Middle East war live: Iran's FM to return to Pakistan for talks as US envoys cancel visit
Issued on: 26/04/2026 - 07:13Modified: 26/04/2026 - 07:33
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to return to Pakistan on Sunday for more peace negotiations, state media reported, having just left Islamabad the previous day. US envoys did not arrive in Islamabad as expected on Saturday after Iran said it would not participate in direct negotiations with the US. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
26/04/2026 - 07:33Iran executes man linked to militant group
Iran executed a man convicted of being a member of the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl and carrying out attacks on Iranian security forces, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
Authorities identified the man as Amer Ramesh, saying he had been arrested in a counter-terrorism operation in southeastern Iran and charged with armed rebellion, including being involved in bombings and ambushes targeting military personnel.
Jaish al-Adl is an extremist Sunni Muslim militant group active in Iran's poorest region, Sistan-Baluchestan.
26/04/2026 - 07:18Trump says shooting won't 'deter' him from Iran war
US President Donald Trump has said a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner would not deter him from the Iran war, although he believed the incident was unlikely linked to the conflict.
"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," Trump told reporters in a briefing at the White House after the shocking security incident.
Trump had earlier said, however, that "you never know" if it could be linked to the Iran war, and said investigators were working on the motive of the shooter whom he described as a "lone wolf."
26/04/2026 - 07:05Iran FM to head back to Pakistan after Oman visit, state media says
ranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will head back to Pakistan after visiting Oman, state media reported Saturday, having just left Islamabad earlier in the day.
The IRNA news agency, citing the foreign ministry, reported that Araghchi "is scheduled to visit Pakistan again after completing his trip to Oman and before travelling to Russia".
Part of his delegation had returned to Tehran, it added, "to consult and obtain the necessary instructions on issues related to ending the war, and is scheduled to rejoin Araghchi in Islamabad on Sunday night".
26/04/2026 - 06:59 26/04/2026 - 06:54Welcome to the FRANCE 24 liveblog covering events in the Middle East. Click here to catch up on what happened yesterday.
Yesterday's key developments:
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Pakistan on Saturday evening, after talks with Pakistani leaders on what he called Iran's red lines for negotiations with the US.
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President Donald Trump said he told US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner not to travel to Pakistan for planned negotiations – that Tehran never confirmed it would attend – Iran, telling Fox News that ″they can call us anytime they want”.
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Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli strikes in the country's south killed six people, despite a ceasefire that was extended this week in the war between Israel and militant group Hezbollah.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
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