US Iran war LIVE updates: Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, center, is greeted by Pakistan foreign minister Ishaq Dar, second right, and Army Chief field marshal Asim Munir, third left, upon his arrival at Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi, Pakistan,
US-Iran war LIVE updates: Iranian MP Ebrahim Azizi said that foreign minister Abbas Araghchi’s visit to Pakistan is focused only on bilateral matters and is not linked to any nuclear negotiations. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump is sending his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to Pakistan to meet Iran’s foreign minister, the White House said, as authorities in the South Asian country try to restart ceasefire talks between the US and Iran.
No direct talks with US: Iran
Soon after Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Pakistan, Tehran said clearly that there would be no direct talks with American officials during the visit.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmael Baqaei wrote on X that “No meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the US.” He added that Pakistani officials would pass messages between both sides.
Trump rules out using nuclear weapons on Iran
On Thursday, Trump said he would not use a nuclear weapon in the conflict with Iran. Speaking to reporters at the White House, he said, “Why would I use a nuclear weapon? We’ve totally, in a very conventional way, decimated them without it.”
The US President also said that nuclear weapons should never be used by anyone. When asked how long he was ready to wait for a long-term peace agreement with Iran, Trump said, “Don’t rush me.”
US imposes sanctions on a China-based oil refinery and 40 shippers over Iranian oil
The Trump administration has imposed economic sanctions on a major oil refinery in China and about 40 shipping firms and tankers linked to the transport of Iranian oil.
The decision, announced on Friday and first reported by The Associated Press, follows through on the administration’s warning to apply secondary sanctions on companies and countries doing business with Iran. It is also part of the US government’s wider push to cut Iran’s main source of income, its oil exports.
Leavitt says Vance is willing to go to Pakistan ‘if we feel it’s a necessary use of his time’
White House press secretary Karolien Leavitt told reporters that the president sent Witkoff and Kushner “to hear the Iranians out.”
“We’ve certainly seen some progress from the Iranian side in the last couple of days,” Leavitt said, without giving further details on what US officials were being told.
She said vice president JD Vance would not travel, but remains “deeply involved.”
No direct talks with US: Iran
Soon after Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Pakistan, Tehran said clearly that there would be no direct talks with American officials during the visit.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmael Baqaei wrote on X that “No meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the US.” He added that Pakistani officials would pass messages between both sides.
Trump rules out using nuclear weapons on Iran
On Thursday, Trump said he would not use a nuclear weapon in the conflict with Iran. Speaking to reporters at the White House, he said, “Why would I use a nuclear weapon? We’ve totally, in a very conventional way, decimated them without it.”
The US President also said that nuclear weapons should never be used by anyone. When asked how long he was ready to wait for a long-term peace agreement with Iran, Trump said, “Don’t rush me.”
US imposes sanctions on a China-based oil refinery and 40 shippers over Iranian oil
The Trump administration has imposed economic sanctions on a major oil refinery in China and about 40 shipping firms and tankers linked to the transport of Iranian oil.
The decision, announced on Friday and first reported by The Associated Press, follows through on the administration’s warning to apply secondary sanctions on companies and countries doing business with Iran. It is also part of the US government’s wider push to cut Iran’s main source of income, its oil exports.
Leavitt says Vance is willing to go to Pakistan ‘if we feel it’s a necessary use of his time’
White House press secretary Karolien Leavitt told reporters that the president sent Witkoff and Kushner “to hear the Iranians out.”
“We’ve certainly seen some progress from the Iranian side in the last couple of days,” Leavitt said, without giving further details on what US officials were being told.
She said vice president JD Vance would not travel, but remains “deeply involved.”
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Apr 25, 2026 9:27:00 AM IST
US-Iran war LIVE updates: EU says opening of Hormuz ‘vital’
US-Iran war LIVE updates: 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.
European Council President Antonio Costa said Friday that the strait “must immediately reopen without restrictions and without tolling”.
“This is vital for the entire world,” Costa said.
Apr 25, 2026 9:10:58 AM IST
US-Iran war LIVE updates: US military interventions in Iran, Venezuela driven by oil, says Russian FM
Iran news LIVE updates: Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has said that the United States has openly acknowledged that its military involvement in various nations, including Iran and Venezuela, is driven primarily by an interest in oil.
According to a report by Al Jazeera, Lavrov said that “The United States has officially stated that no one can dictate to it. They only care about their own well-being,” during an interview with Public Television of Russia.
The Russian diplomat further alleged that Washington is prepared to secure its interests through extreme measures, including “coups, kidnappings or murders of the leaders of those countries that have the necessary natural resources for Americans.”
Referencing specific nations, Lavrov stated that, in the cases of “Venezuela, Iran – our American colleagues do not hide that it is oil.” As reported by Al Jazeera, he claimed that the US operates under a “doctrine of dominance in the world’s energy markets.”
Apr 25, 2026 8:52:46 AM IST
US-Iran war LIVE updates: Araghchi’s Islamabad visit unrelated to nuclear talks, says Iranian MP
Iran news LIVE updates: Iranian MP and head of parliament’s national security and foreign policy commission Ebrahim Azizi said on Friday that foreign minister Abbas Araghchi’s visit to Pakistan is focused only on bilateral matters and is not linked to any nuclear negotiations.
“Just met with foreign journalists in Tehran and thanked them for coming to capture a true picture of our country. In the meeting, I made it clear that FM Araghchi’s trip to Pakistan is only for discussions on bilateral relations and he has no assignment related to nuclear talks, which remain one of Iran’s firm red lines,” Azizi posted on X.
Apr 25, 2026 8:33:51 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Qatar emir, Trump discuss Washington-Tehran ceasefire
Iran news LIVE updates: 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, Qatari state news agency reported on Friday.
He added that Qatar would continue coordinating with partners to support mediation efforts led by Pakistan.
Apr 25, 2026 8:15:59 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: US build-up in West Asia amid peace talks
Iran news LIVE updates: The US military noted that it now has three aircraft carriers in West Asia for the first time since it waged the 2003 Iraq war.
The three battle groups comprise “over 200 aircraft and 15,000 Sailors and Marines”, US Central Command said on X.
Apr 25, 2026 8:05:45 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Iran to make offer aimed at satisfying US demands, says Trump
Iran news LIVE updates: US President Donald Trump told Reuters on Friday that Iran plans to make an offer aimed at satisfying US demands, as peace talks were set to resume in Pakistan.
“They’re making an offer and we’ll have to see,” Trump said during a phone interview.
Trump said he did not know what the offer would be yet. He has been adamant that any deal include Iran giving up its enriched uranium and allowing freedom of oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Apr 25, 2026 7:58:14 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: US legal adviser says Iran war justified by Tehran’s ‘aggression’
Iran news LIVE updates: The US state department’s top lawyer has argued that President Donald Trump’s war with Iran was launched in self-defense and to defend US ally Israel, arguing the bombing campaign was not the start of a new war but the continuation of an ongoing conflict.
State department legal adviser Reed Rubinstein made the arguments in a statement released days before a May 1 deadline for the Trump administration to obtain approval for the war from Congress under the 1973 War Powers Act or move to end it.
The US was “engaged in this conflict at the request of and in the collective self-defense of its Israeli ally, as well as in the exercise of the United States’ own inherent right of self-defense,” Rubinstein said, citing what he called “Iran’s malign aggression over decades” since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, including attacks by Iranian proxies on U.S. forces and Israel, Iranian missile strikes against Israel in 2024 and Tehran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Apr 25, 2026 7:50:58 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: US won’t renew Iranian and Russian oil waivers, Bessent says
Iran news LIVE updates: Treasury secretary Scott Bessent said Friday that the US does not plan to renew a waiver allowing the purchase of Russian oil and petroleum products that are currently at sea. And, he said, a renewal of the one-time waiver for Iranian oil at sea is totally off the table.
“Not the Iranians,” Bessent told The Associated Press. “We have the blockade, and there’s no oil coming out.”
“And we think in the next two, three days, they’re going to have to start shuttering production, which will be very bad for their wells.”
Bessent’s statements come as the world is on edge over the US-Israeli war in Iran, and global energy markets have been ensnarled by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Apr 25, 2026 7:44:16 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: Israeli strikes kill six in Lebanon, says Lebanese health ministry
Iran news LIVE updates: 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.
Two people were killed in Wadi al-Hujair, two were killed in Touline, and one each in Srifa and Yater, all in southern Lebanon, the ministry said.
Apr 25, 2026 7:38:26 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: No direct talks with US planned, says Tehran
Iran news LIVE updates: Shortly after Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi touched down in Pakistan, his government made it clear that there would be no direct negotiations with American government representatives during this visit.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmael Baqaei said on X that “No meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the U.S.” Instead, Baqaei said Pakistani officials would convey messages between the delegations.
Baqaei thanked the Pakistani government for its “ongoing mediation & good offices for ending American imposed war of aggression.”
The White House said earlier Friday that its envoys would meet Araghchi.
Apr 25, 2026 7:26:51 AM IST
Iran news LIVE updates: US, Iran to hold talks in Pakistan
Iran news LIVE updates: US President Donald Trump is sending his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to Pakistan to meet Iran’s foreign minister, the White House said, as authorities in the South Asian country try to restart ceasefire talks between the US and Iran.
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