IRAN WAR UPDATES: Pakistan’s army chief to meet Iranian officials to push new U.S.-Iran talks
· Toronto Sun
Pakistan’s army chief is set to meet with Iranian officials in Tehran in an effort to ease tensions in the Middle East while arranging a second round of negotiations between the United States and Iran after almost seven weeks of war.
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The meeting comes as U.S. President Donald Trump announced the leaders of Israel and Lebanon will speak later on Thursday about halting the fighting between them.
The U.S. blockade of Iranian ports continues as U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration would ramp up economic pain on Iran with new economic sanctions on countries doing business with it.
Further talks with Iran would likely take place in Islamabad, Pakistan, the White House said. No decision has been made on whether to resume negotiations.
On Truth Social, Trump wrote late Wednesday that leaders from Lebanon and Israel would speak Thursday in an effort to broker a ceasefire, after the two countries’ first talk in decades yielded no deal.
Here’s the latest on the Iran war on Thursday:
Iranian parliament speaker meets Pakistan’s army chief
Iran’s state television reported that Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf has met with Gen. Asim Munir, the head of Pakistan’s army.
The TV network didn’t immediately provide further details. Munir arrived in Iran on Wednesday.
Israeli military says it destroyed Hezbollah sites
Intense clashes have been taking place in and around the Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil for over a week, as Israel and Lebanon launched their first direct diplomatic talks in decades.
The Israeli military said that following a raid by a commando unit on Wednesday on what it described as a Hezbollah “combat compound” in which numerous weapons were discovered, the soldiers “dismantled approximately 70 terror infrastructure sites in just one minute.”
It said soldiers killed “dozens” of Hezbollah operatives in the area in a separate operation.
When Israel occupied southern Lebanon until its withdrawal in 2000, it relied on Bint Jbeil and other highly elevated locations for strategic vantage points, and the town has repeatedly been a priority position in later ground incursions.
Pakistan says trips by PM, field marshal part of peace efforts
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to countries including Saudi Arabia and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir’s trip to Iran are part of “collective efforts” aimed at promoting regional peace and de-escalation, according to the Foreign Ministry.
“Pakistan is being recognized for its constructive diplomatic engagement in supporting de-escalation, ceasefire efforts and a broader pursuit of stability between the United States and Iran,” said ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi.
Pakistan has encouraged dialogue, facilitated message exchanges and helped create a peaceful space for meaningful negotiations such as the recent talks between the U.S. and Iran, Andrabi said.
U.S. admiral says blockade ‘has been fully implemented’
According to Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports ” has been fully implemented,” and that “U.S. forces have completely halted economic trade going in and out of Iran by sea.”
The command said Wednesday that no vessels have made it past its forces during the blockade’s first 48 hours, which began Monday.
Central Command noted that 10 vessels have complied with directions to turn around and return toward an Iranian port or Iran’s coastal area.
The blockade is being enforced “impartially against all vessels of all nations entering or leaving coastal areas or ports in Iran,” the Command said.
Vessels avoiding Iranian ports are not affected.
Iranian state media says Iran-Pakistan talks have started
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi took part in a preliminary meeting with the Pakistani Army Chief of Staff, Asim Munir, in Tehran Wednesday, according to a report by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.
The report said more extensive talks would continue on Thursday to discuss the latest communications with the U.S.
Pakistan is mediating talks between Washington and Tehran.
– With files from The Associated Press