Iran’s foreign minister arrives in Pakistan, raising hopes for US peace talks

• Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi arrived in Islamabad for US peace talks, with conflicting reports on potential meetings; Washington expressed optimism for progress.
• The US insists Iran abandon nuclear weapons for a "good deal." Previous talks failed amidst a fragile and contentious Lebanon-Israel ceasefire.
• Oil prices remained volatile. Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, linking its reopening to the US lifting its shipping blockade.

ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on April 24 to discuss proposals for restarting peace talks with the United States, amid conflicting signals on whether he would meet with US negotiators there.

Pakistani sources said Mr Araghchi was not slated to meet US negotiators in Islamabad, while White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would leave for Pakistan on the morning of April 25 for talks with the Iranian official.

Pakistan’s foreign minister confirmed the arrival of the Iranian delegation, saying Mr Araghchi would meet with senior Pakistani officials to discuss the peace efforts.

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani discussed developments in the Washington-Tehran ceasefire agreement in a phone call with US President Donald Trump, Qatar’s state news agency reported late on April 24.

The Qatari leader said his country would continue coordinating with partners to support mediation efforts led by Pakistan. Islamabad was the planned venue for US-Iran talks that failed to materialise earlier this week.

Ms Leavitt struck an upbeat tone, saying the US had seen some progress from the Iranian side in recent days and hoped more would come this weekend. She added that US Vice-President J.D. Vance, who earlier this month led a first round of unsuccessful talks with Iran to end their war, is ready to travel to Pakistan to join the negotiations if they prove successful.

Mr Araghchi wrote on X that he was visiting Pakistan, Oman and Russia to coordinate with partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments, adding that Iran’s neighbours remained Tehran’s priority.

The tour will include consultations on the latest efforts to end the war, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson later told state media.

Two Pakistani government sources aware of the discussions said Mr Araghchi’s visit would be brief and focus on Iran’s proposals for talks with the US, which mediator Pakistan would then convey to Washington.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told a briefing earlier on April 24 that Iran had a chance to make a “good deal” with the US.

“Iran knows that they still have an open window to choose wisely... at the negotiating table. All they have to do is abandon a nuclear weapon in meaningful and verifiable ways,” he said.

Reports on Mr Araghchi’s trip in Iranian state media and the Pakistani sources made no mention of Mr Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s Parliament, who was the head of its delegation at the talks earlier this month.

The Iranian Parliament’s media office denied a report that Mr Qalibaf had resigned as head of Iran’s negotiating team, and added that there was no new round of talks scheduled yet.

Pakistani sources said earlier that a US logistics and security team already was in place in Islamabad for potential talks.

The last round of peace talks had been expected to resume on April 21 but never took place, with Iran saying it was not yet ready to commit to attending, and a US delegation led by Mr Vance never leaving Washington.

Mr Trump unilaterally extended a two-week ceasefire on April 21 at the 11th hour to allow more time to reconvene the negotiators.

Oil prices remained volatile on April 24, as traders weighed potential disruption from the worst oil shock in history amid the prospect for further talks.

Brent crude futures were largely unchanged at US$105.11 a barrel while US West Texas Intermediate futures were down 1.7 per cent to US$94.23.

Hezbollah dismisses Lebanon ceasefire extension

On April 23, Israel and Lebanon extended a separate ceasefire for three weeks at a meeting at the White House brokered by Mr Trump.

The war in Lebanon, which Israel invaded in March to root out Iran’s Hezbollah allies after the militant group fired across the border, has run in parallel with the wider Iran war, and Tehran says a ceasefire there is a precondition for talks.

There was little sign of an end to the fighting in southern Lebanon, however, as Lebanese authorities reported two people were killed by an Israeli strike and Hezbollah downed an Israeli drone.

While the ceasefire that came into force on April 16 has led to a significant reduction in hostilities, Israel and Hezbollah have continued to trade blows in southern Lebanon, where Israel has kept soldiers in a self-declared “buffer zone.”

Responding to the extension, Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad said, “It is essential to point out that the ceasefire is meaningless in light of Israel’s insistence on hostile acts, including assassinations, shelling, and gunfire” and its demolition of villages and towns in the south.

Israel’s military said it had killed six armed Hezbollah members in southern Lebanon on April 24.

Strait of Hormuz blockade

Mr Trump said on April 23 he was in no rush to reach an agreement with Iran and wanted it to be “everlasting,” while asserting the US had an upper hand in the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important energy shipping route.

The US has yet to find a way to open the strait, where Iran has blocked nearly all ships apart from its own since the start of the war eight weeks ago. Iran showed off its control this week by seizing two huge cargo vessels there.

Mr Trump imposed a separate blockade of Iranian shipping last week. Iran says it will not reopen the strait until Mr Trump lifts his blockade.

Only five ships crossed the strait in the last 24 hours, shipping data showed on April 24, compared to around 130 a day before the war. Those included one Iranian oil products tanker, but none of the vast crude-carrying supertankers that normally feed global energy markets.

Container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd also said one of its ships had crossed the strait, without giving details. REUTERS