Iran, US-Israel War LIVE Updates | Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir reaches Tehran to expedite efforts to end US-Iran war

Iran, US-Israel War LIVE Updates | Focus of the negotiations is on ending the war: Iran foreign ministry spokesperson

Iran, US-Israel War LIVE Updates | Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir reaches Tehran to expedite efforts to end US-Iran war

Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir on Friday reached Tehran for a crucial visit to expedite efforts for a deal between the US and Iran to end the war in the region, the army said.

According to a statement issued by the army, Field Marshal Munir's visit is "part of ongoing mediation efforts".

On arrival, he was received and warmly welcomed by Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni at the airport. Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was also present at the airport, according to the army.

(PTI)

Iran, US-Israel War LIVE Updates | Israeli strikes kill six Lebanese medics in 24 hours, health ministry says

Six Lebanese paramedics were killed in ⁠two Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon in the span of 24 hours, Lebanon's health ⁠ministry said on Friday, condemning the attacks as violations of ‌international law.

According to Lebanon's health ministry, ​an Israeli strike overnight Thursday into Friday in the southern Lebanese town of Hanaway killed four paramedics from the Islamic Health Association. On Friday morning, an Israeli strike killed two medics from the Al-Rissala Scouts Association in Deir Qanoun En-Nahr, the ministry said.

(Reuters)

Iran, US-Israel War LIVE Updates | EU moves to sanction Iran over Hormuz blockade

European Union nations moved Friday towards imposing sanctions on Iranian officials and others responsible for blocking the Strait of Hormuz, the EU said, reported AFP.

Tehran effectively closed the key shipping lane for global gas and oil in retaliation to US-Israeli strikes launched in February.

Deeming the blockade "contrary to international law", EU governments took a technical step to extend the scope of its existing Iran sanctions regime allowing for more individuals to be targeted under it.

Iran, US-Israel War LIVE Updates | Qatar has sent a negotiating team to Tehran

Reuters reported that Qatar has sent a negotiating team to Tehran to help secure a deal to end war.

Iran, US-Israel War LIVE Updates | Iran's direct assault on freedom of navigation impacts us all, says NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

Iran, US-Israel War LIVE Updates | Pakistan army chief Asim Munir has left for Iran: Report

Reuters reported that a diplomatic source in Islamabad told Iran's state news agency IRNA that Pakistan army chief Asim Munir has left for Iran.

Iran, US-Israel War LIVE Updates | AIIB announces $10 billion fund facility to support countries hit by West Asia conflict

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), in which India is the second-largest shareholder after China, has launched a $10-billion fund facility to provide support to member countries affected by the conflict in West Asia.

The Beijing-headquartered bank announced on Thursday that the Energy, Food Security and Economic Resilience Facility is open to its member countries whose development may have been affected by the conflict that has triggered energy shortages in large parts of the world.

(PTI)

Iran, US-Israel War LIVE Updates | Lebanon army says soldiers loyal after US sanctions one over alleged Hezbollah links

Lebanon's military said Friday its soldiers were loyal to the institution after the US announced sanctions that included, for the first time, an army officer accused of sharing information with Hezbollah, reported AFP.

In a statement, the army said it "affirms that all officers and members of the military institution are performing their national duties with utmost professionalism, responsibility, and discipline, in accordance with the decisions and directives issued by the army command".

Iran, US-Israel War LIVE Updates | 35 ships passed through Strait of Hormuz in past 24 hours: Report

Iran State Media reported that ​IRGC Navy ⁠said ⁠35 ‌ships ​including oil tankers, ​container ⁠ships, and ⁠other ‌commercial ‌vessels ⁠passed through Strait ‌of ‌Hormuz ‌with ‌permission from ⁠Iran ⁠in the past ​24 ​hours.

(Reuters) 

Iran, US-Israel War LIVE Updates | UAE official says '50-50' chance of US-Iran agreement on Hormuz strait

The US and Iran have just a "50-50" chance of reaching an agreement that would free up the Strait of Hormuz, a senior UAE official said on Friday.

Iranian officials "have missed a lot of chances over the years because there's a tendency to overestimate their cards", said presidential adviser Anwar Gargash.

"I hope they don't do that this time." (AFP)

Iran, US-Israel War LIVE Updates | NATO alliance has to be good for all involved, Rubio says

NATO has to be good for all ⁠those involved, US Secretary ⁠of State ‌Marco Rubio said ​on Friday ahead of a NATO meeting in Helsingborg, ​Sweden, adding that ⁠he expects the meeting will set the groundwork for the ⁠NATO ‌leaders summit in Ankara, Turkey later ‌this year.

"Like any ⁠alliance, it has to be good ‌for ‌everyone who's involved. There has ‌to be ‌a clear understanding of what the expectations are," Rubio ⁠said.

Rubio ⁠also said that a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz by Iran would be unacceptable. (Reuters)

Iran, US-Israel War LIVE Updates | Pakistan minister meets Iran's Araghchi to discuss proposals to end war

Iran's foreign minister met Pakistan's interior minister on Friday to discuss proposals to end the U.S.-Israeli war, Iranian media reported, with Tehran and Washington still at odds over Tehran's uranium stockpile and controls on the ⁠Strait of Hormuz.

Two days after presenting the Iranians with the latest U.S. message in the negotiations, Syed Mohsin Naqvi held another round of talks with Iranian ⁠Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Tehran, the semi-official Tasnim and ISNA news agencies reported.

Naqvi was facilitating communication to try ‌and achieve a framework for ending the war and ​resolving differences, ISNA reported. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Thursday there had been "some good signs" in the talks, but there could be no solution if Tehran enforced a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz, which it effectively closed to most shipping after the war began on February 28. (Reuters)

Iran, US-Israel War LIVE Updates | Israeli strike kills 2 in south Lebanon: Military

The Israeli military carried out an airstrike in south Lebanon, killing two people it said on Friday were armed and "moving in a suspicious manner" in an area where it is fighting Hezbollah.

Israel and the Iran-backed group have been regularly trading fire in the country's south despite a ceasefire, which was extended by Israeli and Lebanese authorities last week.

"A short while ago, IDF surveillance identified two armed individuals moving in a suspicious manner hundreds of meters from Israeli territory, in southern Lebanon," the Israeli military posted on Telegram.

"Following their identification and continuous monitoring by the IDF, the armed individuals were struck and eliminated in an aerial strike," the post said. (AP)

Iran, US-Israel War LIVE Updates | Thousands of miles from the Iran war, Asia’s currencies feel the strain

The Indian rupee and the Philippine peso have fallen to record lows. Japan and South Korea have spent billions propping up their currencies in an attempt to avoid the same fate. The Indonesian rupiah is now weaker than it was at the depths of the Asian financial crisis.

For Asian countries that rely heavily on imported energy, the war in the Middle East has already sent oil prices soaring. Now, they face a knock-on effect that has grown into a crisis of its own: tumbling currency values, battered by rising fuel costs and skittish investors fleeing to the safety of the US dollar.

To stem the slide, central banks across Asia have repeatedly intervened in currency markets, drawing down foreign exchange reserves they amassed over the years for precisely this kind of moment. (NYT)

Iran, US-Israel War LIVE Updates | Despite 'good signs' in Iran talks, 'other options' remain on table: Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday said negotiations with Iran were showing “good signs”, but stressed that Washington still had “other options” if diplomatic efforts failed.

Speaking to reporters, Rubio said President Donald Trump preferred a negotiated agreement and hoped for a favourable deal, though the administration remained prepared with alternative measures if talks did not succeed.

Rubio said regional players, including Pakistan, were actively working towards a diplomatic resolution, with officials travelling to Tehran as efforts intensified to end tensions. However, he cautioned against excessive optimism, noting that progress remained uncertain.

He also criticised Iran’s reported proposal to impose a toll system in the Strait of Hormuz, calling it unacceptable and warning that such a move would make a diplomatic agreement “unfeasible”

(AP)

Iran, US-Israel War LIVE Updates | Rubio says a Hormuz tolling system would make diplomatic deal unfeasible

A diplomatic ⁠deal between ⁠the ‌United States ​and Iran would be ​unfeasible ⁠if Tehran implemented ⁠a tolling ‌system in the ‌Strait ⁠of Hormuz, U.S. ‌Secretary ‌of ‌State Marco ‌Rubio told reporters ⁠on ⁠Thursday. 

(Reuters)

Iran, US-Israel War LIVE Updates | No deal has been reached with US yet: Sources

A senior ⁠Iranian source ⁠told Reuters ‌on ​Thursday that no deal ​has ⁠been reached with the ⁠US, but ‌gaps have been ‌narrowed, ⁠adding that Iran's ‌uranium enrichment ‌and Tehran's ‌control ‌over the Strait ⁠of ⁠Hormuz remain among the sticking points.

(Reuters)