Blog closing
That’s where we’ll leave our live Middle East coverage for today. Thanks for following along and we’ll be back with another live blog later.
Updated
Hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough in the US-Israeli war in Iran have receded, with talks aimed at ending the two-month conflict at a standstill and both Tehran and Washington showing little willingness to soften their terms.
The Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi has left mediator Pakistan empty-handed, and US president Donald Trump cancelled a planned visit to Islamabad by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, dealing back-to-back blows to peace prospects. Araqchi described his visit to Pakistan as “very fruitful”.
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian told Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif by phone that Tehran would not enter “imposed negotiations” under threats or blockade, according to a statement from the Iranian government.
Pezeshkian said the US should first remove “operational obstacles”, including its blockade on Iranian ports, before negotiators can lay any groundwork to resolve the conflict.
An Iranian diplomatic source in Islamabad said Tehran would not accept “maximalist demands” from the US.
