Iran says US seeks 'face-saving' way out of war

Iran's defence ministry has 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.

It comes as emissaries Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner make their way to Islamabad, though Iranian state media has said direct negotiations are not on the cards.

Iran's foreign minister has arrived in Pakistan and US envoys headed to Islamabad in a bid to kickstart a new round of peace negotiations amid a fragile ceasefire.

The White House said emissaries Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner would engage in an "in-person conversation" with Iranian representatives, but Iranian state media said that direct talks were not in the cards.

Despite US President Donald Trump's announcement on Thursday of a three-week ceasefire extension in Lebanon, Israeli strikes in the south of the country killed six people yesterday, the Lebanese health ministry said.

While Mr Trump expressed confidence at the prospect of a lasting peace in Lebanon, sealing a deal to end the wider Middle East war is a thornier proposition, even as urgency mounts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for the world's oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner would head to Pakistan today "to engage in talks with representatives from the Iranian delegation."

"The Iranians reached out, as the president called on them to do, and asked for this in-person conversation," Ms Leavitt said, adding that the talks would "hopefully move the ball forward towards a deal."

Ms Leavitt said Vice President JD Vance, who led a first round of negotiations in Islamabad two weeks ago that concluded without a deal, would not be joining for the time being, but was on "standby to fly to Pakistan if necessary."

It remained unclear late last night whether the Iranian side would meet directly with the US envoys.

Iranian state television said Mr Araghchi has no plans to meet with the Americans and Pakistan would serve as a bridge to "convey" Iranian proposals to end the conflict.

Pakistan's foreign ministry said Mr Araghchi had arrived in Islamabad to discuss "ongoing efforts for regional peace and stability" with Pakistani officials, without directly referencing talks with Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner.

An Iranian spokesman said Mr Araghchi would visit Oman and Russia after the Pakistan stop to discuss efforts to end the war launched against the Islamic Republic by Israel and the United States on 28 February.

EU says opening Hormuz 'vital'

Since the last round of talks, efforts to bring the two sides back to the table have hit an impasse, with Iran refusing to participate as long as a US naval blockade on its ports remained in place.

Iran has imposed a de facto blockade of its own on the Strait of Hormuz, allowing only a trickle of ships to pass through the vital waterway, throwing global energy markets into turmoil.

Oil prices slid yesterday amid hopes that fresh peace talks would see an end to Iran's disruption of trade through the strait.

European Council President Antonio Costa said that the strait "must immediately reopen without restrictions and without tolling."

"This is vital for the entire world," Mr Costa added.

Major Wall Street indices closed at fresh records yesterday as markets cheered the latest batch of earnings reports and US and Iranian officials headed to Pakistan.

The United States continued meanwhile to build up its forces in the Middle East with the arrival of its third aircraft carrier in the region, the USS George HW Bush.

'Destroyed'

Mr Trump spoke in glowing terms on Thursday of peace prospects for Lebanon after meeting with Israeli and Lebanese envoys, voicing hope for a three-way meeting with the Lebanese and Israeli leaders.

The two countries have been officially at war for decades and until last week had not met so directly since 1993.

Mohammed Raad, the head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, urged the Lebanese government to withdraw from direct talks with Israel and warned that a lasting peace deal of the kind sought by Mr Trump "will in no way enjoy Lebanese national consensus."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed to destroy the Iran-backed movement, said, "We have started a process to reach a historic peace between Israel and Lebanon, and it's clear to us that Hezbollah is trying to sabotage this."

In south Lebanon's Tyre, Mohamad Ali Hijazi was searching a mountain of rubble for mementos of family members killed in an Israeli airstrike minutes before the ceasefire took hold.

"I'm trying to find my mother's hairbrush and a bottle of perfume that she loves," said Mr Hijazi, 48 - some of the last things he sent her from France, where he has long lived with his wife and two daughters.

"My life has been destroyed. I haven't slept for five days," he told AFP, repeatedly fighting back tears.

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.

Mr Fidan, speaking to reporters in London yesterday 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.

However, he cautioned that Turkey would reassess its position ifany ⁠future technical coalition of countries became a ⁠party to renewed conflict,

Mr Fidan also said he believed issues related to Iran's nuclear programme could be resolved at the next round of talks in Pakistan.