Here's the latest
• US-Iran peace talks: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has been meeting with Pakistani officials after arriving in Islamabad yesterday. US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to depart for Pakistan today, but Tehran has denied there are plans for direct negotiations with the US.
• Trump comments on Iran: Trump said Iran will be making an offer to the US. He did not yet know the details, however, and just a day earlier hinted that uncertainty surrounding Iran’s leadership was complicating talks.
• In Lebanon: One day after the ceasefire in Lebanon was extended by three weeks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they will continue striking “any threat.” A CNN review of satellite imagery has revealed the scale of Israeli destruction in southern Lebanon.
Iran's top diplomat is visiting Russia during his overseas tour
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has embarked on his foreign tour, where, 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, President Donald 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.
Yesterday, 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.
Protest in Jerusalem calls on Trump to end support for Netanyahu
Protesters in Jerusalem called on the Trump administration to end its support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Dozens gathered outside the home of the US ambassador to Israel on Saturday morning, carrying signs with messages aimed at President Donald Trump, saying “Don’t be fooled again” as they accused Netanyahu of endangering the strategic US-Israel relationship.
“He fooled you on Gaza & Iran,” read one of the signs.
Yaron, an 11-year-old boy, said, “(Netanyahu) does not care about our future. He cares only about himself and about staying in power. He has hurt our country.”
The protest was held outside the home of US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, a staunch ally of Netanyahu. During the visit of Argentine President Javier Millei to Israel earlier this week, Huckabee said of Netanyahu and Millei, “I don’t know of any two world leaders on our planet that our president has more respect for and more personal relationship with than President Millei and Prime Minister Netanyahu.”
Although Israelis overwhelmingly supported the joint US and Israeli war against Iran when it began, that support has slowly eroded. A series of polls in mid-April showed that most Israelis do not believe the US and Israel won the war against Iran. Anti-war protests, though very small at the beginning of the Iran war, have since grown in size.
Why Iran's foreign minister's presence in Pakistan matters
As Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi touched down in Islamabad late last night to lead the next round of US and Pakistan talks, there are questions about why Iran’s number two at the last talks has returned in pole position.
Mohammad Baghir Ghalibaf, the powerful former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general and current speaker of Iran’s Parliament, led the last Iranian delegation and faced US Vice President JD Vance across the talks table. It would be wrong to assume he has been marginalized.
President Donald Trump’s claims that the Iranian leadership is divided have been roundly rejected by Iranian leaders, including both Araghchi and Ghalibaf in near matching tweets in recent days. Ghalibaf has said that “there are no radicals or moderates - we are all Iranian and revolutionary.”
While Trump had called on the Iranians to submit “their proposal,” it’s not clear what the aim of Araghchi’s mission to Tehran is, but it breathes life back in to the stagnating process around peace talks.
Here's where else Iran’s foreign minister is traveling on his diplomatic tour
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi embarked yesterday on a tour to Pakistan, Russia and Oman, reconvening with allies as hostilities with Washington near a third month.
The tenuous truce between the US and Iran is holding. But clear hurdles remain over a longlasting resolution between the warring parties.
Araghchi held talks with Pakistan’s political officials early Saturday, including the country’s army chief – Asim Munir – who has assumed the role of lead negotiator between the US and Iran. Tehran has not disclosed the length of Araghchi’s stay in Islamabad.
After a diplomatic squeeze in Pakistan, Araghchi will touch down in Moscow and Muscat.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is a steadfast ally of Tehran – even offering to guard Iran’s enriched uranium.
And in February, Omani government ministers ferried messages between US and Iranian officials to facilitate indirect nuclear talks – before the US-Israeli strikes triggered another bout of violence.
It’s hard to say whether this latest round of talks in Islamabad will bear fruit – or end in another stalemate.
Even though White House officials are scheduled to travel to Pakistan on Saturday, semi-official state media in Iran has denied reports that Araghchi is planning to negotiate with the US.
The heads of the US and Iranian delegations at the last round of talks, US Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf are not planning to attend, two administration officials told CNN.
How the last round of US-Iran peace talks unfolded
Delegations from the US and Iran last met in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, two weeks ago. Negotiations lasted 21 hours before ending without a deal to end the war.
US Vice President JD Vance suggested the primary sticking point was Iran’s refusal to abandon its nuclear program, while the leader of the Iranian negotiators, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said the US failed to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation.
With US officials expected to travel to Pakistan today, here’s a closer look at how the last talks unfolded between the US and Iran:
- Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Vance arrived in Islamabad and separately met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif before beginning the face-to-face talks on Saturday afternoon.
- A few hours into the talks, experts in economic, military, legal and nuclear issues from both sides met with each other, Iran’s government said.
- In the early hours of Sunday morning local time, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that the delegations had begun a new round of trilateral talks, also saying that significant challenges remained.
- Hours later, Vance held a news conference, where he announced that the sides had not reached an agreement, despite what he called “substantive discussions” and the US offering its “final and best offer.”
- Meanwhile, Iran’s Tasnim blamed “US overreach and ambitions” for preventing “a common framework and agreement.”
CNN’s Laura Sharman, Lex Harvey, Betsy Klein, Sophia Saifi, Sophie Tanno, Issy Ronald, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Kevin Liptak, Tim Lister and Aida Karimi contributed to this reporting.
Witkoff and Kushner expected to represent the US in potential peace talks this weekend
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to travel to Pakistan today for peace talks with Iran, though the Iranian foreign ministry has denied that any direct negotiations will be taking place.
Here’s a closer look at the men set to represent the United States should talks occur:
- Steve Witkoff: A wealthy real estate developer, Witkoff has been friends with Trump for decades. Alongside Kushner, he helped negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza, and has also sat down for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the war in Ukraine.
- Jared Kushner: Kushner is the husband of Trump’s daughter Ivanka. He served as a chief Middle East negotiator in Trump’s first term and built deep relationships with leaders in the region, having informally advised administration officials on negotiations with Arab leaders, Trump administration officials and people close to Kushner told CNN last year.
CNN’s Lex Harvey, Kristen Holmes, Kylie Atwood, Stephen Collinson and Alayna Treene contributed to this reporting.
A late-night meeting for an audience of one, thousands of miles away
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi landed in Islamabad to the deep throaty roar of Pakistani fighter jets escorting his large civilian airliner to an air base just outside the capital.
It was a few minutes past midnight when he was greeted by Pakistan’s top mediators, the powerful Field Marshal Asim Munir, as well as Pakistan’s foreign and interior ministers.
What happened next was unusual by the expected norms of diplomacy.
They plunged into an all-night talks that ended as the sun was coming up almost five hours later.
US President Donald Trump said he is in “no rush” for a deal, but the optics of this meeting suggest otherwise.
For several days this past week the public facing part of the peace efforts had been at a slow shuffle. What happened in the early hours of this morning hint at a renewed urgency.
It’s unclear yet why the delegations didn’t meet at a more civilised hour, but the impression has been created they needed or wanted to conclude their opening face-to-face discussion before Trump and other US officials went down for the night.
Pakistan is nine hours ahead of the time in Washington, DC, so as the sun came up here this morning it was only 8 p.m. ET in Mar-a-Lago.
How the conversations here will impact decisions being made overnight by Trump is unclear.
At the same time, the speed of Trump’s top envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s travel to Pakistan now appears to have been set back a beat.
They are not expected in Pakistan until Sunday now. The timing of their eventual arrival, if it happens at all, will tell us more on whether a breakthrough is on the cards.
Limited international flights from Tehran resume
International flights from Tehran have resumed for the first time since Iran’s conflict with the US and Israel erupted at the end of February.
Flight-tracking websites showed four departures from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini airport for Istanbul early Saturday, all of them operated by Iranian carriers.
“With the efforts of domestic airlines, the first group of passengers were sent to destinations of Medina, Muscat, and Istanbul,” reported the semi-official Mehr news agency, which predicted an expansion of flights in coming days.
However, flight data showed no flights to Medina, in Saudi Arabia, nor Muscat in Oman.
Iran's foreign minister meets Pakistan’s political brass in Islamabad, state media says
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi convened with Pakistani army chief Asim Munir in Islamabad early Saturday, according to Iranian state media – as part of a diplomatic round tour to discuss ongoing hostilities with the US.
Araghchi and Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, sat alongside Field Marshal Munir, IRNA said. Munir has positioned himself as the key mediator between Tehran and Washington.
The Iranian foreign minister has met with Pakistani political leadership at least twice since he touched down in Islamabad late Friday, after which he will visit Oman and Russia.
It is unclear what time the Iranian delegation will depart from Islamabad.
In pictures: Pakistan prepares for talks as Iran's foreign minister arrives in Islamabad
Here are some of the latest images we’re seeing from the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, as Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives for talks with officials.
US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are headed to Pakistan today, according to the White House.
Iran's internet blackout reaches eight weeks, Netblocks says
Residents in Iran have been stifled under an internet blackout for 57 days, according to an internet monitoring watchdog.
It means exactly eight weeks have passed since the Iranian regime blocked the country’s access to the internet, NetBlocks reported on Saturday.
The blackout has been in place since the US and Israel attacked Tehran on February 28.
The Iranian regime earlier imposed a separate internet and communications blackout in January to obscure evidence of the deadliest crackdown imposed by the state on its own people since the founding of the Islamic Republic nearly 47 years ago.
Earlier this month, NetBlocks called the current blackout the “longest nation-scale internet shutdown on record in any country.”
Satellite imagery shows scale of Israeli destruction in south Lebanon
A CNN review of satellite imagery reveals the scale of Israel’s destruction of southern Lebanon, mirroring tactics played out in Gaza.
Bulldozers have laid waste to hundreds of buildings, demolitions have razed whole villages. Despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the Israeli army’s ground operations continue.
Read the full story here and a report from CNN’s Jeremy Diamond below.
A CNN review of satellite imagery reveals the scale of Israel's destruction of southern Lebanon, mirroring tactics played out in Gaza. Bulldozers have laid waste to hundreds of buildings; demolitions have razed whole villages. Despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the Israeli army’s ground operations continue. CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports.
Witkoff and Kushner set to travel to Pakistan — what to know
Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to leave for Pakistan today for talks with Iran, the White House said yesterday.
Here’s what to know:
- White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Iranians reached out, “as the president called on them to do,” and requested the in-person conversation.
- The White House has “seen some progress” from the Iranians, Leavitt said, though she did not say if the US has received a proposal from Iran.
- Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi landed in Pakistan yesterday, with Iranian semi-official state media denying he will speak with the Americans.
- The semi-official Iranian media outlet Tasnim news agency reported Araghchi’s trip was “not for negotiations with the Americans but rather to discuss Iran’s considerations about ending the war with the Pakistani side.”
- Vice President JD Vance is on stand by to travel to Islamabad if the talks progress, Leavitt said.
The US and Iran are sending mixed messages about weekend talks. Here's the latest
The US and Iran continue to give mixed messaging about whether talks will go ahead this weekend, as Israel and Hezbollah continue trading attacks despite an extended truce.
Here’s the latest on a second round of peace talks:
- What the US has said: The White House said Friday that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are headed to Pakistan on Saturday to participate in direct peace talks with Iran, with Vice President JD Vance on standby to travel to Islamabad if the talks progress. The White House has “seen some progress” from the Iranians, said the press secretary.
- What Trump has said: Throughout the week, President Donald Trump offered little clarity on a timeline regarding the end of the war. He said Friday that Iran will be making an offer to the US, but he did not yet know the details. Just a day earlier, Trump suggested uncertainty surrounding Iran’s leadership was complicating negotiations.
- What Iran has said: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi landed in Pakistan Friday to meet with mediators, but his ministry denied that a direct meeting with the US was planned. Semi-official state media in Iran also reported “there are no negotiations with the Americans on the agenda.”
Watch the CEO of the International Rescue Committee discuss the humanitarian crisis for the most vulnerable in the wake of the Iran war:
In other news:
- Meanwhile in Lebanon: Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters continued to target each other throughout Friday, a day after a three-week extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was announced. Each side has since blamed the other for violating the ceasefire.
- US destroyer: US Central Command posted an image on Friday of a destroyer ship appearing to intercept an Iranian-flagged vessel near the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier Friday morning, 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 it.
- Captivity in Iraq: American journalist Shelly Kittleson — who was kidnapped in Baghdad, Iraq last month — told CNN she was beaten “quite viciously,” blindfolded and zip tied while abducted by a pro-Iranian militia.
Mixed signals over potential peace talks between US-Iran is nothing new. Here's why
The White House said on Friday that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are headed to Pakistan today to participate in direct peace talks with Iran.
While Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is indeed in Islamabad for talks about regional peace, Iranian semi-official news agency Tasnim has reported that he would not speak with US officials, as did Nournews Agency, an outlet affiliated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
This uncertainty around the exact status of negotiations is nothing new – and it doesn’t necessarily mean dialogue between the two sides won’t happen, in some form or another.
In late March, there were also conflicting accounts about whether the US and Iran were in talks about ending the fighting.
US President Donald Trump said at the time that Washington had held “productive conversations” with Iran, while Tehran denied any talks with the US. That same day, an Iranian source accepted there had been “outreach” between Washington and Tehran, telling CNN that Iran was willing to listen to “suitable” proposals.
The US later held high-stakes talks with Iran in Pakistan in early April, which ended without an agreement.
Days later, Iranian state media said there were no plans to hold another round of negotiations, despite what it said were “claims by some Pakistani sources or Western media about holding the next round of Islamabad talks.”
The ceasefire in Lebanon was extended, but there is still some fighting
The ceasefire in Lebanon has been extended by three weeks, the United States announced earlier this week, but Israel and Hezbollah are still exchanging fire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hezbollah for trying to disrupt the peace process between Israel and Lebanon. Israel will continue striking “any threat” in Lebanon, Netanyahu 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.
A CNN review of satellite imagery reveals the scale of the destruction in southern Lebanon, with hundreds of buildings, most of which appear to be homes, have been either completely flattened or rendered uninhabitable since the start of the war.
Read more about Israel’s military offensive in southern Lebanon here.
CNN’s Zeena Saifi, Allegra Goodwin, Rayhana Zaiter and Farida Elsebai contributed reporting to this post.
American journalist says she was beaten "quite viciously" by pro-Iranian militia in Iraq
American journalist Shelley Kittleson — who was kidnapped in Baghdad, Iraq last month — said she was beaten “quite viciously,” blindfolded and zip tied while abducted by a pro-Iranian militia.
She said she was not brought any medical care during her detention and was told that her American passport is why she was kidnapped.
“They said, ‘We know that the American public is not at fault, but this is war and you’re in Iraq. You made a mistake to come here.”
