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President Pezeshkian says Iran will not enter "forced" negotiations under US pressure
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Tehran will not enter into “forced negotiations” with the United States while facing pressure and threats, according to Iran’s state broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
In a phone call with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pezeshkian said ongoing US actions were undermining trust and complicating any path to dialogue. He added that progress would remain difficult unless “hostile actions and operational pressures” from Washington are halted.
Pezeshkian said Washington must first remove “operational obstacles, including the blockade” of ships traveling to and from Iranian ports to create the conditions for resolving issues.
Sharif assured Pezeshkian that Islamabad “would continue its sincere and honest endeavors to promote regional peace and security,” according to a read out of the call from the Pakistani Prime Minister’s Office.
In a post on X, Sharif expressed appreciation for Iran’s decision to send a high-level delegation led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to Islamabad for talks aimed at ending the war.
The Iranian delegation left Islamabad on Saturday and arrived in Muscat, Oman, for further regional talks. US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were expected to travel to Islamabad on Saturday, but President Donald Trump canceled their trip at the last minute.
US military redirects newly sanctioned tanker as Iran blockade continues
Just one day after being added to US sanctions lists, the tanker M/V Sevan was intercepted in the Arabian Sea and escorted back toward Iran as part of the US naval blockade, US Central Command said in a post on X today.
The command said that as of Saturday, 37 ships have been redirected by the US Navy as the Trump administration enforces a blockade of Iranian ports while the two countries continue diplomatic efforts. The blockade began after a ceasefire had taken hold in early April and has included the US military seizing three ships that did not comply with directions to turn around.
The Sevan was one of 19 vessels hit with sanctions on Friday as part of what the US Treasury Department has called “Economic Fury,” its campaign to apply pressure to Tehran coinciding with US military strikes that began in February. The agency accused the ship of having transported sanctioned Iranian propane and butane in 2025.
Iran's foreign minister Araghchi expected to return to Pakistan, state media reports
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to return to Pakistan after his visit to Oman this weekend, according to Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
Araghchi previously said he left Islamabad for Oman on Saturday after a “fruitful visit,” though he did not meet with any US negotiators in the Pakistani capital.
IRNA also reported that the Iranian delegation that had accompanied Araghchi in Pakistan had returned to Tehran while the foreign minister was in Oman, and that the group would also likely return to Islamabad on Sunday night.
Trump says “too much travel” is major factor in cancellation of Witkoff-Kushner trip
President Donald Trump reiterated long travel time as a key reason for canceling special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner’s scheduled trip to Pakistan for a second round of talks with the Iranians adding that negotiations will be handled over the phone.
“We’re not going to spend 15 hours in airplanes all the time going back and forth to be giving a document that was not good enough, and so we’ll deal by telephone, and they can call us anytime they want,” Trump said speaking to reporters outside Air Force One in Florida before before traveling back to Washington, DC.
Trump also repeated prior claims suggesting uncertainty about Iran’s leadership which he argued was complicating talks.
Trump claims Iran has already sent a new offer after envoys' trip canceled
President Donald Trump said Saturday that Iran “offered a lot but not enough” after he announced that he was no longer sending a delegation to Pakistan for another round of talks this weekend aimed at a deal.
He claimed he received a better offer from Iran just minutes after the cancellation.
“They gave us a paper that should have been better, and interestingly, immediately, when I canceled it, within 10 minutes, we got a new paper that was much better,” Trump told reporters outside Air Force One.
When pressed by CNN’s Kit Maher for more details on what was offered, Trump said “they offered a lot but not enough.”
Trump cancels US delegation’s Pakistan visit. Catch up on the latest
President Donald Trump has called off a US team’s trip to Pakistan for talks on the Iran war, blaming “infighting” among Tehran’s leaders for derailing a potential second round of negotiations.
It would be “too much time wasted on traveling, too much work” to send envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to the region as planned, Trump said in a social media post. In a call with Barak Ravid, an Axios reporter and CNN contributor, Trump said the trip’s cancellation does not mean the resumption of fighting.
This all comes a day after the White House first announced plans for the visit, saying at the time that Witkoff and Kushner would meet directly with Iranian officials. But Tehran never confirmed that plan.
Catch up on the latest headlines:
- What we’re hearing from Tehran: Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he had a “very fruitful visit to Pakistan,” where he held high-level talks with mediators. According to official Iranian media, Araghchi has now left Pakistan and arrived in Oman. He said on X that he is waiting “to see if the U.S. is truly serious about diplomacy.”
- Read CNN analysis: Trump’s move to scrap the trip was a clear indication of the gaps remaining between the US and Iran on key issues, Kevin Liptak writes. The White House announcing its plans for the trip on Friday was ambitious for multiple reasons — and appeared unlikely to work from the outset, adds Nic Robertson.
- In Lebanon: At least 2,496 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon since they began on March 2, the Lebanese Health Ministry said in a statement. Despite a recently extended ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, Israel’s prime minister has ordered his military to “vigorously attack” Hezbollah targets in the country, insisting Israel is responding to rocket and drone fire from the Iran-backed militant group.
- Journalist freed: Kuwaiti-American journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin has departed Kuwait after being detained for more than 50 days, a US State Department official said Friday. Shihab-Eldin, who has had work published in VICE, HuffPost and Al Jazeera, was detained in Kuwait last month and spent 52 days in detention after sharing Iran war videos. He was acquitted of all charges on Thursday.
CNN’s Kit Maher, Riane Lumer and Max Saltman contributed reporting.
Netanyahu orders military to attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon after rocket fire
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israeli military to “vigorously attack” Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, his office said in a statement, following several rocket and drone interceptions on Saturday.
The strikes come despite a three-week extension of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire that US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday. Netanyahu has insisted that Israel has freedom of action to strike what it sees as threats emerging from Hezbollah.
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, Israeli strikes have killed at least six people on Saturday. Four were killed in a strike in the town of Yahmar Al-Shaqif, the ministry said, while two more were killed in Safad al-Batikh.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that they had killed “more than 15 terrorists in southern Lebanon” over the weekend.
The continued fighting between Israel and Hezbollah jeopardizes an already fragile ceasefire and raises questions about whether Trump will be able to host Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House for what would be a historic meeting.
View from Islamabad: Why the US trip was unlikely to work
Barely had Iran’s foreign minister taken off from Islamabad, than President Donald Trump scotched his already sketchy plans to send his son-in-law Jared Kushner and close business buddy Steve Witkoff to meet the Iranians in Pakistan.
Early afternoon yesterday, several hours before US markets closed, Trump’s spokesperson said the Iranians had asked for the meet and had shown “progress.” It was an ambitious move for many reasons — not least because the Iranians denied that they would meet the US delegation.
Tehran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, would only engage in bilateral talks with the Pakistani mediation team, Iranian state media repeatedly said.
Logistically, the situation would have been challenging; the US represetatives were at least 17 hours of travel away — making them unlikely to touch down in Pakistan before the Iranians were expected to leave.
Adding further difficulty was the choice to send Witkoff, who is seen as untrustworthy by Iranian negotiators according to sources familiar with the talks.
Whether Trump miscalculated the diplomatic dynamic, or Iran isn’t ready to make the compromises he wants, at least markets stayed in the green after the Friday announcement. The same thing happened last week, when Trump signaled his vice president JD Vance might travel back to the region — a plan that also foundered.
GOP hawk Sen. Graham praises Trump’s decision to cancel Pakistan talks as “very wise”
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the most hawkish lawmakers on the Iran war, praised the president’s decision to cancel the planned trip by top US envoys to Islamabad, Pakistan.
“President Trump’s decision to cancel the Witkoff-Kushner visit to Pakistan to pursue further negotiations with Iran at this time was very wise,” the close ally of Trump posted on X.
The South Carolina senator also said the top priority of the US should be to “to establish firm control over the Strait of Hormuz,” but added the resumption of military operations may be required.
“When it comes to achieving that goal, US military engagement may be required in the short term. It is more than worth the risk associated with regaining freedom of navigation of the strait,” Graham said.
Graham has been an influential voice on foreign policy within Trump’s orbit, particularly on issues related to Iran. He visited the White House Monday while the Trump administration was ramping up preparations for potential peace talks in Pakistan.
View from Washington: Why Trump canceled his envoys' trip
President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to scrap his envoys’ planned trip to Pakistan — only a day after announcing it — was a clear indication the American criteria for another round of talks haven’t yet been met.
US officials had been looking for two things from Iran in the 14 days since the last set of marathon negotiations ended without a deal: A negotiating proposal that addressed Trump’s red lines on its nuclear program, and a clearer sense from Tehran of who is in charge.
A day ago, it appeared as if there had been movement.
“We’ve certainly seen some progress from the Iranian side in the last couple of days,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at the White House yesterday.
But whatever progress had been conveyed by the Iranians appeared insufficient. Trump decided to cancel the trip about an hour after Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, departed Islamabad, where he was updating Pakistani officials on Iran’s latest proposal.
Trump suggested a primary reason for scrapping the trip was a cost-benefit analysis pitting the length of flight (at least 17 hours) against the minimal chance of a breakthrough.
American officials say they remain concerned that divisions between moderates and hardliners within the Iranian regime are hampering Tehran’s ability to coalesce around a negotiating position.
“There is tremendous infighting and confusion within their ‘leadership,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Nobody knows who is in charge, including them.”
That leaves the US and Iran still without a deal, or even any indication of moving toward one.
Trump insists this is Iran’s problem, not his.
“We have all the cards, they have none!” he wrote.
Still, for all Trump’s stated indifference on reaching a deal soon, it remains unclear how the war will end — and how the Strait of Hormuz will reopen — without one.
Iranian foreign minister touts "fruitful" Pakistan visit despite no US meeting
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says he had a “very fruitful visit to Pakistan” - despite not meeting with US negotiators in Islamabad.
Soon after Araghchi posted his statement, Iranian news agency Farsna reported that the foreign minister arrived in Muscat, Oman, to meet with Omani leadership.
Trump earlier today said he canceled a planned trip by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad, saying that the visit was “too much work” and Iran’s leadership too fractured to make headway on negotiations.
Trump says cancellation of Pakistan trip does not signal return to fighting
President Donald Trump said the cancellation of plans for two of his top advisers to travel to Islamabad, Pakistan, for a new round of talks does not mean the resumption of the war.
“No. It doesn’t mean that. We haven’t thought about it yet,” Trump said in a call with Barak Ravid, an Axios reporter and CNN contributor, when asked whether the decision to not send special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to Pakistan should be interpreted as a step toward another round of fighting.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
Iran's president calls on people to conserve energy amid US naval blockade
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called on people to conserve energy amid the US naval blockade, which is strangling the Islamic Republic’s main economic corridors and threatening an oil storage crisis.
Pezeshkian added that the United States had put Iran under siege to sow “dissatisfaction” among the Iranian population. “People must not allow dissatisfaction to arise,” he said.
Trump cancels Witkoff, Kushner trip to Pakistan due to "infighting" among Iran's leadership
President Donald Trump said he canceled special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner’s scheduled trip to Pakistan for a second round of talks with the Iranians, due to “infighting” among their fractured leadership.
“I just cancelled the trip of my representatives going is Islamabad, Pakistan, to meet with the Iranians. Too much time wasted on traveling, too much work! Besides which, there is tremendous infighting and confusion within their ‘leadership.’ Nobody knows who is in charge, including them. Also, we have all the cards, they have none! If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!” Trump said on social media.
On Friday, after the trip was announced, Trump told Reuters “we’re dealing with the people in charge now.”
But a day prior, he told reporters in the Oval Office that the United States didn’t know who the Iranian leadership was.
Trump says he has canceled Witkoff and Kushner's Pakistan trip
President Donald Trump says has called off his envoys’ trip to Islamabad, Pakistan, where a US delegation was supposed to work with Iranian counterparts toward a ceasefire deal to end the US-Iran war.
The White House directed CNN to comments Trump shared with Fox News on the cancellation.
“I’ve told my people a little while ago, they were getting ready to leave, and I said, ‘Nope, you’re not making an 18 hour flight to go there,’” Trump told Fox News in a phone interview, according to comments read aloud on the network’s air. “’We have all the cards. They can call us anytime they want, but you’re not going to be making any more 18-hour flights to sit around talking about nothing.’”
The US delegation was supposed to be led by White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, along with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
The sudden and unilateral move comes as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently departed Islamabad, where he had been engaging with Pakistani officials.
At least 2,496 killed by Israeli attacks in Lebanon since March 2, Health Ministry says
At least 2,496 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon since they began on March 2, the Lebanese Health Ministry said in a statement today.
This figure marks a significant jump since the last death toll provided by the ministry on April 17. Then, it reported that 2,294 people had been killed in Israeli attacks, including 177 children.
Despite a recently extended ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, Israel has insisted its forces will remain in the south of the country and continue responding to “any threat.”
Four people were killed in an Israeli strike targeting a motorcycle in southern Lebanon earlier today, the Lebanese Health Ministry said, while Israel reported incoming rocket fire from Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed it has killed “more than 15 terrorists in southern Lebanon” this weekend, including three who were driving in “a vehicle loaded with weapons” earlier today.
“An additional terrorist riding a motorcycle in southern Lebanon, south of the Forward Defense Line, was also eliminated,” the IDF said.
Read more: Satellite imagery shows how the Israeli offensive against Hezbollah quickly became a mission to flatten swathes of southern Lebanon.
CNN’s Tim Lister contributed to this reporting.
Superyacht linked to Russian oligarch traverses Strait of Hormuz
A megayacht linked to a sanctioned Russian oligarch traversed the choked Strait of Hormuz earlier today, tracking data appears to show.
The Nord (IMO: 9853785), a nearly 142-meter (466-foot) yacht that is said to be one of the world’s largest, left the UAE city of Dubai yesterday evening before sailing through the critical waterway overnight, according to data from maritime intelligence provider MarineTraffic. It is heading toward Muscat, Oman, MarineTraffic data shows.
A yacht broker previously told CNN the vessel is estimated to be worth at least $500 million and is widely believed to belong to Alexey Mordashov, the chairman of a Russian steel and mining giant and one of Russia’s wealthiest billionaires. The Associated Press has reported that Mordashov owns the ship.
The yacht, 1.5 times the size of an American football field, appears to have taken the route that passes by Iran’s Larak Island, which Lloyd’s List Intelligence has previously said is a route used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to control access to the strait.
CNN has previously reported that the US State Department sanctioned Mordashov in 2022, in addition to three of his other companies, his wife and two adult children.
The Nord yacht boasts two helipads, and would typically have an extensive staff on board, including a full-time chef, fitness instructor and massage therapist, yacht broker Michael Maximilian Bognier told CNN in 2022.
It remains to be seen if the megayacht’s journey will be impacted by the US military presence in the region, including a naval blockade which US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters yesterday “is growing and going global.”
CNN’s Oliver Sherwood contributed to this report.
Araghchi leaves Pakistan, Iranian sources tell CNN
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi departed Islamabad on Saturday evening local time, according to Iranian sources familiar with the discussions, after meetings in the Pakistani capital to discuss a truce with Washington and consult key allies in the region.
It was not initially clear where Araghchi would travel next, but the Iranian Foreign Ministry previously said he would also visit Oman and Russia during the trip.
Some background: Araghchi landed in Islamabad on Friday evening for a flurry of meetings with Pakistan’s top leadership, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the country’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, who has served as a key mediator between Tehran and Washington.
Pakistani ministers are trying to facilitate a second round of talks between US and Iranian officials, after lengthy discussions in early April failed to alleviate the thorniest diplomatic hurdles between the warring parties.
The White House said Friday that a US delegation would travel to Islamabad this weekend, but Iranian media had denied reports that Araghchi would directly negotiate with Washington during his trip, leaving the status of talks uncertain.
Why Iran may be betting Trump will blink first in its stand-off with the US
A United States naval blockade on Iran is strangling the Islamic Republic’s main economic corridors – leaving Tehran facing a looming oil storage crisis and its citizens grappling with rising food prices and surging unemployment.
Yet unless Washington is prepared to impose its naval blockade for months longer, it will be difficult to completely dismantle an Iranian economy that has spent years adapting to US pressure and crippling sanctions.
Only three months ago, the Iranian government was on the brink of collapse after people took to the streets nationwide to protest the poor handling of the economy.
That same government was given a lifeline when the US and Israel launched its attacks, and it is now using the pretext of war to justify dire economic conditions to a nation of 92 million.
And as much as Iran is suffering, its leaders will be aware that Trump is under pressure too, with the US president facing growing backlash over the war domestically and crucial midterms looming.
Tehran may have calculated that Trump will blink first.
Read the full analysis here.
Four more killed in Lebanon despite ceasefire
Four people have been killed in an Israeli strike in south Lebanon on Saturday, according to the Lebanese health ministry. The strike targeted a motorcycle in the town of Yahmar Al-Shaqif, the ministry said.
Despite a ceasefire that came into effect a week ago, Israel has continued strikes in southern Lebanon, while the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah has fired more rockets at northern Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed it has killed “more than 15 terrorists in southern Lebanon” this weekend, including three who were driving in a vehicle loaded with weapons.
Israel’s military has repeated a warning to displaced Lebanese not to approach Israeli-controlled areas in southern Lebanon, naming dozens of villages. The IDF also said Saturday it had struck loaded rocket launchers outside the Israeli-occupied zone in southern Lebanon.
For context: On Thursday, the ceasefire was extended for three weeks, but Israel has insisted that its forces will remain in southern Lebanon.
“We are maintaining full freedom of action against any threat, including emerging ones,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday. “We struck yesterday and we struck today.”
