No VP Vance this time….
Smaller security bubble…..
And the expected failure to end the conflict won’t have Vance’s name mentioned….
(Remember…An agreement with Iran’s civilian official’s does NOT mean the military and religious official with go along with that….)
Trump has been quiet recently…
But Hegseth talking about MORE military assets showing up in the Middle East and a blockade continuance is rubbing Iran the wrong way….
Israel IS STILL shooting at Hezbollah even with a ceasefire with Lebanon….
Some ship travel has moved to the Panama Canal…..
Hegseth admits(ISW reported this) that quietly?
Some ship traffic IS traveling the Strait...
There are also reports that Iran has dropped new mines in the Strait.…
Airlines are cutting flights due to fuel shortages and price hikes….
Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, two of the United States’ lead negotiators in peace talks with Iran, will travel to Pakistan on Saturday to hold discussions about the war in Iran, an administration spokeswoman said. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, had arrived in Islamabad, according to Iranian state media.
“Steve and Jared will be heading to Pakistan tomorrow to hear the Iranians out,” Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said on Friday afternoon. Vice President JD Vance, the lead U.S. negotiator, “is on standby and will be willing to dispatch to Pakistan if we feel it’s a necessary use of his time,” she added.
The Iranian foreign minister plans to present a new written response to a U.S. proposal for a peace deal, according to two senior Iranian officials familiar with the trip who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic matters.
Earlier on Friday, the Iranian officials had said Mr. Araghchi planned to meet with the two U.S. representatives, but Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, said later in the day on social media that “no meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the U.S.” and that “Iran’s observations would be conveyed to Pakistan.”
President Trump announced an extension of the cease-fire in the war on Iran earlier this week. While the cease-fire has halted an all-out bombardment of Iran and Iran’s retaliatory attacks on Israel and Gulf countries, the war has morphed into a costly standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil and gas conduit. Both the United States and Iran are blocking the transit of ships through the waterway in an effort to gain leverage in any peace talks.
The news of the scheduled meeting in Pakistan came after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ships and ports would continue for “as long as it takes” to get Iran to agree to a deal. Iranian leaders have made lifting the blockade a condition of resuming peace talks with Washington.
Many sticking points remain between the two sides, chief among them control of the strait and Iran’s nuclear program. The last U.S.-Iran negotiations took place in mid-April in Islamabad.
Here’s what else we’re covering:
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U.S. sanctions: The Treasury Department announced a number of new sanctions targeting 40 shipping firms and vessels that are part of Iran’s so-called shadow fleet of oil tankers. It also imposed sanctions on a Chinese refiner, Hengli, which the Treasury identified as a major buyer of Iranian petroleum. Read more ›
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Oil prices: Oil prices remain high compared to before the war. Brent crude, the international benchmark, settled at more than $105 a barrel on Friday afternoon.
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Lebanon: The Israeli military said on Friday that it had struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, a day after Mr. Trump announced a three-week extension of the cease-fire there. Hezbollah said it had retaliated by firing drones at Israeli troops inside Lebanon. Read more ›
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US and Iranian government representatives will meet in Pakistan on Saturday to continue negotiations for a resolution of the Middle East crisis. Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi will likely be present at the talks. For the US, special envoy Steve Witkof and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner will be engaged in the talks in Islamabad. Even before the meeting, there has already been some tension, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt telling outlets Iran requested the Saturday talks and president Donald Trump telling Reuters that Iran plans to make an offer that will satisfy US demands. Iran strongly rejected those claims, according to Iranian state media, adding that Iran has made no request for talks with the US and has so far completely rejected the US’s excessive demands.
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International leaders are pushing for a further resumption of talks to secure a quick and sustainable agreement to the crisis. Russia, the United Aram Emirates and Qatar all discussed the Iran ceasefire agreement on Friday.
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The international community continues to denounce the humanitarian crises stemming from the conflict. European Council president Antonio Costa said on Friday that the immediate opening of the Strait of Hormuzwithout restrictions is “vital” for the world. Also, a World Food Programme representative today said that 45 million people will face food insecurity and malnutrition if the Strait of Hormuz continues to be blocked.
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The German chancellor Friedrich Merz called on other coalition nations to ease sanctions on Iran as part of a ceasefire deal. Other EU leaders, including the president of the European Commission, have distanced themselves from the German chancellor, saying the move is premature.
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Indonesia once again condemned an Israeli attack in Lebanon that killed an Indonesian peacekeeper. The attack took place in late March. Four of the Indonesian peacekeepers present were killed, with the foreign ministry announcing the fourth died on Friday.
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The Israeli military said they killed six Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon on Friday during a clash. This came after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hezbollah of trying to “sabotage” efforts to reach a peace deal with Lebanon.
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US defence secretary Pete Hegseth says transit is occurring in the strait of Hormuz, but limited and with risk. He says this is Iran’s fault for threatening vessels, including cruise ships.
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Human Rights Watch has called on Lebanon to join the international criminal court, after Israeli forces killed Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil and wounded her colleague Zainab Faraj in an airstrike earlier this week.
- U.S. President Donald Trump is sending his envoysSteve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan on Saturday to continue talks with Iran, the White House said Friday. The pair will meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who arrived in Pakistan on Friday. Vice President JD Vance would be on stand-by to travel, the White House said.
- Trump said Thursday that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to extend a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah by three weeks after talks at the White House. The meeting was the second high-level negotiation between the two countries since last week. The initial 10-day ceasefire, which took effect last Friday, had been due to expire Monday.
- The Trump administration is placing economic sanctions on a major China-based oil refineryand roughly 40 shipping companies and tankersinvolved in transporting Iranian oil. The move, announced Friday, actualizes the administration’s threat to impose secondary sanctions on entities that do business with Iran, an effort to cut off Iran’s key source of revenue — its oil exports.
- Airlines worldwide have begun canceling flights as the war in the Middle East strains jet fuel suppliesand pushes up prices — but the disruption doesn’t end there.
- Here’s what to know if your flight is cancelled.
*Note….
I’m calling this a conflict for now….
There isn’t any shooting between Iran and the US….
I AM a bit worried with reports of Hegseth sending more military assets to the Middle East….
What is Hegseth planning to do?
Trump has ssd he would NOT use nukes against Iran….
…
ISW….Iran Update Special Report, April 24, 2026
- Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Commander Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi and his inner circle have repeatedly blocked attempts by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and other “pragmatist” officials to push the regime toward a more flexible negotiating position. Vahidi appears to have prevailed in this internal power struggle and will likely shape the regime’s approach toward negotiations and the war with a maximalist and uncompromising stance. Ghalibaf likely lacks the leverage to alter this trajectory in a meaningful way at this time.
- Recent reports that Ghalibaf may resign from being a member of the negotiating team are consistent with ISW-CTP’s assessment that Vahidi has emerged as the winner of the intra-regime rivalry. Sources told Western media that Ghalibaf has grown frustrated with internal divisions and has considered resigning from the negotiating delegation, while some outlets have claimed that Ghalibaf has already resigned from the negotiating team due to disagreements over nuclear concessions.
- “Pragmatist” officials may continue to advocate for a more flexible approach, but their efforts are unlikely to meaningfully shape regime decision-making in the near term.
- Vahidi’s apparent victory will likely have significant implications for potential future US-Iran negotiations. Vahidi has also shown greater willingness than “pragmatist” officials to accept the risk of renewed conflict with the United States.
- Iran and the United States are both sending delegations to meet with Pakistani mediators in Islamabad this weekend, but it remains unclear whether the delegations will engage in a second round of negotiations at the time of this writing. Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad on April 24, and US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Islamabad on April 25. Sources told Axios that a trilateral meeting between Araghchi, Witkoff, and Kushner could take place following separate bilateral discussions between Witkoff, Kushner, and Pakistani mediators.
- Likely Iranian-backed Iraqi militias conducted two fiber-optic drone attacks on Kuwaiti border posts on April 24. Iranian-backed Iraqi militias have not claimed these attacks at the time of this writing. Iranian-backed Iraqi militias have demonstrated their ability to use fiber-optic first-person view (FPV) drones during the war, however.
- The US naval blockade appears to be constraining Iran’s oil storage capacity. Tanker Trackers reported on April 23 that Iran has recommissioned the retired very large crude carrier (VLCC) Nasha into service, likely to expand Iran’s floating storage capacity near Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf as Iran’s onshore storage capacity decreases.
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