&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "US‑Iran‑Israel war Highlights: India ramps up Russian oil purchase as Middle East supplies sink")
US-Iran War Highlights: US President Donald Trump has scrapped a planned visit by American officials to Pakistan, effectively pausing a second round of indirect talks with Iran. In an interview with Fox News, he dismissed the trip as unnecessary, saying an 18-hour journey was not worth it given what he described as Washington’s strong negotiating position. He added that his team had been preparing to leave, but he decided the visit would not be productive.
Trump argued that the US holds the upper hand and that Tehran should take the initiative instead of expecting American officials to travel. The cancelled visit was set to include envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who were to meet Iranian representatives in Islamabad. The move came soon after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held talks with Pakistani leaders, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Meanwhile, the fallout is widening globally. The Strait of Hormuz remains a key flash point, with calls from European leaders to reopen it immediately. Energy markets are expected to stay tight through 2027, while supply disruptions are now hitting unexpected sectors, including a spike in condom prices.
Despite a temporary ceasefire extension in Lebanon, fresh strikes and casualties underline how fragile the situation remains, even as leaders like Emmanuel Macron push for stability.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has left the Omani capital of Muscat and is returning to Islamabad, Iran’s foreign ministry announced, confirming he will visit Pakistan again before travelling to Moscow
The Israeli PM said Hezbollah’s actions in Lebanon are “dismantling” the ceasefire agreed between Israel and Lebanon.
Abbas Araghchi held talks with Haitham bin Tariq on Sunday, focusing on ensuring the safety and secure passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran’s foreign ministry. The discussions also covered broader regional security issues, with Araghchi emphasising the importance of building collective security frameworks led by regional nations without reliance on US involvement.
Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday accused Hezbollah of undermining the ceasefire with Lebanon, according to AFP. His remarks came after the group claimed it had launched a drone strike targeting Israeli soldiers in the southern town of Taybeh.
Amid fresh clashes in Lebanon despite an existing ceasefire, Hezbollah claimed it carried out a drone strike targeting a group of Israeli soldiers in the southern town of Taybeh, according to Al Jazeera.
The Israeli military has directed the evacuation of seven South Lebanon villages on Sunday.
Donald Trump said the shooting incident at the Washington media dinner on Saturday would not “deter” him from “winning” the war against Iran. “It's not going to deter me from winning the war in Iran. I don't know if that had anything to do with it, I really don't think so, based on what we know,” AFP cited Trump as saying to reporters at the White House.
A global shipping body has said that the tit-for-tat seizure of commercial ships by the US and Iran violates international law. John Stawpert of the International Chamber of Shipping told Al Jazeera that seafarers must work “freely and without persecution."
He added that seizure of the ship violates freedom of navigation under international law and should not be used to fulfil political purposes. “All these people are doing is transporting trade,” he said, and added that ships are being seized “ultimately for political ends, to prove a political point”. “These are innocent farers and they should be allowed to go about their jobs without fear of, essentially, imprisonment," he noted.
India has ramped up purchases of Russian oil and revived alternate supplies from Africa, Iran and Venezuela to blunt a sharp crude shortfall from the crisis-ridden Middle East, analysts say.
India, the world's third-largest oil buyer, normally sources about half of its crude through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway that has seen only a trickle of traffic since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28.
Iranians rally at the wreckage site of US warplanes in Isfahan province to mark the 46th anniversary of the US military's 1980 Operation Eagle Claw, an attempt to rescue more than 50 Americans held hostage at the US embassy in Tehran following the Islamic revolution. Iran's military said in early April 2026 that four US aircraft were destroyed during a rescue operation for a crew member of a downed fighter jet.
0man’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq was briefed by FM Abbas Araghchi “on the Iranian side’s perspectives” regarding the regional developments and the peace efforts, Oman’s foreign ministry says. Araghchi “listened to His Majesty’s views on ways to advance these efforts in a manner that enhances opportunities for reaching sustainable political solutions and limits the repercussions of crises on the peoples of the region”.
The sultan affirmed the importance of prioritising the language of dialogue and diplomacy in addressing issues, in a way that contributes to consolidating the foundations of peace. Araghchi expressed Iran’s appreciation for Oman’s positions in supporting dialogue efforts and enhancing endeavours for security and stability in the region, especially amid the current regional challenges”, the ministry said.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed to him that “Pakistan, from a facilitator between the US and Iran, has become a mediator now due to the situation”.
Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, told Shehbaz Sharif that Iran will not engage in talks under coercion, threats, or siege conditions, according to a report by Mehr News Agency.