_Middle East Weekend Recap_: _Islamabad Talks Collapse_
By Bernie,
President Trump cancelled the planned trip of Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad on Saturday, derailing what was set up Friday by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt as a second round of direct US-Iran talks. "I just cancelled the trip of my representatives going to Islamabad, Pakistan, to meet with the Iranians. Too much time wasted on traveling, too much work!" Trump posted on Truth Social. "Besides which, there is tremendous infighting and confusion within their 'leadership.' Nobody knows who is in charge, including them. Also, we have all the cards, they have none! If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!" The cancellation followed a frenetic Saturday in which Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held meetings in Islamabad with Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, then departed without meeting any American counterpart, according to Iranian state agency IRNA. Araghchi told Pakistani officials that Iran demands the lifting of the US naval blockade as a pre-condition for any direct talks, Axios reported, citing sources familiar with the meetings. Approximately one hour after his departure, Trump posted his cancellation. Trump told Fox News reporter Aisha Hasnie by phone, "They can call us anytime they want, but you're not going to be making any more 18-hour flights to sit around talking about nothing." Asked by Axios reporter Barak Ravid whether the move signaled a return to fighting, Trump said, "No. It doesn't mean that. We haven't thought about it yet." Araghchi posted on X thanking Pakistan for its mediation efforts and stated, "Have yet to see if the U.S. is truly serious about diplomacy." Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei had said Friday that "no meeting is planned" between Iranian and US negotiators in Pakistan, adding that Iran's observations would be conveyed only through Pakistani mediators.
_Pakistani Mediation Continues_
Despite the cancellation, Pakistani Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir told Araghchi during their meeting that Pakistan was prepared to continue its mediation efforts "until a result is achieved," according to a post by the Iranian foreign minister on Telegram following the encounter. Araghchi thanked Sharif, Munir, and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar for what he described as their good offices and brotherly efforts. He said Iran shared with the Pakistanis its position on what it called a workable framework to permanently end the war on Iran.
_Hormuz Blockade Tightens_
US Central Command continued enforcement of the naval blockade on Iranian ports through Friday and Saturday. The guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta was photographed by CENTCOM on Friday intercepting an Iranian-flagged vessel attempting to reach an Iranian port. The military said it has redirected at least 33 ships since the blockade began on April 13. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday, "The blockade is tightening by the hour. We are in control. Nothing in, nothing out."
_Senate Pressure_
Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., posted on X Friday calling for an end to negotiations and a resumption of strikes. "The time is over for negotiations with Iran's regime," Wicker wrote. "The radical successors of Khamenei can never be trusted to keep any promise or agreement." He urged Trump to direct US military leaders to finish destroying Iran's conventional military capabilities and eliminate any remnants of its leadership.
_Lebanon Front_
Friday morning, the IDF struck Hezbollah military structures in Khirbet Selm, Touline, and Deir Aames, all identified as having been used to launch the Shtula barrage, and the IDF Arabic-language spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee issued an evacuation order for Deir Aames. In the Bint Jbeil area, paratroopers identified six Hezbollah gunmen on a rooftop and eliminated all six within 90 minutes through a combination of light arms, tank shelling, and an explosive drone. The IDF said two were killed by paratroopers and four in an airstrike on the building, with no Israeli casualties. Friday afternoon, sirens sounded across Western Galilee border communities warning of a Hezbollah drone, with one drone intercepted before it crossed into Israeli airspace and a second lost over southern Lebanon, indicating a crash. A later set of sirens in the Galilee Panhandle was assessed as a false alarm. The IDF said it also struck launchers in Yater and Kafra. The Lebanese Health Ministry reported six killed in southern Lebanon Friday, including two in Touline.
Overnight Friday into Saturday, the IDF said it struck ready-to-launch rocket launchers in Deir El Zahrani, Kfar Reman, and Al-Saamiya, north of the Forward Defense Line. Saturday afternoon, the Israeli Air Force intercepted a suspicious aerial target over southern Lebanon, with the IDF saying it did not cross into Israeli territory. Two projectiles were then fired toward northern Israel, triggering sirens in Manara, Margaliot, and Misgav Am. The IDF said one was intercepted and the other fell in an open area, with no injuries. Hezbollah followed with explosive drones at Israeli troops south of the Forward Defense Line, which the IDF said detonated adjacent to soldiers without causing injuries. The Air Force later eliminated four Hezbollah operatives in the Yohmor al-Shaqif area, three in an armed pickup truck and one on a motorcycle. Troops separately located a cache of Hezbollah anti-tank missiles and an underground shaft containing Kalashnikov rifles, and dismantled additional Hezbollah structures in Bint Jbeil.
Topics: Iran, Strait of Hormuz, Lebanon & Hezbollah
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