Closing summary
Here are some of the latest Middle East news to keep you updated as we head into the weekend:
US and Iranian government representatives will meet in Pakistan on Saturday to continue negotiations for a resolution of the Middle East crisis. Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi will likely be present at the talks. For the US, special envoy Steve Witkof and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner will be engaged in the talks in Islamabad. Even before the meeting, there has already been some tension, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt telling outlets Iran requested the Saturday talks and president Donald Trump telling Reuters that Iran plans to make an offer that will satisfy US demands. Iran strongly rejected those claims, according to Iranian state media, adding that Iran has made no request for talks with the US and has so far completely rejected the US’s excessive demands.
International leaders are pushing for a further resumption of talks to secure a quick and sustainable agreement to the crisis. Russia, the United Aram Emirates and Qatar all discussed the Iran ceasefire agreement on Friday.
The international community continues to denounce the humanitarian crises stemming from the conflict. European Council president Antonio Costa said on Friday that the immediate opening of the Strait of Hormuz without restrictions is “vital” for the world. Also, a World Food Programme representative today said that 45 million people will face food insecurity and malnutrition if the Strait of Hormuz continues to be blocked.
The German chancellor Friedrich Merz called on other coalition nations to ease sanctions on Iran as part of a ceasefire deal. Other EU leaders, including the president of the European Commission, have distanced themselves from the German chancellor, saying the move is premature.
Indonesia once again condemned an Israeli attack in Lebanon that killed an Indonesian peacekeeper. The attack took place in late March. Four of the Indonesian peacekeepers present were killed, with the foreign ministry announcing the fourth died on Friday.
The Israeli military said they killed six Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon on Friday during a clash. This came after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hezbollah of trying to “sabotage” efforts to reach a peace deal with Lebanon.
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth says transit is occurring in the strait of Hormuz, but limited and with risk. He says this is Iran’s fault for threatening vessels, including cruise ships.
Human Rights Watch has called on Lebanon to join the international criminal court, after Israeli forces killed Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil and wounded her colleague Zainab Faraj in an airstrike earlier this week.
Iraq’s prime minister ordered an investigation into two drones that were launched from the country and attacked two Kuwaiti northern border posts on Friday.
The drones caused some damage. There were no casualties.
Iraq’s interior minister condemned the attack in a call with his Kuwaiti counterpart.
Updated
