frozen assets, guarantees for its nuclear program and the right to charge ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel says Netanyahu will talk to Lebanon’s president
An Israeli official said Prime Minister Netanyahu would talk to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday, although the Lebanese president said he had no knowledge of any such talks.
Gila Gamliel, a member of Israel’s security cabinet, told Israeli Army Radio that the talks “will take place in dialogue between the two states after so many years of complete separation, and hopefully this step will ultimately bring prosperity.”
Lebanese newspaper Al-Modan reported that Aoun was expecting a call from Secretary of State Marco Rubio this afternoon, and that Netanyahu “may join him.”
However, a spokesman for the Lebanese president told NPR he had no information about the alleged talks.
An Israeli drone flies over the southern port city of Tyre, Lebanon, on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.
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Hussain Malla/AP
The contradictory statements came hours after President Donald Trump Post on Truth SocialSaid that both the leaders will talk.
Trump’s announcement followed a trilateral meeting between the United States, Israel and Lebanon on Tuesday, as both sides sought an off-ramp to the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Israel’s continued attacks in Lebanon pose a continuing threat to the fragile ceasefire, with Israel disputing that the agreement extends to its operations against Hezbollah. Iran and Pakistan insisted that this should be done.
The talks were the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1993. Although there were no major breakthroughs, representatives from both countries spoke positively about the more than two-hour meeting.
Rubio said the talks were about “permanently ending 20 or 30 years of Hezbollah’s influence in this part of the world.”
Despite the talks, fighting continues between Hezbollah and Israel in Lebanon, where more than 2,100 people have been killed in Israeli attacks, according to Lebanese health officials. Hezbollah has also fired into Israel, killing at least 12 soldiers and two civilians, according to Israeli health officials.
Fighting between Israel and Lebanon began on February 28, just days after the war with Iran began, when Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel. According to Lebanese officials, Israel responded with airstrikes and an invasion of southern Lebanon, displacing more than 1 million people.
The Lebanese government wants a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon. Israel has said it will not agree to it unless Hezbollah abrogates Israel’s long-standing demand, which the Lebanese government has been unable to enforce in the past.
It is also unclear whether Hezbollah, a political party that wields significant power in Lebanon, will agree to a ceasefire.
Iran’s military threatens to block major shipping routes
Iran’s military warned it would retaliate by blocking other vital shipping routes if the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues.
Major-General Ali Abdol-Lahi, commander of Iran’s top military command center, threatened on Wednesday to halt all trade in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Red Sea in retaliation for the US blockade of Iranian ports.
A man stands alongside the Greek-flagged crude oil tanker “Asahi Princess” off the coast of the Syrian Banias port refinery, along the Mediterranean Sea, April 15, 2026.
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Of particular concern is the Bab el Mandeb, a narrow waterway in the Red Sea for ships sailing between Europe and Asia. In Yemen, the Iranian-aligned Houthi militia controls much of the coastline near Bab al Mandeb. The Houthis disrupted navigation along that route during the height of the Gaza war.
Another route that could be at risk if Iran retaliates is a pipeline that Saudi Arabia has used to divert crude from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea just after the Iran war began on February 28.
A top aide to Iran’s supreme leader said Thursday that Iran would sink US ships if Trump tried to “police” the Strait of Hormuz and that he would welcome a ground invasion as an opportunity to take US troops hostage.
Mohsen Rezaei, former commander in chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, told the Iranian Fars news agency that he is personally opposed to a ceasefire, and that Iran is prepared for a long-term conflict with the United States.
There are mixed feelings among the Iranian public about the prospect of a ceasefire. Many say they welcome the end of the war, but critics of the regime say maintaining a hardline government would lead to a harsh crackdown on dissent and individual freedoms.
In this voice note shared with NPR, a carpenter from the city of Rasht, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he fears for his safety, said he thinks it’s a good sign that Iran has sat down at the negotiating table. But he says, many people are fed up with how long the process took. This makes people’s frustrations even worse, he said.
