US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States military is starting the process to clear the Strait of Hormuz and that all of Iran's 28 minelaying ships have been destroyed.

"We're now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz," Trump posted on Truth Social.

US media says several US navy ships crossed Hormuz strait on Saturday

TEHRAN - Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran is in constant contact with Beirut to ensure the ceasefire commitments in Lebanon are implemented, semi-official Fars news agency reported Saturday.

Speaking from Pakistan's Islamabad, where US-Iran formal negotiations to end the hostilities in the Middle East have kicked off with the participation of the Pakistani side, Baghaei said the Iranian delegation has held talks with Pakistan, and has conveyed clearly its positions and demands, Fars reported.

Baghaei added that ceasefire violations were observed on Saturday, Fars reported.

On Feb 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and US interests in the Middle East, and tightened control over the Strait of Hormuz.

A two-week ceasefire reached between Iran and the United States took effect on Wednesday. Yet Israel has said the ceasefire does not cover the conflict in Lebanon, and carried out its largest single-day attack on Lebanon on Wednesday, killing more than 300 and injured over 1,100.

On Friday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who heads the Iranian delegation in the Islamabad talks, demanded a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran's blocked assets prior to the commencement of negotiations with the United States.

Earlier on Saturday, Israeli warplanes intensified their air campaign on southern Lebanon, killing at least 13 people, including emergency and health workers.

Meanwhile, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that Washington had agreed to unfreeze the Iranian assets, and that the Iranian delegation in Pakistan was seeking to make sure about the issue. However, several media reports, citing an unnamed US senior official, denied the report.

Tasnim reported later that as Israel has agreed to limit its strikes on southern Lebanon and that Washington intends to release Iran's blocked assets, the Iranian delegation decided to negotiate those two issues in Islamabad to resolve them completely.

Also on Saturday, several US navy ships have reportedly crossed the Strait of Hormuz.

ISLAMABAD - The talks between the United States and Iran to end hostilities kicked off in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Saturday, according to media reports.

Iran is in touch with Lebanon to ensure commitments on ceasefire respected on all fronts: media

ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday met with US Vice-President JD Vance, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office.

Vance arrived here on Saturday for talks with the Iranian team to end the recent hostilities in the Middle East region.

Commending the commitment of both delegations to engage constructively, Sharif expressed the hope that these talks would serve as a stepping stone toward durable peace in the region.

Sharif reiterated that Pakistan looks forward to continuing its facilitation of both sides in making progress towards sustainable peace in the region.

On the same day, the prime minister met with the Iranian team arrived earlier Saturday.

ISLAMABAD - The US negotiators for talks with Iran met with senior Pakistani officials on Saturday ahead of their formal talks with the Iranian team, Pakistani authorities said.

ISLAMABAD - The meeting between Iranian delegates and the Pakistani prime minister ended, according to sources.

ISLAMABAD - The Iranian team for talks with the United States on Saturday met with the Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday ahead of their talks with US counterparts, according to media reports.

The meeting lasted about 40 minutes and both sides discussed the preconditions of the talks, according to Pakistani sources.

According to separate Pakistani sources, the pace of the talks process is slower than expected, and it can go longer than expected.

Earlier, the high-level Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf arrived in Islamabad to participate in the upcoming talks with the United States.

After arrival, the Iranian team met with Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Field Marshall Syed Asim Munir ahead of the scheduled peace talks, according to Iran's Mehr News Agency.

The US negotiation team led by Vice President JD Vance arrived in Pakistan at midday on Saturday.

Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar expressed hope that all parties involved in the ongoing conflict would engage constructively to advance efforts toward a peaceful resolution.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar expressed hope on Saturday that all parties involved in the ongoing conflict would engage constructively to advance efforts toward a peaceful resolution, the Foreign Ministry said.

In a statement, the deputy prime minister reiterated Pakistan's willingness to continue facilitating the parties in achieving a lasting and durable solution, underscoring the importance of dialogue and cooperation in resolving disputes.

The statement came after the US delegation arrived in Pakistan on Saturday. The Iranian team reached Pakistan earlier. The two sides are expected to have a negotiation here to end recent hostilities in the Middle East.

US Vice-President Vance arrives in Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD -- US delegates led by Vice-President JD Vance arrived in Pakistan on Saturday morning for talks with Iran, according to sources.

The US team also includes US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are in a separate plane landing at the Nur Khan airbase.

The Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf arrived here early Saturday for talks with the United States to end the hostilities in the Middle East. However, distrust between the two adversaries still shadows their peace talks scheduled for later on the day.

Negotiators from the United States and Iran prepared on Friday for high-level talks scheduled to kick off a day later in Pakistan, seeking to stabilize a fragile two-week ceasefire teetering amid Israel's refusal to halt operations in Lebanon and deep rifts between Tehran and Washington over truce terms.

The talks could last up to 15 days, addressing several sensitive points, including Iran's nuclear enrichment and the free flow of trade through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. But even as security was ramped up in Islamabad for the talks, Iran has signaled that its participation would hinge on a halt to Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

US Vice-President JD Vance was set to lead the US delegation, with Iran still remaining tight-lipped about its team as officials said Israel's strikes in Lebanon had rendered the Pakistan talks "meaningless".

"The holding of talks to end the war is dependent on the US adhering to its ceasefire commitments on all fronts, especially in Lebanon," said Esmaeil Baqaei, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman.

Late on Thursday, US President Donald Trump appeared to cast doubt on the effectiveness of the truce, writing on social media: "Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing oil to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. That is not the agreement we have!"

Highlighting Iran's control of the strait, a Botswana-flagged liquefied natural gas tanker attempted to travel out of the Gulf via a route designated by the Revolutionary Guard but suddenly turned around and headed back early on Friday, ship-tracking data showed.

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday that Iran will move the management of the strait into a new phase, as the Iranian people have achieved a "decisive victory" in the war, marking the 40th day since the death of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei — who was killed in US-Israeli strikes at the start of the conflict.

The strait's de facto closure has caused oil prices to skyrocket — affecting the cost of gasoline, food and other basics far beyond the Middle East. The spot price of Brent crude, the international standard, was around $96 on Friday, up about 35 percent since the war began.

Darkening outlook

Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, warned on Thursday that the Iran war is darkening the outlook for the world economy, whether or not the fragile ceasefire holds.

"Had it not been for this shock, we would have been upgrading global growth," she said in remarks ahead of next week's IMF-World Bank spring meetings. "But now, even our most hopeful scenario involves a growth downgrade."

Meanwhile, Iran's Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, warned on Thursday that continued Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon would bring "explicit costs and strong responses". He has been seen as a possible negotiator who could meet Vance in Islamabad.

On Wednesday, Israel's heaviest strikes on Lebanon since Feb 28 killed more than 300 people, rattling the uneasy truce between Washington and Tehran. Early on Friday morning, Israel's military said it struck 10 more rocket launchers in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Kuwait said it faced a drone attack on Thursday night that it blamed on Iran. But Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard denied launching any assault in the region.

In addition to the Pakistan talks, Israel-Lebanon negotiations are also expected to begin next week in Washington.

However, Abed Abou Shhadeh, a political analyst and activist based in Jaffa, Israel, said the ceasefire negotiations between the US and Iran are "extremely problematic" for Israel.

Notably, he said Israel is not "interested in any form of diplomacy or negotiations with Lebanon", citing recent polls published in Israeli media showing that 79 percent of the public supports continuing military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Al Jazeera reported.

Contact the writers at cuihaipei@chinadaily.com.cn.

ISLAMABAD -- A high-level Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf arrived in Islamabad on Saturday to participate in the upcoming talks with the United States, Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The delegation also includes Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi.

According to the statement, the Iranian delegation was received upon arrival by Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, along with National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Chief of Defense Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshall Syed Asim Munir and Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi.

Ishaq Dar expressed hope that the parties would engage constructively and reiterated Pakistan's willingness to continue facilitating efforts toward a lasting and durable solution to the conflict.

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday that the negotiation delegations from the United States and Iran would hold talks on Saturday to find a peaceful solution to the Middle East conflict.

A temporary ceasefire has been announced, and the next and hard phase is for permanent peace via talks, Sharif said in an address.

The Pakistani leadership will make the best of its efforts to make the talks a success, he added.

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said the outcomes of negotiations with Iran will be clear "in about 24 hours," the New York Post reported Friday.

Trump made the remarks in a phone interview with the news outlet shortly after Vice-President JD Vance left Washington for talks with Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan.

"We're going to find out in about 24 hours. We're going to know soon," Trump said, threatening that US warships are being reloaded to resume strikes on Iran if peace talks in Pakistan fail.

"We have a reset going," he said. "We're loading up the ships with the best ammunition, the best weapons ever made -- even better than what we did previously and we blew them apart."

"If we don't have a deal, we will be using them, and we will be using them very effectively," Trump threatened.

The United States, Iran and Israel have all claimed victory in the war. Analysts believe the current ceasefire is fragile and that competing interests and long-standing differences would make it difficult to reach a permanent peace deal in the upcoming negotiations.

On the US side, the talks are expected to focus on Washington's demands that Iran hand over an estimated 1,000 pounds of deeply buried enriched uranium and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping, according to the New York Post.

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on Friday demanded a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran's blocked assets prior to the commencement of negotiations with the United States. Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has also called on the United States to fulfill its commitments under the ceasefire regarding the necessity to stop Israel's attacks against Lebanon, the official news agency IRNA reported.

The Strait of Hormuz handles one-fifth of global oil and gas. As US-Israeli strikes on Iran escalated, shipping came to a standstill. Although a temporary ceasefire was reached, the waterway has not yet resumed normal traffic. For the safety of civilian lives and the fragile global economy, restoring peace and stability in the region is urgent.

Negotiators from the United States and Iran prepared on Friday for high-level talks scheduled to kick off a day later in Pakistan, seeking to steady a fragile two-week ceasefire teetering amid Israel's refusal to halt operations in Lebanon and deep rifts between Tehran and Washington over truce terms.

The talks are expected to last up to 15 days, addressing several sensitive points, including Iran's nuclear enrichment and the free flow of trade through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. But even as security was ramped up in Islamabad for the talks, Iran has signaled that its participation would hinge on a halt of Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

US Vice-President JD Vance is set to lead the US delegation, with Iran still tight-lipped about its team as officials said Israel's strikes in Lebanon have rendered the Pakistan talks "meaningless".

"The holding of talks to end the war is dependent on the US adhering to its ceasefire commitments on all fronts, especially in Lebanon," said Esmaeil Baqaei, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman.

Late on Thursday, US President Donald Trump appeared to cast doubt on the effectiveness of the truce, stating on social media: "Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing oil to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. That is not the agreement we have!"

Highlighting Iran's control of the strait, a Botswana-flagged liquefied natural gas tanker attempted to exit the Persian Gulf via a route designated by the Revolutionary Guard but suddenly turned back early on Friday, ship-tracking data showed.

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday that Iran will move the management of the strait into a new phase, as the Iranian people have achieved a "decisive victory" in the war, marking the 40th day since the death of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei — who was killed in US-Israeli strikes at the start of the conflict.

The strait's de facto closure has caused oil prices to skyrocket — affecting the cost of gasoline, food and other basics far beyond the Middle East. The spot price of Brent crude, the international standard, was around $96 on Friday, up about 35 percent since the war began.

Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, warned on Thursday that the Iran war is darkening the outlook for the world economy — whether or not the fragile ceasefire holds.

"Had it not been for this shock, we would have been upgrading global growth," she said in remarks ahead of next week's IMF-World Bank spring meetings. "But now, even our most hopeful scenario involves a growth downgrade."

Meanwhile, Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, warned on Thursday that continued Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon would bring "explicit costs and strong responses". He has been seen as a possible negotiator who could meet Vance in Islamabad.

On Wednesday, Israel's heaviest strikes on Lebanon since Feb 28 killed more than 300 people, rattling the fragile truce between Washington and Tehran. Early on Friday morning, Israel's military said it struck 10 more rocket launchers in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Kuwait said it faced a drone attack on Thursday night that it blamed on Iran. But Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard denied launching any assault in the region.

In addition to the Pakistan talks, Israel-Lebanon negotiations are slated to begin next week in Washington — a potential boost to Middle East ceasefire efforts — according to a US State Department official.

However, Abid Abou Shhadeh, a political analyst and activist based in Jaffa, Israel, said the ceasefire negotiations between the US and Iran are "extremely problematic" for Israel.

Notably, he said Israel is not "interested in any form of diplomacy or negotiations with Lebanon", citing recent polls published in Israeli media showing that 79 percent of the public supports continuing military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Al Jazeera reported.

cuihaipei@chinadaily.com.cn

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan has stepped up security and logistical preparations as delegations from the United States and Iran are expected to arrive in Islamabad for high-stakes talks aimed at easing tensions in the Middle East following a recently announced two-week ceasefire.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Thursday that a comprehensive plan has been prepared to ensure foolproof security for all visiting foreign delegates.

The negotiations are expected to bring together senior officials from both countries as part of diplomatic efforts to reach a longer-term settlement after weeks of escalating conflict.

According to Iran's Students' News Agency, Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf will lead the Tehran delegation for talks with US Vice President JD Vance in Islamabad. The White House confirmed that the US team will include senior envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, with the first round of negotiations expected on Saturday.

Analysts said Pakistan-facilitated talks face cautious optimism, saying that both sides have suffered heavy military, political, and economic losses, creating pressure for a negotiated settlement.

Authorities in Islamabad have introduced sweeping security measures ahead of the talks. Local holidays have been declared in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi to facilitate arrangements. Police, paramilitary troops, and other security agencies are deployed under the Blue Book VVIP protocol, with separate routes designated for the movement of foreign delegations.

Islamabad Police issued a traffic advisory warning commuters of diversions on the Express Highway. Rescue services and hospitals have been placed on high alert. Serena Hotel, a five-star property in the Red Zone, has been reserved exclusively for the delegations, while several entry points to the capital will remain sealed during their stay.

Despite the ceasefire, several contentious issues are expected to dominate the negotiations.

One major point is the future of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime corridor through which a significant portion of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passes.

Sanctions relief is another central issue, with Iran seeking the lifting of sanctions imposed on it, which have severely restricted its economy and international financial transactions.

Differences also persist over uranium enrichment. Iran insists on maintaining its program for civilian nuclear energy purposes, while Washington has reiterated that it seeks strict limits on the activity.

To bring both sides to the negotiating table, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar have held consultations with regional leaders and maintained diplomatic contacts with both Tehran and Washington. Analysts said the country's neutrality, backed by longstanding ties with all stakeholders, gives it unique leverage in promoting dialogue.

Tughral Yamin, retired brigadier and a regional security analyst, described Pakistan's success in convening the talks as "a remarkable achievement," noting that bringing two deeply distrustful parties together was once considered improbable. "It demonstrates ambition and a willingness to take risks in pursuit of peace," he said.

He said the real challenge lies in shaping a mutually acceptable outcome, requiring pragmatism, flexibility, and careful concessions.

Officials and analysts expressed the hope that the talks could mark a critical step toward reducing tensions in one of the world's most volatile regions.

TEHRAN -- Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Thursday warned the United States against allowing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "kill diplomacy," as a fragile ceasefire took hold following 40 days of fighting.

In a post on social media platform X, Araghchi said, "Netanyahu's criminal trial resumes on Sun(day). A region-wide ceasefire, incl(uding) in Lebanon, would hasten his jailing."

He added that if the United States lets Netanyahu "kill diplomacy, that would ultimately be its choice. We think that would be dumb but are prepared for it."

Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf wrote on X that "time is running out," stressing that Lebanon and the "resistance axis" are "inseparable" parts of the ceasefire.

Also on Thursday, Araghchi discussed the ceasefire with his Russian, French, Spanish and German counterparts in separate phone calls, according to statements released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Araghchi told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Iran took a responsible approach, and that safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, promised for two weeks under the ceasefire, will be provided if the United States adheres to its commitments.

In a call with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, Araghchi expressed regret over Israeli ceasefire violations and attacks on Lebanon, urging international action. Barrot welcomed the ceasefire and stressed the need to stop Israeli attacks against Lebanon.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares called the attacks on Iran "illegal," and urged all parties to remain committed to the diplomatic path.

A two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran took effect on Wednesday, with peace talks scheduled to begin later this week in Islamabad, Pakistan. The Iranian side will be reportedly headed by Qalibaf.

Israel has said the ceasefire does not cover the conflict in Lebanon, a position disputed by Iran and mediator Pakistan. Hours after the ceasefire came into effect, Israel launched its largest single-day attack on Lebanon, which has killed more than 300 and injured over 1,100.