Here's the latest
• Iran talks: US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Pakistan tomorrow to participate in direct talks with Iran, according to the White House. Tehran announced it is sending Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to Pakistan, but semi-official state media denied he will speak with the Americans.
• Status of negotiations: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration has “seen some progress” from Iran. “Everyone will be on standby to fly to Pakistan if necessary,” she said.
• Pentagon briefing: US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth railed against European allies, saying the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz “is much more their fight than ours.”
• Ceasefire in Lebanon: Israel will continue striking “any threat” in Lebanon, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said Iran-backed Hezbollah is trying to disrupt the peace process during a three-week ceasefire extension.
White House has "seen some progress" from Iran in recent days
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the White House has “seen some progress” from the Iranians, as evidenced by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveling to Pakistan for talks.
“We’ve certainly seen some progress from the Iranian side in the last couple of days. Again, the president has made the decision to send Steve and Jared to hear the Iranians out, so we’ll see what they have to say,” she told reporters at the White House on Friday.
Asked by CNN whether that meant the US had received the “unified proposal” President Donald Trump is seeking from Iran, Leavitt did not say.
“We hope progress will be made, and we hope that positive developments will come from this meeting, and we will see,” she said.
Witkoff and Kushner leaving for Pakistan tomorrow for Iran talks, White House says
Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to leave for Pakistan tomorrow morning to engage in talks with Iran, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday.
“I can confirm special envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be off to Pakistan again tomorrow morning to engage in talks, direct talks — intermediated by the Pakistanis, who have been incredible friends and mediators throughout this entire process — with representatives from the Iranian delegation,” she told Fox News.
Leavitt said the Iranians reached out, “as the president called on them to do,” and requested the in-person conversation.
CNN reported earlier Friday that Trump would be sending the pair for talks this weekend with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and that Vice President JD Vance would be on stand by to travel to Islamabad if the talks progress.
“The vice president remains deeply involved in this entire process, and he’ll be standing by here in the United States, along with the president and the Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the entire national security team for updates,” Leavitt said.
“Of course, everyone will be on standby to fly to Pakistan if necessary,” she added.
Tehran’s response: Semi-official state media in Iran has denied reports that Araghchi is planning to negotiate with US officials in Pakistan.
Earlier, Araghchi said he is visiting Pakistan, Oman and Russia to “closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments.”
What we know about the killing of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil
Amid the fragile ceasefire in Lebanon, Israel has continued to launch strikes targeting Hezbollah, including one that Lebanese authorities say killed Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil while carrying out her journalistic work.
The Committee to Protect Journalists’ Middle East and North Africa Regional Director Sara Qudah explained the details of Khalil’s death:
The Committee to Protect Journalists' MENA Regional Director Sara Qudah speaks to CNN's Becky Anderson about the killing of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil. Khalil worked for Lebanon's Al Akhbar newspaper and was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Wednesday in the south of the country, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA).
Regional instability creating a “crisis within a crisis,” World Food Programme says
Rising food prices from the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz are worsening food insecurity and malnutrition in already vulnerable countries, the World Food Programme’s regional director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe tells CNN.
“It’s becoming like a crisis within a crisis. The markets are being inflated, the prices are affected and that will continue to send shockwaves across the globe,” Samer AbdelJaber said in an interview with CNN’s Becky Anderson.
He estimates that 45 million people will be food-insecure if the global economic crisis continues.
The World Food Programme released a report Friday warning that acute food insecurity and malnutrition levels are “alarmingly high and deeply entrenched” primarily in 10 countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The report, prepared jointly by UN, European Union and partner countries, says that their outlook for 2026 “remains bleak.”
Gaza and Sudan are at particular risk, after famine was identified in both places in 2025 by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system. Sudan imports more than half of its fertilizers by sea from the Persian Gulf region. AbdelJaber says WFP has had to divert its food shipments through a longer route in the Red Sea to reach the country.
He added that food prices in Gaza are 85% higher than before the Iran war.
“We wanted the sense of normalcy to get back into places like Gaza, but we’re far from this at the moment,” he said.
Israeli strike kills 2 in southern Lebanon, state media reports, hours after truce extended
The Israeli military killed two people in the southern Lebanese town of Touline on Friday, Lebanese state media reported, less than a day after the White House ordered a three-week truce extension.
The pair was killed by an Israeli strike in the Marjayoun district “in the early hours of this morning,” according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.
When CNN asked the Israeli military about the strike, it pointed to an earlier statement citing attacks on “Hezbollah military structures” in the towns of Kherbet Selem and Touline.
At least nine people have been killed in Lebanon since April 17, when the ceasefire went into effect.
Israel’s assault on Lebanon after the Iran-backed group Hezbollah fired projectiles into northern Israel in March has killed thousands of civilians, devastated neighborhoods, contaminated farmland and destroyed livelihoods, according to the United Nations. At least 2,491 people have been killed in total so far, the Lebanese Public Ministry of Health said Friday.
On Thursday, the UN said that its aid mission saw charred cars, reams of rubble and razed homes lining the streets of southern Lebanon — where Israeli forces have occupied neighborhoods, unleashed deadly strikes and launched raids, NNA reported.
Israeli troops have also blocked Lebanese residents from returning to 55 border villages, many of which are littered with unexploded ordnance and damaged infrastructure, the UN added.
“Similar incidents have continued beyond this period – even after the present ceasefire was announced,” a spokesperson for the UN human rights chief said on Friday.
This post has been updated with additional details.
"Our neighbors are our priority," says Iran's foreign minister as he heads on overseas trip
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said “our neighbors are our priority,” as he embarks on a trip to Pakistan, Oman and Russia amid a push for a long-lasting peace deal between Tehran and Washington.
Araghchi will “closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments,” he posted on X on Friday.
Iranian state media provided some further details about the trip, saying Araghchi will present Iran’s “considerations regarding ending the imposed war” during his visit to Pakistan. In Oman, discussions will “focus on regional issues and the war, while in Russia, talks will cover bilateral, regional and international developments,” semi-official outlet Tasnim news agency said.
CNN has reported that US President Donald Trump is sending his special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan to participate in talks with Araghchi this weekend, citing two administration officials.
Iran has not yet commented on the latest news about potential US involvement.
Earlier on Friday, a US source and Iranian state media reported that a delegation from Tehran was expected to hold talks with Pakistani mediators – but not with US representatives.
Mediators in Islamabad have acted as a go-between for Tehran and Washington after the US-Israeli assault on Iran and retaliatory Iranian strikes triggered regional violence. However, the warring parties have so far failed to start a second round of talks in Islamabad this week, laying bare key sticking points to a definitive resolution to the fighting.
CNN’s Nic Robertson, Sophia Saifi and Billy Stockwell contributed reporting.
Israel will strike "any threat" in Lebanon after ceasefire extended, Netanyahu says
Israel will continue striking “any threat” in Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, a day after the US announced a three-week extension of a ceasefire.
The Israeli leader blamed Hezbollah for trying to disrupt the peace process between Israel and Lebanon.
“We have begun a process to achieve a historic peace between Israel and Lebanon, and it is clear to us that Hezbollah is trying to sabotage this,” he said.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it struck Hezbollah structures in the area of Deir Aames in southern Lebanon on Friday after a “ceasefire violation” from the Iran-backed militant group one day earlier.
The IDF also said that it exchanged fire with and ultimately killed six Hezbollah operatives in Bint Jbeil, southern Lebanon, on Friday.
The terms of the ceasefire, which the US helped negotiate, outline that Israel is allowed to take “all necessary measures in self-defense.”
Hezbollah has said that the Lebanon ceasefire “has no meaning” due to the persistent attacks from Israel.
Trump sending Witkoff and Kushner to Pakistan for more peace talks with Iran
President Donald Trump is planning to send his special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan to participate in talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in the coming days, two administration officials tell CNN.
Vice President JD Vance is not currently planning to attend given Iran’s Speaker of the Parliament, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, is not participating either, the officials said. Ghalibaf is viewed internally by White House officials as the head of the Iran delegation and Vance’s counterpart.
However, the vice president will be on standby to travel to Islamabad if talks progress, the officials said, and members of his staff will be in Pakistan and attending the negotiations. Kushner and Witkoff have been working with Iran officials on a potential agreement on Tehran’s nuclear material for months.
Why Iran's top diplomat is visiting Russia during his overseas tour
When Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi embarks on his foreign tour, on top of visiting key mediators Pakistan and Oman he’ll also head to Russia, highlighting the countries’ long standing partnership.
Russia has remained a critical diplomatic ally for Iran throughout the conflict with the US.
The Kremlin has repeatedly offered to take custody of Iran’s enriched uranium, proposing to store or reprocess it on Russian soil.
While this could theoretically resolve some of the US key demands in negotiations to end its war with Iran, Trump reportedly rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer, presumably wanting to stave off Moscow – already a global leader in nuclear energy - from gaining even more leverage.
Beyond uranium, Iran and Russia signed a 20-year treaty in January 2025 strengthening their economic, military and political partnership. Russia views US strikes on Iran as “unprovoked aggression,” but crucially the agreement signed by Tehran and Moscow stopped short of a mutual-defense pact.
Earlier today, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he “highly appreciated” Islamabad’s mediation efforts between Iran and the US in a call with his Pakistani counterpart Mohammad Ishaq Dar, while voicing Moscow’s “readiness to contribute.”
In March, CNN reported that Russia was providing Iran with intelligence about the locations and movements of American troops, ships and aircraft, according to multiple people familiar with US intelligence reporting on the issue, the first indication that Moscow sought to get involved in the war.
Araghchi’s upcoming trip to Moscow is a sign Tehran will be looking to consult its partners in the Kremlin amid the conflict.
US-sanctioned vessel crosses Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media reports
A US-sanctioned vessel sailing under the Curaçao flag traversed the choked Strait of Hormuz, according to an Iranian news agency, as Tehran maintains its grip on the key waterway.
The Cuba supertanker “recently passed through the Strait of Hormuz” and anchored east of Larak Island, according to Iran’s semi-official outlet Mehr News. The ship has been on the US sanctions list since 2024 for transporting Iranian oil shipments to China, Mehr News added.
“The United States claims it has imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz and does not allow vessels linked to Iran to pass. However, according to reports, several Iranian ships have so far exited through the strait or entered the region via this waterway,” the agency said.
Remember: The pace of vessels through the channel — where ships carry one-fifth of global crude oil supplies — has stemmed to a near halt since the US-Israeli attack on Iran prompted retaliatory Iranian attacks in the region. In the ensuing weeks, Tehran and Washington launched mutual blockades on the waterway, with Iran attacking non-allied vessels and the US targeting ships from Iranian ports.
On Friday, three more ships transited the strait, the trade analytics company Kpler said.
The US military has redirected at least 33 ships since the White House leveled the blockade on April 13, US Central Command said on Thursday.
However, at least 26 of shadow fleet vessels have breached the US blockade line as of Monday, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence, a maritime intelligence firm. On Wednesday, 10 shadow fleet tankers were heading toward the Persian Gulf area, the firm added.
Even so, the US has intercepted Iranian-linked vessels outside the Persian Gulf — including a sanctioned tanker in the Indian Ocean his week.
This post has been updated with more information.
Hezbollah says Lebanon ceasefire “has no meaning” in light of Israeli attacks
Hezbollah has said the ceasefire in Lebanon “has no meaning in light of continued Israeli hostile actions,” in the first remarks from the militant group since the White House announced an extension of the fragile truce overnight.
Any ceasefire that is not “directly linked to Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory affirms the firm and final right of the Lebanese people to resist the occupation and expel it from our land,” the Iran-backed group said.
Israel’s ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, said Thursday the military will remain in a “defensive position” in southern Lebanon – even as the UN warned the presence of Israeli troops violates a decades-long resolution to permanently end attacks by all actors.
In a separate statement, Mohammad Raad, the head of the Hezbollah parliamentary bloc, accused mediators of constructing a “deceptive scheme” and “providing cover for Israeli aggression” after a spate of deadly Israeli military attacks in recent days.
“Any supposed ceasefire that grants the occupying enemy in Lebanon a special exception to open fire… is not a ceasefire at all,” added Raad.
The original six-point ceasefire plan mediated by the US stated that Israel would “preserve its right to take all necessary measures in self-defense.” The White House called on the Lebanese government at the time to prevent Hezbollah “from carrying out attacks, operations or hostile activities against Israeli targets.”
Iranians have lived under an internet blackout for 56 days, monitoring group says
Iranians have lived under a government-imposed internet blackout for 56 days in a row as of Friday, according to the internet monitoring group NetBlocks.
The Iranian regime almost completely blocked the country’s access to the internet since the US and Israel first attacked Iran on February 28.
Remember: Before that, a separate internet blackout took place during weeks of anti-regime protests in the country at the start of this year.
Internet access will only be restored after the war ends, the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported earlier this week, quoting Elias Hazrati, the head of Iran’s Government Information Council.
Last week, Iranian media said that access to Google Search had been restored, though some Google services remained inaccessible.
UN peacekeepers replace crucifix damaged by Israeli military
Just days after an Israeli soldier was photographed hitting a crucifix with a sledgehammer in southern Lebanon, Italian UN peacekeeping forces and the Vatican's ambassador to the country brought a replacement statue and cross to the Christian village of Debel. CNN's Senior International Correspondent Ivan Watson reports.
Just days after an Israeli soldier was photographed hitting a crucifix with what appeared to be a hammer or ax in southern Lebanon, Italian UN peacekeeping forces and the Vatican’s ambassador to the country brought a replacement statue and cross to the Christian village of Debel.
Israel apologized and placed two soldiers in detention after the image caused outrage in Christian communities in Lebanon and across the world.
Sixth UN peacekeeper killed in Lebanon, as agency warns of “war crimes”
An Indonesian peacekeeper has died after he was wounded in southern Lebanon in late March, raising the total toll of United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) staffers killed since Israel launched its campaign to six.
Cpl. Rico Pramudia “tragically succumbed to his injuries” at a hospital in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, UNIFIL said on Friday.
The Israeli military and Hezbollah have launched strikes in Lebanon despite US President Donald Trump ordering a “10-day ceasefire” in effect at 5 p.m. ET on April 16 (about midnight Lebanon time on April 17). As of Wednesday, five UNIFIL peacekeepers were killed in Lebanon since March 2, according to the UN.
On Wednesday, a French peacekeeper died after he was injured by fire in Lebanon “from non-state armed groups, presumably Hezbollah,” according to a UN assessment.
Some background: For decades, the Israeli military has attacked parts of Lebanon to target the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah. In 2000, the UNIFIL established a de-facto area along the southern Lebanese border with Israel, after Israeli forces withdrew following their second invasion. That Blue Line spans 120 kilometers (around 75 miles), and UNIFIL troops are tasked with monitoring border violations and protecting civilians from imminent violence.
Iranian delegation expected to hold talks with Pakistanis — but not US
The Iranian delegation is expected to hold talks with Pakistani mediators on Friday — but not with US representatives, according to a US source and Iranian state media.
Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi is expected to speak to the Pakistani delegates, before traveling to the Omani capital Muscat, as well as Moscow, Russia, Iranian state media outlet IRNA reported.
The Pakistanis expect that Friday’s meeting will lead to a second round of talks between the United States and Iran.
Neither the United States nor Iran have publicly commented.
Sovereignty of Falklands “rests with the UK,” Britain tells US after leaked Pentagon email
The sovereignty of the Falkland Islands rests with Britain, Downing Street said today, following a report that the United States could review its position as punishment for Britain’s stance on the war in Iran.
The spokesperson was responding to an internal Pentagon email reported by Reuters which outlined options for the US to punish NATO allies it believes failed to support the US militarily in its war with Iran.
Those options included reviewing the US position on Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands, as well as suspending Spain from NATO. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been a vocal critic of the US war with Iran.
Responding to the report, Sánchez said Friday: “We do not work off emails. We work off official documents and government positions, in this case of the United States. Spain’s position is clear: absolute cooperation with the allies, but always within the framework of international law.”
President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO allies – who were not consulted ahead of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 – for not sending their navies to help open the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran effectively closed after it was attacked.
The Falklands are a British overseas territory in the south-west Atlantic. Britain and Argentina fought a 10-week war over the islands in 1982 after Argentina’s military dictator, Leopoldo Galtieri, ordered an invasion.
Argentina’s President Javier Milei, an ally of Trump’s, said in 2024 that his government would set out a “roadmap” toward Argentine sovereignty over the islands. The Downing Street spokesperson stressed that the Falklands had voted “overwhelmingly” in favor of remaining a British overseas territory.
Former EU official echoes pope’s warning against military intervention
A former high-ranking European Union official has doubled down on the pope’s remarks condemning the US-Israeli war with Iran.
“We have never seen a military intervention actually bringing a long-lasting resolution to any kind of crisis,” former EU High Representative Federica Mogherini told CNN’s Becky Anderson.
Her comments come as Pope Leo XIV denounced the Iranian regime’s killing of protesters but stressed that, “as a pastor,” he cannot support the US-Israeli war with Iran.
“As a pastor, I cannot be in favor of war,” the pope told reporters yesterday during an in-flight press conference while he was flying from Equatorial Guinea. “I would like to encourage all to make efforts to look for answers that come from a culture of peace and not from a place of hate and division.”
For context: US President Donald Trump and Pope Leo have shared a series of verbal blows over the war — including an AI-generated image from the US leader depicting himself as a Christ-like figure.
Watch what the pope said:
On the papal plane from Equatorial Guinea to Rome, Pope Leo XIV told reporters he does not support war. CNN’s Christopher Lamb reports.
A shaky peace, mounting outrage and gas hikes: Get up to speed for the day
A flurry of developments across the Middle East is intensifying an already volatile regional landscape, with diplomacy, military posturing and international reactions unfolding all at once. Here’s what you need to know to get you up to speed on the latest developments in the region.
- US-Iran truce: Iran is sending a delegation to Pakistan for talks, Pakistani and Iranian sources told CNN. It is unclear if there will be any US engagement but Pakistani mediators expect there will be a second round of talks between the two parties, the government sources said. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to arrive in Pakistan Friday evening, with Iranian state media reporting that Araghchi will be taking a “round trip” to Islamabad, Muscat and Moscow.
- Lebanon ceasefire: US President Donald Trump said a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be extended by three weeks, expressing hope that leaders from both countries will use the window to engage in direct talks. Meanwhile, Hezbollah on Friday said it shot down an Israeli military drone. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed their “remotely piloted aircraft was downed” and that they’re reviewing the incident. It comes as outrage is mounting in Lebanon after an Israeli strike on Wednesday killed journalist Amal Khalil, an attack that the Lebanese prime minister condemned as a “war crime.”
- Strait of Hormuz: A US-sanctioned vessel sailing under the Curaçao flag traversed the choked critical waterway, according to an Iranian news agency, as Tehran maintains its grip on the key waterway. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth railed against European allies on Friday morning, saying the US “barely” uses the Strait of Hormuz and that the situation “is much more their fight than ours.” Meanwhile, Trump on Thursday said he had ordered the US Navy to “shoot and kill” Iranian boats laying mines in the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz, adding that American forces are actively clearing the waterway.
- Gas prices on the rise: US gas prices edged up 3 cents to $4.06 for a gallon of regular, according to the latest reading from AAA, the largest daily gain in that measure since the start of the month.
US military fired 5 warning shots, 9 rounds when seizing Iranian cargo ship Touska
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine detailed this morning the US military’s actions as it fired on and seized an Iranian cargo ship this past weekend.
Caine said the vessel, M/V Touska, was the only ship that did not make “the wise choice to turn around” amid the US blockade.
The crew “repeatedly ignored US warnings,” Caine said, adding that the US Navy fired “five warning shots.”
Caine added that after reporting engine issues, the vessel then “went dead in the water” and subsequently, complied with “US directions and orders.” It remains in US custody.
The chairman also provided updates on two other vessels the US seized in the Indian Ocean, M/T Tifani and M/T Majestic X, saying the vessels “and their crews remain in US custody.”
Trump grants 90-day extension to Jones Act waiver to ease energy costs
President Donald Trump granted a 90-day extension to a waiver that makes it easier to move oil, gas and other commodities throughout the US, in an effort to counter rising energy prices due to the war with Iran.
The extension of the waiver of the Jones Act will allow foreign-flagged ships to transport the commodities between US ports for another 90 days. The president first issued a waiver on the Jones Act in March for 60 days.
The White House pointed on Friday to new data since the initial waiver was issued, arguing that it showed “significantly more supply was able to reach U.S. ports faster.”
“This waiver extension provides both certainty and stability for the U.S. and global economies. The Trump Administration has taken several actions to mitigate short-term disruptions to the energy markets, and this extension will help ensure vital energy products, industrial materials, and agricultural necessities are maintained,” said Taylor Rogers, the White House assistant press secretary.
The extension will begin at 12 a.m. ET on May 18, according to White House officials.
