Middle East war live: US envoys expected in Islamabad as Iran rules out direct talks
Issued on: 25/04/2026 - 07:13Modified: 25/04/2026 - 10:29
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US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to arrive in Islamabad on Saturday for talks with Iran in the latest attempt by the US to broker a peace deal. Although Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Pakistan on Friday, Iran has ruled out direct negotiations with US representatives. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
25/04/2026 - 10:20
- Israeli strikes kill 6 in Lebanon Friday, health ministry
- US envoys heading to Pakistan for uncertain Iran talks
- Iran defence ministry says US seeks 'face-saving' way out of war
- Commercial flights resume at Tehran’s international airport for first time since the war
Iran defence ministry says US seeks 'face-saving' way out of war
Iran's defence ministry said the United States was seeking a "face-saving" way to exit the war, as US envoys travelled to Pakistan for peace negotiations.
"Our military power today is a dominant force, and the enemy is looking for a face-saving way to escape the war quagmire it has become trapped in," media outlet ISNA quoted a ministry spokesperson as saying.25/04/2026 - 10:06
Turkey may consider role in Hormuz demining after Iran-US deal, minister says
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Turkey could consider taking part in demining operations in the Strait of Hormuz following a possible peace agreement between Iran and the United States.
Fidan, speaking to reporters in London on Friday evening, said a technical team was expected to carry out mine-clearing work in the strait after any agreement, adding that Turkey viewed such efforts positively in principle as a humanitarian duty.
Israeli army issues new warnings to residents in southern Lebanon
IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee has issued a warning to residents in south Lebanon, advising them not to cross into a designated "red zone" where the Israeli military is operating despite a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon.
25/04/2026 - 09:50Commercial flights resume at Tehran’s international airport for first time since the war
Passengers stand in a line at the terminal hall after flights resumed at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, amid a ceasefire between US and Iran.
(© Majid Asgaripour, WANA via Reuters)
Iran executes man over 'mission' for Israel's spy agency
Iran has executed a man for carrying out a "mission" on behalf of Israel's spy agency during mass protests in January, the judiciary reported.
Erfan Kiani was hanged after his sentence was upheld by the country's Supreme Court, the judiciary's Mizan Online website said.
It described Kiani as one of the "main operatives" in a "mission assigned by Mossad" during unrest in the central Iranian province of Isfahan.
The judiciary accused him of "destruction of public and private property, arson, possession and use of Molotov cocktails, carrying a bladed weapon, blocking vehicle routes, attacking officers, and creating fear and panic among citizens".
Iran has in recent weeks ramped up executions during its war with Israel and the United States that began on February 28.
25/04/2026 - 08:09Iran says it will not participate in talks with US, despite FM's arrival in Islamabad
FRANCE 24's Reza Sayah reports from Tehran.
25/04/2026 - 06:53EU considers helping with Mideast energy infrastructure to bypass conflict zones
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Friday that the EU is ready to work with Persian Gulf countries for new projects conveying energy to global markets that wouldn’t be held hostage to war or geopolitical strife.
"The events of the past month have taught us a hard lesson,” von der Leyen told a news conference at the end of an informal meeting of EU leaders in the capital of Cyprus. “Our security is not just related, it is intrinsically linked. A threat to a merchant vessel in the Strait of Hormuz is a threat to a factory, for example, in Belgium.”
“We are also ready to team up with the Gulf countries to diversify export infrastructure away from solely the bottleneck of the Hormuz Strait," she said, also offering to help repair Gulf energy infrastructure damaged in the war.25/04/2026 - 06:52
US envoys heading to Pakistan for uncertain Iran talks
US envoys headed to the Pakistani capital Saturday in a bid to kickstart a new round of peace negotiations with Iran amid a fragile ceasefire, though the prospect of direct talks remained uncertain.
The White House said emissaries Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would engage in an "in-person conversation" with Iranian representatives, but Iranian state media said that direct negotiations were not in the cards.
Iran's foreign minister arrived in Islamabad on Friday.
US-Kuwaiti journalist released after war coverage detention
An American-Kuwaiti journalist has been released after being held for weeks in Kuwait during a crackdown on sharing footage of the US-Iran war, a US State Department official said Friday.
Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, who has contributed to The New York Times, PBS, and Al Jazeera English, was arrested on March 3 for allegedly spreading false information, harming national security and misusing his mobile phone.
A US State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP on Friday that Shihab-Eldin "has safely departed Kuwait."
Russia's Lavrov says US discarding international conventions, pursuing its own interests
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the United States of abandoning internationally recognised diplomatic conventions in pursuit of its own interests, particularly in dominating energy markets, in an interview broadcast on Friday.
Lavrov, interviewed by Russian state television, said Washington, in its dealings with Latin America and the Middle East, was "taking us back to a world where nothing existed" in international law.
The United States "cares only about its own well-being and is ready to defend that well-being by any means - coups, kidnappings or assassinations of leaders of countries that possess natural resources the Americans need", he said in the interview, the text of which was posted on the Foreign Ministry's website.
"Venezuela, Iran, our American colleagues do not hide that this is about oil. They have a doctrine of dominance in global energy markets."
25/04/2026 - 06:44Israeli strikes kill 6 in Lebanon Friday, health ministry
Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed six people Friday, the Lebanese health ministry said, despite an ongoing ceasefire in the more than six-week war between Israel and Hezbollah.
"The Israeli enemy's airstrikes on southern Lebanon today, April 24, resulted in the martyrdom of six citizens and the injury of two others," the ministry said in a statement.
Welcome to the FRANCE 24 liveblog following 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 arrived in Islamabad on Friday, Pakistan's foreign ministry said, adding that he did not plan to participate in direct talks with the US.
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US President Donald Trump said he was sending special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad for talks with Araghchi, CNN reported on Friday.
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An Indonesian blue helmet stationed in Lebanon died as a result of wounds suffered on March 29 in an attack on his base the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, announced on Friday.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
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