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Iran Says Exchanges with U.S. Via Pakistan Continue After Failed Talks

Iran said Wednesday that exchanges with the United States via Pakistan had continued following failed negotiations over the weekend. "Since Sunday, when the Iranian delegation returned to Tehran, several messages have been exchanged through Pakistan," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a weekly press briefing. "Today, we are very ...

Israel Strikes South of Beirut as Hezbollah Launches Rockets at Israel

Two Israeli strikes on Wednesday hit vehicles south of Beirut, state media reported, while Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel, soon after Lebanon and Israel agreed to continue holding direct talks.  The Israeli military also renewed its call for residents of a swathe of southern Lebanon to leave as it continues to bomb the area. Despite its ...

What Went Wrong for the Shia

The Shia have a problem. While many Sunni-majority states, from the Gulf states to Turkey, have achieved varying degrees of governance success and economic growth, Shia-led political projects have little to show for themselves. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, they have been at the center of wars, terrorist networks, and state failure even as ...

Rare Precedents for Lebanon-Israel Peace Talks

1949, Fragile Armistice The first Arab-Israeli war began on May 15, 1948, the day after the declaration of the establishment of the State of Israel. Five countries -- Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq -- had rejected a UN plan adopted in November 1947 to partition Palestine into Jewish and Arab states and went to war against the new ...

U.S. Continues Naval Blockade Amid Precarious Ceasefire

The U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect overnight on Tuesday into Wednesday morning as the rocky U.S.-Iran ceasefire holds. The naval blockade was initiated on Monday as U.S. President Donald Trump warned that “if any of these ships come anywhere close to our blockade, they will be immediately eliminated, using the same system of ...

U.S. State Department: Lebanon and Israel Agree to Continue Direct Negotiations

The U.S. Department of State released a statement on Tuesday following a trilateral meeting on April 14, 2026, stressing that all sides agreed to continue direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue. The meeting marked the first major high-level engagement between the governments of Israel and Lebanon since 1993, with the ...

Antoun Sehnaoui and Morgan Ortagus Commemorate the 'Days of Remembrance' at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

Businessman Antoun Sehnaoui posted photos on his social media accounts showing him alongside Morgan Ortagus. He accompanied them with the following statement: “Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. Morgan and I had the honor of attending the Days of Remembrance ceremonies at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, where both of ...

Aoun Sees Israel Talks as Path to Ending Lebanon’s Suffering

Moments before direct Israel-Lebanon talks began in Washington, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Tuesday he hoped negotiations would mark “the beginning of the end of the suffering of the Lebanese in general, and of the people of the south in particular,” following weeks of war between Israel and Hezbollah. “Stability will not be ...

Israeli Ambassador to U.S.: Israel and Lebanon Moving Toward 'Complete Peace Treaty'

Lebanon and Israel engaged in the first round of United States-brokered talks in Washington DC today to discuss cooperation on Hezbollah disarmament. The talks were a major historic milestone, the first in-person meetings between Lebanese and Israeli representatives since 1993. Following two hours of talks, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel ...

Rubio Calls Israel-Lebanon Talks a 'Historic Opportunity' for Lasting Peace

At the opening of direct talks between Israeli and Lebanese Ambassadors at the U.S. State Department, Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the negotiations as a pivotal moment that could ensure stability and peace for residents of Lebanon and Israel.  “We are very honored to be joined by partners with whom the United States seeks strong ...

Israeli FM Says Keen to Reach 'Peace and Normalization' with Lebanon

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said his country is seeking "peace and normalization" with Lebanon, ahead of talks between officials from both nations in Washington on Tuesday. "We want to reach peace and normalization with the state of Lebanon... Israel and Lebanon don't have any major disputes between them. The problem is Hezbollah," Saar ...

Israel-Lebanon Negotiations: Who Are the Key Participants?

As Israel and Lebanon enter their first direct diplomatic talks in decades, a group of senior diplomats and officials have taken center stage in Washington. Hosted by the United States, the meeting brings together representatives from all three sides amid ongoing war and deep political tensions. Below is a profile of each key participant, their ...

Iraq Says Has 'Understandings' to Bypass Hormuz Blockade

Baghdad's oil ministry said Tuesday it has "understandings" with the United States and Iran to reduce the impact of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on Iraqi oil exports. The ministry did not elaborate or say when these reported understandings were reached. But Iran announced earlier this month before the fragile ceasefire was reached last ...

U.S. Says Ball in Iran's Court as Push Grows to End War

The United States said "the ball is in the Iranian court" on ending the Mideast war, as diplomats accelerated efforts on Tuesday towards a new round of peace talks after weekend negotiations failed to produce a deal. US Vice President JD Vance had left talks hosted by Pakistan on Sunday, saying he had handed Tehran the "final and best offer".Iran ...

Lebanon, Israel to Meet for Tough Talks in Washington

Lebanese and Israeli representatives are scheduled to meet in Washington Tuesday for US-mediated talks on ending the war in Lebanon. Lebanon was pulled into the region-wide Iran war on March 2 after Hezbollah attacked Israel.Since then Israeli strikes -- including an extremely heavy attack on Beirut on April 8 -- have killed more than 2,000 ...

Lebanon Charts a Separate Path from Tehran in Israel Talks

Lebanon is set to begin talks with Israel in Washington on Tuesday, the first direct negotiations since 1983, as Beirut seeks to reassert its role in regional affairs and prevent the country from becoming a bargaining chip in broader international negotiations. Political activist and former MP Fares Souaid described the move as a historic break. ...

Qassem Urges Lebanese Government to Cancel Negotiations with Israel

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem delivered a televised address tonight, his sixth since the militant group initiated this round of fighting on March 2. He spoke one day before Lebanese and Israeli envoys are set to begin negotiations at the U.S. State Department on April 14, a watershed moment in the history of ties between the two ...

Hezbollah Resumes Attacks After Short Lull, Report Says

After a brief lull in fire following the April 8 ceasefire with Iran, Hezbollah has resumed attacks on Israeli territory, according to an assessment by the Alma Research and Education Center. According to the report, a total of 1,310 Hezbollah attack waves targeting Israel have been recorded since March 2, with an average of around 30 attacks per ...

Lebanese FM: Direct Talks With Israel Reinforce Separation From Iran Track

Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi said that Beirut is pursuing direct negotiations with Israel aimed at reaching a ceasefire, while stressing what he described as a growing separation between Lebanon’s diplomatic track and Iranian influence in the region. In a post on X following a call with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, ...

Israeli Foreign Minister Calls for “Severing Iran’s Influence” Over Lebanon Ahead of Talks

Israel’s Foreign Minister said on Monday that Iran must be cut off from Lebanon, arguing that Tehran exerts effective control over the country through Hezbollah, ahead of anticipated diplomatic discussions between Israel and Lebanon set to begin in the coming days. In a statement, the Israeli minister said the upcoming talks “are ...

IDF Says It Has Encircled Bint Jbeil, Expands Ground Offensive in Southern Lebanon

The Israel Defense Forces said over the past week its troops “completed the encirclement and began an offensive in the town of Bint Jbeil,” a locality long considered a stronghold of Hezbollah. The IDF announced on Monday that its forces have intensified ground operations in southern Lebanon, particularly around ...

After Islamabad

Whatever different people may think about the Trump Administration's approach to Iran, 21 hours of talks led by the American vice president demonstrated a seriousness of diplomatic purpose.  However, it was never likely that the wide gap between the goals of Washington and those of Tehran would be bridged in a day.  Eight American presidents ...

U.S. Oil Benchmark Jumps 8%, Surpasses $100 After Failed U.S.-Iran Talks

The US oil benchmark rebounded above $100 a barrel on Monday after peace talks between the United States and Iran failed to make a breakthrough, and with US President Donald Trump ordering a blockade of Iranian ports. Shortly after trading began, a barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for May delivery rose around eight percent to $104.50, ...

Iran Executes Over 1,639 People in 2025: Report

Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people in 2025, the highest number since 1989, two NGOs said Monday, warning it risked using capital punishment even more extensively after protests in January and the war against Israel and the US. The number of executions represented an increase of 68 percent on the 975 people Iran put to death in ...

Mideast Prepares for More Fighting as Talks Fail

A sense of dread spread across the Middle East after talks between the US and Iran collapsed, as fears of renewed fighting rattled an already tense region with Donald Trump ordering a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Following more than 20 hours of talks in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, US Vice President JD Vance admitted the yawning ...