The Russian Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will visit Russia, Russian agencies reported, without specifying the date or whether he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Iranian media reported earlier today that Araghchi will meet with the Russian president in Moscow on Monday to discuss ongoing peace talks in the Middle East.
As reported by the Iranian news agency ISNA, during his visit to Moscow as part of a tour that began in Islamabad on Friday, Aragchi will talk with "Russian officials about the latest situation regarding the negotiations, the ceasefire and related developments, and will present a report on these negotiations to Russian officials."
Araghchi arrived in Islamabad again today, where he was supposed to meet with American envoys for the second round of peace talks, who did not show up in Pakistan.
Aragchi spoke with several Pakistani officials in Islamabad, and he returned to it today from Oman, which previously mediated the negotiations.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump spoke by phone about the urgent need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a Downing Street spokesman said.
"The leaders discussed the urgent need to restore shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, given the serious consequences for the global economy and the cost of living for citizens in the United Kingdom and around the world," Starmer's office said in a statement.
"The Prime Minister outlined the latest progress under his joint initiative with President Emmanuel Macron to restore freedom of navigation," it added.
The Israeli military issued new evacuation orders for southern Lebanon on Monday, ordering residents to leave seven towns outside a "buffer zone" it occupied before a ceasefire that failed to lead to a complete cessation of hostilities, Reuters reported.
An Israeli military spokesman announced on the X platform that the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah is violating the ceasefire and that Israel will act against it, telling people to move away from those cities to the north and west.
These towns are located north of the Litani River and the zone in southern Lebanon occupied by Israeli troops, who have continued military operations despite the ceasefire.
"From our perspective, what binds us is the security of Israel, the security of our soldiers, the security of our communities. We are acting decisively in accordance with the rules that we have agreed with the United States, and, incidentally, with Lebanon," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.
The Israeli military said it had intercepted three drones before they crossed into Israeli territory, after sirens sounded in northern Israel.
Earlier today, Hezbollah announced that it had attacked Israeli troops inside Lebanon, as well as a rescue unit that came to evacuate them.
The ceasefire, brokered by the United States (US), which began on April 16 and was extended until mid-May, brought a significant reduction in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, although both sides continued to fire at each other, accusing each other of violations.
Nearly 2.500 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since the latest war between Hezbollah and Israel began on March 2, days after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran.
US President Donald Trump said a shooting at an event in Washington would not deter him from war with Iran, adding that he did not believe the incident was related to events in the Middle East.
"That's not going to stop me from winning a war with Iran," Trump said at a press conference late on April 25, about 40 minutes after a security incident at a White House Correspondents' Association dinner at a Washington hotel.
"I don't know if that has anything to do with it. I really don't think it does, based on what we know," he added.
Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, as well as several cabinet members and other officials, were evacuated after shots rang out near a security checkpoint outside the hall where Trump was scheduled to speak.
Officials said the suspect's motives are not yet known. The suspect has been arrested and is expected to be formally charged on April 27.
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(Radio Free Europe)
Hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough in the US-Israeli war with Iran faded on Monday as efforts to revive talks stalled and neither Tehran nor Washington showed much willingness to soften their stances.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi returned from mediation talks in Pakistan, while US President Donald Trump canceled a planned visit to Islamabad by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
While the ceasefire halted full-scale fighting in the conflict, which began with US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, no agreement was reached on terms to end the war that has claimed thousands of lives, raised oil prices, fueled inflation and worsened the outlook for global growth.
Tehran has largely closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas shipments pass, while Washington has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports.
Iran says US should lift naval blockade
Iranian President Masoud Pazakhstani told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif by phone that Tehran would not agree to "imposed negotiations" under threats or blockade, according to a statement from the Iranian government.
He said the US first needs to remove obstacles, including the naval blockade, before negotiators can begin preparing the ground for an agreement.
Aragchi, however, described the visit to Pakistan as "very fruitful."
After leaving Islamabad, he traveled to Oman - another mediator in the war - where he held talks with that country's leader, Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, about ending the conflict, state media reported. He is then scheduled to visit Russia.
Speaking in Florida before being rushed from a White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington after a man opened fire on security guards, Trump said he had canceled his envoys' visit because of the excessive travel and expense of what he considered an insufficient Iranian offer.
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After the diplomatic trip was canceled, Iran "offered a lot, but not enough," Trump said.
Trump claims Iran's leadership is in disarray
Trump wrote on the Truth Social network that there is "tremendous infighting and confusion" within the Iranian leadership.
"Nobody knows who's in charge, including them. Also, we have all the cards, they have none! If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!" he announced.
Pezeshkian said last week that there are no "hardliners or moderates" in Tehran and that the country stands united behind its supreme leader. Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Aragchi have reiterated that message in recent days.
The war has destabilized the Middle East, with Tehran attacking its Gulf neighbors while fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon has flared up again.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday ordered the military to strongly attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, his office said, further testing a US-brokered ceasefire there.
Earlier, White House spokeswoman Carolyn Leavitt said the United States had seen some progress on the Iranian side and that Vice President J.D. Vance was ready to travel to Pakistan. Vance led an unsuccessful first round of talks in Islamabad this month.
Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said met in Muscat with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, where both sides discussed the regional situation and mediation efforts aimed at ending the war with Iran, the state-run Oman News Agency reported on Monday, Reuters reported.
Iranian President Masoud Pazakhstani said his country will not negotiate while the United States (US) imposes a blockade on its ports, Iranian media reported, the Associated Press (AP) reported today.
Pezeshkian said on Saturday evening, during a telephone conversation with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, that the US "should first remove operational obstacles, including the blockade," to enable a new round of talks, the ISNA and Tasnim news agencies reported.
The Pakistani prime minister described the conversation as a "cordial and constructive discussion."
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrapped up a day-long visit to the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Saturday, after meetings with Pakistani military and government officials.
The visit did not bring any progress in efforts to restart negotiations, after US President Donald Trump canceled a planned trip by his envoys to Islamabad.
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