Israel, Lebanon to speak on Thursday after 34 years

Hopes for Middle East peace grow as Pakistan continues to mediate for ceasefire

US President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post that the leaders of Israel and Lebanon will speak for the first time in 34 years on Thursday, as he claims he is "trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon."

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/116412252214963423

The announcement came after Israel’s and Lebanon’s envoys to the US held rare, direct talks in Washington to discuss an end to Israeli attacks on its neighbour, according to Al Jazeera​​​​​​. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that, despite the talks, he had ordered the military to expand the invasion of southern Lebanon, towards the east.

No information is currently available about a possible phone call between Lebanese and Israeli leaders, a Lebanese official has told Al Jazeera Zeina Khodr.

No further details have emerged either about a “possible second meeting of ambassadors in Washington – as hinted in Trump tweets,” Khodr wrote in a post on social media.

Hopes for peace grow

Optimism grew on Thursday that the war in the Middle East may be near an end, with a key Pakistani mediator in Tehran and the administration of US President Donald Trump talking up hopes for a deal that would open the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

US and Iranian officials were weighing a return to Pakistan for further talks as early as the coming weekend, after negotiations ended on Sunday without a breakthrough. Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, a key figure in the mediation, arrived in Tehran on Wednesday to try to prevent a renewal of the conflict.

"We feel good about the prospects of a deal," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a news conference on Wednesday, calling conversations mediated by Pakistan "productive and ongoing." She denied reports that the US had formally requested an extension of a two-week ceasefire agreed by the two sides on April 8.

More in-person talks had not yet been confirmed but would likely take place in Pakistan again, Leavitt said.

Pakistan's military confirmed CDF Munir had arrived in Tehran. A senior Iranian source told Reuters that CDF Munir, who had mediated the last round of talks, would seek "to narrow gaps" between the two sides. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X, welcoming him and saying Tehran was committed to "promoting peace and stability in the region."

The talks last weekend broke down without an agreement to end the war, which Trump began alongside Israel on February 28, triggering Iranian retaliations on US bases hosted by Gulf neighbours. Israel's repeated escalations in Lebanon over the past year led Hezbollah to retaliate, sparking a larger-scale conflict.

Israel's cabinet met on Wednesday to discuss a possible ceasefire in neighbouring Lebanon, a senior Israeli official said, more than six weeks into its war with Iran-backed Hezbollah. According to Lebanese officials, a ceasefire could be announced soon, the Financial Times reported.

Ending the fighting in Lebanon was a key sticking point in earlier peace talks, along with how to deal with Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

Read: Pakistan in diplomatic overdrive

Stock markets have rallied strongly in recent days on expectations of a swift resolution to the fighting, with indexes on Wall Street hitting record highs on Wednesday as crude oil prices steadied.

Economic pressure on Iran

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent predicted that China's purchase of Iranian oil would "pause" given the US blockade on vessels calling at Iranian ports. He said the US could impose secondary sanctions on countries that purchase Iranian crude.

The US Treasury had warned two Chinese banks not to process Iranian money or face sanctions, he said, without naming the banks. China previously bought more than 80% of Iran's shipped oil.

Trump said on Wednesday he had told Chinese President Xi Jinping not to give Iran weapons, which Xi had said he wasn't. Trump also said that China was very happy he was "permanently opening" the Strait of Hormuz.

"I am doing it for them, also - And the World," he wrote on social media, adding: "President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks."

The war has led Iran to effectively shut the Strait - a vital artery for global crude and gas shipments - to ships other than its own, sharply reducing exports from the Gulf and leaving energy importers scrambling for alternative supplies.

Tankers intercepted

During the first 48 hours of the US blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports, no vessels have made it past US forces, the US military said. Additionally, nine vessels complied with the direction from US forces to turn around and return toward an Iranian port or coastal area.

However, Iran's Fars News agency said an Iranian supertanker subject to U.S. sanctions crossed the strait towards Iran's Imam Khomeini port despite the blockade. Fars did not identify the tanker or give further details of its voyage.

Iran's joint military command warned it would halt trade flows in the Gulf, the Sea of Oman and the Red Sea - which connects to the Suez Canal - if the US blockade continued.

Iran could consider allowing ships to sail freely through the Omani side of the strait without risk of attack as part of proposals it has offered in negotiations with the US, a source briefed by Tehran said, provided a deal is clinched to prevent renewed conflict.

Trump has also threatened to escalate if the war resumes.

"We could take out every one of their bridges in one hour. We could take out every one of their power plants, electric power plants, in one hour. We don't want to do that...so we'll see what happens," he told Fox Business Network.

Talks complicated by nuclear issue

The US's claims of Iran's nuclear ambitions were a key sticking point at last weekend's talks. The US proposed a 20-year suspension of all nuclear activity by Iran - an apparent concession from longstanding demands for a permanent ban - while Tehran suggested a halt of three to five years, according to people familiar with the proposals.

Read more: 'Draft was ready': how US-Iran talks narrowly missed historic deal in Islamabad

Washington has also pressed for any enriched nuclear material to be removed from Iran, while Tehran has demanded that international sanctions against it be lifted.

One source involved in the talks said back-channel discussions had made progress in narrowing gaps, bringing the two sides closer to a deal that could be presented at a new round of talks.