Pakistan's interior minister is in Tehran today in a new attempt to launch talks between Iran and the US, and the US military announced that it had shot down two more Iranian drones over the Strait of Hormuz that were allegedly threatening international maritime traffic.
The latest attacks come as the US administration is pressuring Iran to accept a peace deal and end a war in the Middle East that is affecting the global economy.
The heaviest fighting ended with a preliminary ceasefire on April 8, but the two sides failed to agree on a long-term end to the war.
Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is in Tehran to convey a message to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei from Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, Iran's state news agency Irna reported.
Khamenei has not been seen in public since he was appointed the new ruler of the Islamic Republic, following the assassination of his father, on the first day of the war on February 28, when the US and Israel began bombing Iran.
Naqvi met with Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momenei late last night and this morning, and also spoke with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, official Iranian media reported.
No details were given about the content of his message.
Pakistani authorities have previously said that Islamabad, with the support of regional countries including Qatar, Turkey and Egypt, is working to bridge differences between the US and Iran and encourage efforts aimed at reducing tensions and ensuring the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Fighting also continues between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, despite last week's announcement that a US-brokered ceasefire had been extended. The new ceasefire in Lebanon was announced during Israeli-Lebanese talks in Washington last week.
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah group rejected the agreement and instead supported Iran's demand that ending the war in Lebanon be part of negotiations with the US to end the conflict with Iran.
Israel said it hit more than 150 Hezbollah military targets over the weekend, including rocket launchers and command centers, across southern Lebanon.
Early this morning, Israel identified at least five missiles fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel, which were intercepted or fell in open areas. Hezbollah did not immediately claim responsibility for firing the missiles at Israel, but the militant group admitted to attacking Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.
Two Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting in southern Lebanon on Saturday, the Israeli military said.
The fighting in Lebanon, where Israeli forces have seized large parts of the south in a ground invasion, threatens efforts to end the war in Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key transit route for oil and gas.
Iran demands that any lasting ceasefire include Lebanon, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to continue the Israeli offensive in Lebanon until he deems Hezbollah no longer a threat.
Lebanese army chief General Rodolfo Haikal traveled to Pakistan on Saturday at the invitation of the Pakistani army chief. The Lebanese army did not provide further details and did not say whether the trip was related to Pakistan's mediation between Iran and the United States.
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