Iran's FM not to hold talks with U.S. officials in Pakistan visit -- media
Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi will not hold any negotiation with U.S. officials during his visit to Pakistan's capital Islamabad, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Friday.
The report added that during his visit to Islamabad, Araghchi will hold talks solely with the Pakistani side on Iran's considerations about the end of the war with the United States and Israel.
Iran's state-run IRIB TV reported that while Araghchi does not have a plan to meet with the Americans, "Islamabad, as a bridge of communication, will 'convey' Iran's considerations for ending the conflicts."
Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the Iranian delegation led by Araghchi arrived in Pakistan on Friday night.
The Iranian foreign minister's trip will also include visits to Oman and Russia.
6 killed in Israeli airstrikes on S. Lebanon
Six people were killed and two others wounded in Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Friday, Lebanon's Public Health Ministry said.
The casualties included two killed in Wadi al-Hujair, one killed in Srifa, one killed and one wounded in Yater, two killed in Touline, and one wounded in Khirbet Selm, according to a statement by the Emergency Operations Center of the ministry.
The latest Israeli strikes came amid a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that came into effect at midnight between April 16 and 17, following weeks of intensified cross-border fighting amid the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the current 10-day Israel-Lebanon ceasefire would be extended by three weeks.
EU leaders call for lasting end to Middle East conflict
The leaders of the European Union (EU) on Friday called for diplomatic efforts to negotiate a lasting end to the Middle East conflict, urging full and permanent freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Following an informal meeting of EU leaders and a meeting with Middle East partners in Cyprus, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the shared goal is now to negotiate a lasting end to the war. "This includes restoring full and permanent freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz without tolls."
European Council President Antonio Costa joined the call that diplomatic efforts must continue with the objective of finding a lasting solution.
Costa said the war in the Middle East has already had disastrous consequences for people, for infrastructure and for the global economy. "And with every day that passes without a solution, the situation is only getting worse."
Pentagon chief says U.S. blockade on Iranian ports "growing, going global"
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports "is growing and going global," and will continue as long as it takes.
"No one sails from the Strait of Hormuz to anywhere in the world without the permission of the United States Navy," Hegseth told a Pentagon press briefing.
He said the U.S. military had seized two Iranian ships in the Indo-Pacific region that had left Iranian ports before the blockade went into effect.
As of Friday morning, U.S. forces have turned back 34 ships to or from Iranian ports, though international ship-tracking data show Iran has still been moving some of its sanctioned oil, according to reports.■
