US Iran War Highlights: US must remove blockade to enter negotiations, says Iranian President

The Israeli military said it conducted artillery shelling and airstrikes in southern Lebanon, as per AP.

It stated that the attacks targeted Hezbollah fighters as well as weapons-related facilities, including rocket launchers and ammunition storage sites located north of what Israel calls the Forward Defense Line. The military added that these operations came amid a recent uptick in fighting, even though a ceasefire remains in place.

In an interview on Fox News Channel on Sunday, US President Donald Trump said he decided against sending a delegation to Pakistan instead of making them take a 17-hour flight for talks.

“We have all the cards. If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us,” Trump said, without specifying when any such contact might happen.

Negotiations appeared to lose momentum on Saturday after Iran’s top diplomat left Pakistan, followed shortly by Trump’s statement that he had instructed his envoys not to travel to Islamabad.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has departed Pakistan and is now traveling to Moscow, according to Iran’s official state news agency IRNA, reported CNN.

Before leaving, Araghchi reportedly held another round of discussions with Pakistani officials in Islamabad as part of ongoing diplomatic efforts. His visit came amid Pakistan’s attempts to help revive negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah on Sunday condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his remarks that the group’s actions were threatening the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, as per AP.

Hezbollah said its attacks on Israeli targets were a “legitimate response” to what it described as repeated Israeli violations of the truce. The group rejected Netanyahu’s accusation and insisted that its actions were in retaliation for continued Israeli aggression.

At least 2,509 people have been killed in Israeli strikes across Lebanon since March 2, according to an update released by the Lebanese Health Ministry on Sunday, as per CNN.

The ministry also said that more than 7,750 people have been injured in the same attacks, highlighting the growing human toll of the ongoing violence.

Major differences among BRICS member countries over the US-Israel war on Iran blocked India’s efforts to form a unified stance on the conflict during the group’s meeting held in New Delhi last week, official sources said on Sunday, reported PTI.

The disagreement among member states made it difficult to reach a common position on the issue during the meeting of BRICS Deputy Foreign Ministers and special envoys.

Sources also said that India’s position on the Palestine issue remains unchanged, despite the differing views within the bloc, the report noted.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad on Sunday after visiting Oman, as Pakistan intensifies efforts to help restart negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

During his visit, Araghchi is expected to hold further discussions with Pakistani officials before heading to Moscow, according to two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak publicly on the matter, reported AP.

Prospects for a diplomatic breakthrough in the US-Israeli conflict with Iran weakened on Sunday as attempts to restart negotiations slowed, with both Tehran and Washington showing little willingness to ease their positions.

While Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi continued his visits to mediating countries over the weekend, US President Donald Trump cancelled a planned trip to Islamabad by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, signaling further uncertainty over the talks.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held discussions with his Qatari and Iranian counterparts on efforts to restart negotiations between the United States and Iran, as per AP.

During separate phone calls, Abdelatty stressed the importance of pursuing diplomacy to maintain the ceasefire and create a path toward ending the conflict. He emphasised that dialogue remains the best way to reduce tensions and prevent further escalation in the region.

Lebanese state media reported that Israel’s military carried out strikes in southern Lebanon on Sunday shortly after issuing evacuation warnings for seven locations, despite an existing ceasefire with the Iran-backed Hezbollah, as per AP.

At least four Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces on Sunday morning in the Gaza Strip, according to hospital authorities, reported AP.

Al-Shifa Hospital reported that two men were killed after Israeli forces opened fire on a group of people near the Kuwait roundabout in southeastern Gaza City.

The hospital also said another man was shot dead near the Saqqa mosque in central Gaza.

Israel’s military on Sunday urged residents of seven towns in southern Lebanon to evacuate their homes ahead of planned strikes in the area, as per AP.

Military spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee claimed that Hezbollah had violated the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel, although he did not provide any evidence to support the allegation.

In a post on social media, Adraee said the Israeli military would carry out operations in the region south of the Zahrani River and instructed civilians in the affected areas to leave immediately.

Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, the Sultan of Oman, met with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Muscat, where they discussed the regional situation and ongoing mediation efforts aimed at bringing an end to the Iran war, as per Reuters.

US President Donald Trump said he instructed his senior envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, not to travel to Pakistan for negotiations with Iran, saying there was no need for the trip as Tehran could contact Washington directly.

Speaking to Fox News, Trump said, “They can call us any time they want,” emphasising that the US would not make an 18-hour journey “to sit around talking about nothing.”

Israel’s military has issued an evacuation warning for residents of seven towns north of the Litani River, stating that it would take strong action against Hezbollah over alleged ceasefire violations, as per AP.

Pakistan’s senior political and military leadership is continuing efforts to mediate between the United States and Iran, with indirect ceasefire talks still ongoing despite rising tensions between both sides, two Pakistani officials said on Sunday, reported AP.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to arrive in Islamabad on Sunday evening for his second visit within two days, following a brief trip to Oman.

Israel and Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire recently during Washington talks. However, Despite the renewed ceasefire, Hezbollah on Sunday said that it used a drone to target and inflict casualties on a group of Israeli soldiers in the southern town of Taybeh.

Israel, Hezbollah continue attacks despite ceasefire. Israel had said it reserved the right to carry out what it said were defensive operations, and it has been systematically demolishing villages in the area that it occupies, using explosives, bulldozers and shelling in that area, which is what Hezbollah said initially it was responding to when it fired rockets.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the country will not enter negotiations while the United States continues to impose a blockade on its ports, according to Iranian media reports.

During a phone conversation with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday night, Pezeshkian said Washington must first remove “operational obstacles,” including the blockade, before any new round of talks can begin, Iran’s ISNA and Tasnim news agencies reported.

Life in Pakistan’s capital began returning to normal on Sunday morning as authorities in Islamabad relaxed the near-lockdown restrictions that had been in place during a week of heightened security ahead of planned ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran, as per AP.

The strict measures, enforced across Islamabad and the neighboring garrison city of Rawalpindi, had significantly disrupted daily life for hundreds of thousands of residents. Commuters faced lengthy detours, major roads saw unusually light traffic, and many parents found it difficult to reach schools.