Weekend Recap: The Islamabad Talks
By Sammy,
The weekend's main event was a three-way face-to-face meeting in Pakistan's capital between senior US and Iranian officials, with Islamabad serving as mediator. Vice President JD Vance led the American side, joined by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqher Ghalibaf headed Iran's delegation, which included Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and a roster of senior military and economic figures. Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir sat alongside both parties.
PM Shehbaz Sharif, who organized the gathering, called it "make or break" for a lasting ceasefire. Iran showed up with a firm list of demands: a halt to fighting in Lebanon, the return of frozen assets, war reparations, and recognition of Iranian authority over the Strait of Hormuz including the right to charge transit fees. Iranian state TV reported that Tehran had laid out these red lines directly to Sharif ahead of the talks. Tehran's first vice president put it bluntly, warning that if Washington's team was negotiating as "representatives of Israel First, there will be no deal." Washington denied agreeing to unfreeze Iranian assets, pushing back on an earlier Reuters report suggesting otherwise. The White House described the format as "trilateral and face-to-face" and said Vance's team was being supported by "a full suite of experts on relevant subject areas."
Trump confirmed in a phone interview with NewsNation that talks had begun, though he was candid about their prospects. Asked how negotiations would go, he said simply: "I have no idea." He added that he would know shortly whether Iran was acting in good faith, and said the US knows where the mines in the strait are located and is bringing equipment to remove them.
Meanwhile, Pakistan deployed fighter jets and support aircraft to Saudi Arabia's King Abdulaziz Air Base under a bilateral defense pact, the Saudi defense ministry confirmed. Reuters reported the move came after Iranian strikes hit key Saudi energy infrastructure and killed a Saudi national. A senior Pakistani official said the planes were "not there to attack anyone" and described the deployment as aimed at bolstering joint defense cooperation and regional stability.
Iran also stayed in contact with Lebanon throughout the weekend to ensure ceasefire commitments were being respected on all fronts, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said from Islamabad. Lebanese officials close to Hezbollah told Reuters the group was supportive of the Pakistan dialogue and considered it the right approach, in contrast to the separate ambassador-level talks being organized in Washington.
The Strait of Hormuz
Trump announced on social media that American forces had begun clearing the waterway and that Iranian minelaying vessels had been destroyed, adding "we're going to open up the strait with or without him." Tehran's military quickly disputed this, with an official telling state TV that a US ship had "turned back after receiving a warning from the Iranian navy." Two American guided-missile destroyers did pass through the strait over the weekend, the first to do so since the conflict began, though Washington did not coordinate the move with Tehran. Asked whether he would allow Iran to charge tolls, Trump was unequivocal: "It's international water." He also claimed Iran had already been "militarily defeated" and said he didn't need a backup plan if Tehran refused to reopen the waterway.
The core problem turned out to be more stubborn than either side let on. The New York Times reported that Iran simply cannot clear the mines it laid because many were placed without proper documentation and some are capable of drifting from their original positions. Qatar's foreign ministry also pushed back on reports this weekend, with a spokesperson flatly denying that Doha pays Iran to stop attacks on its territory: "Qatar does not pay in exchange for stopping attacks on it."
Britain announced it would convene another round of talks with allies next week on how to free up the strait without paying tolls to Iran, covering coordinated economic and political measures including possible sanctions and ways to secure the release of thousands of ships and sailors trapped in the waterway.
Lebanon
Israel left no ambiguity about its intentions after the first direct phone call between Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors in Washington, with a State Department official also participating. Ambassador Leiter said afterward that Israel "refused to discuss a ceasefire with the Hezbollah terrorist organization, which continues to attack Israel." The IDF carried out strikes on roughly 200 Hezbollah positions over the past day, claiming it killed at least 180 operatives in Wednesday's operation alone. Lebanese health authorities put that single day's death toll at 357, noting the dead included women and children. The IDF is also investigating a strike in the southern city of Nabatieh that Lebanese media reported killed eight members of the country's State Security agency. The military said it had targeted buildings used by Hezbollah for military activity and that the incident was under review.
Washington is pressing Israel to pause its campaign before Tuesday's planned sit-down between Israeli and Lebanese envoys at the State Department. No decision has been made in Jerusalem, though some officials there are reportedly open to it, since it would largely restore the terms of a truce reached in November 2024 under which the IDF retains the right to strike imminent threats.
The planned talks set off a fierce reaction inside Lebanon. Demonstrators in Beirut burned pictures of PM Nawaf Salam, calling him a "Zionist," while Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc denounced the negotiations as "a blatant violation of the constitution." An adviser to Iran's supreme leader warned that "ignoring the unparalleled role of the resistance will expose Lebanon to irreparable security risks." Salam soon announced he was delaying his Washington trip "in light of current internal circumstances," though it remains unclear what that means for Tuesday's ambassador-level meeting.
On the ground, two Israeli soldiers were moderately wounded in a clash with Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon. Rockets struck the northern city of Kiryat Shmona without any sirens sounding, the second such incident in a week. The IDF said detection systems had failed and that the circumstances were under investigation. A Hezbollah drone also struck a building in the border community of Shlomi, with several others intercepted. The IDF also intercepted a small drone on the Jordanian border in what it described as an apparent smuggling attempt.
Iran's IRGC issued a stark warning over the continued strikes, saying that "if the aggression against beloved Lebanon does not cease immediately, we will fulfill our duty and deliver a response." Iranian state media reported that Tehran was prepared to withdraw from the ceasefire agreement entirely over the Lebanon strikes.
Iran's Regional Strikes
Iran launched drone and missile attacks on Kuwait and the UAE after an oil refinery on Lavan Island was struck, though Israel denied involvement. Kuwait's army reported its air defenses intercepting drones targeting "vital oil facilities, power stations and water desalination plants." Iran-backed factions in Iraq announced a two-week suspension of operations, though the US embassy in Baghdad warned that militia groups aligned with Iran had conducted multiple drone attacks near Baghdad airport and that further strikes on American targets remained possible.
Gaza
The IDF said troops in northern Gaza killed a Palestinian operative who crossed the ceasefire line and approached soldiers of the 205th Armored Brigade in a manner that posed an immediate threat.
Iran's Condition and Capabilities
Reuters obtained the most detailed account yet of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei's physical state, with sources close to his circle saying he sustained serious facial and leg wounds in the strike that killed his father but remains "mentally sharp" and is still weighing in on major decisions by audio conference. Separately, the Wall Street Journal reported that American intelligence concluded Iran retains thousands of short and medium-range ballistic missiles stored underground, and CNN reported that China is preparing to ship new air defense equipment to Tehran within weeks, passing it through a third country to obscure its origin. Some US officials warned Iran may be using the ceasefire window to rebuild its arsenal.
Trump, for his part, was dismissive of Iran's remaining military strength, posting that "the Iranians don't seem to realize they have no cards, other than a short-term extortion of the world by using international waterways," and adding that "the only reason they are alive today is to negotiate." He also took a swipe at Tehran's messaging, writing that Iranians "are better at handling the fake news media and public relations than they are at fighting."
The US Green Card Revocations
The Trump administration revoked the green cards of several long-term Iranian residents with ties to current or former senior Iranian officials. The State Department announced that a Los Angeles-area psychology teacher, his wife and son, all Iranian-born lawful permanent residents, had been taken into custody and were slated for deportation. The teacher's mother had served as spokeswoman for the attackers who seized the US Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and later became Iran's first female vice president. The move followed last week's revocation of green cards belonging to relatives of former IRGC chief Qassem Soleimani.
The South Korean Controversy
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung drew sharp Israeli criticism after sharing a video on X showing IDF soldiers nudging the body of a Palestinian suspect off a rooftop in the West Bank. Lee said he planned to verify the footage and look into what measures had been taken against those involved, comparing wartime killings to historical atrocities including the forced enslavement of comfort women and the massacre of Jewish people. He later updated his post acknowledging the video was from 2024 and that Israel said an investigation had been carried out, though no publicly reported outcome of that inquiry exists.
Israel's Foreign Ministry accused Lee of "trivializing the massacre of Jews on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day," saying the incident had occurred during an operation against terrorists when soldiers faced "direct and immediate threats" and had been "thoroughly investigated and addressed two years ago."
Al-Aqsa Reopens
More than 100,000 Muslim worshipers gathered for Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, the first time the site had been open since the US-Israeli attack on Iran began in late February. The Old City's major holy sites for all three Abrahamic faiths had been shuttered throughout the conflict. One worshiper captured the mood simply: "Friday prayer is an obligation for us, but performing it at Al-Aqsa is something entirely different."
Syria
Syrian authorities said they arrested five people over a plot to assassinate a religious figure in Damascus, alleging the cell was linked to Hezbollah. Security forces said they intercepted a woman attempting to plant an explosive device near a church in the Bab Touma neighborhood. Israeli media identified the intended target as Rabbi Michael Khoury.
The Televised Address That Never Was
Reuters reported that the White House considered but ultimately decided against a national televised address by Trump on Tuesday about the ceasefire deal, with aides privately concerned about overselling a still-fragile agreement. The White House denied the discussions ever reached Trump, calling the report "fake news," but one senior official acknowledged there had been "chatter about it." Trump had delivered a 19-minute prime-time address just the week before defending his handling of the war and outlining plans for further strikes on Iran.
The Economic Stakes
World Bank President Ajay Banga warned Reuters that the conflict will deliver "a cascading impact on the global economy" even under an optimistic scenario. A quick resolution could still shave 0.3 to 0.4 percentage points off global growth. A prolonged war could cost a full percentage point, with oil prices already up 50 percent since fighting began and disruptions spanning gas, fertilizer, helium, tourism, and air travel. The US March budget deficit came in at $164 billion, up slightly from a year ago, with military outlays rising modestly. Treasury officials noted that major war-related spending on weapons replenishment would show up in later months.
What Comes Next
Substantive negotiations over Hormuz, Iran's nuclear program, and sanctions relief still lie ahead. Trump, asked what he was looking for from a deal, kept it short: "No nuclear weapon."
Topics: Iran, Strait of Hormuz, Lebanon & Hezbollah
Reported by Sammy for Bernie News Network. See our editorial standards and corrections policy.