[ANALYSIS] Iranian War Day 58: Weekend recap

OVERVIEW

• US-Iran talks stalled after Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi left Pakistan without meeting US officials.
• US President Trump cancelled sending Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan, saying the US “has all the cards” and would not meet “people nobody’s ever heard of”.
• Trump claimed Iran sent a “much better” offer within minutes of the cancellation, but said it was still “a lot but not enough”.
• Israel and Hezbollah continued to accuse each other of ceasefire violations despite the three-week Lebanon ceasefire extension.
• Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reported that Araghchi is expected to return to Pakistan after visiting Oman, though it remains unclear whether US officials will attend.

US-IRAN TALKS

• Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi met Pakistani officials in Islamabad and shared Tehran’s “views and considerations” on ending the war, before leaving Pakistan without meeting US officials.
• US President Trump cancelled sending Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan for talks with Iran, saying there would be “too much time wasted on travelling”.
• Trump said the US “has all the cards” and Iran “has none”, adding that “if they want to talk, all they have to do is call”.
• Trump later said the US would not travel “15, 16 hours” to meet “people nobody’s ever heard of”, adding that US envoys were not meeting Iran’s actual leader.
• Trump claimed Iran sent a “much better” offer within 10 minutes of him cancelling the envoys’ trip, but said Iran had offered “a lot but not enough”.
• Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reported that Araghchi is expected to return to Pakistan after visiting Oman, though it remains unclear whether US officials will attend.
• Pakistan’s PM Sharif said his call with Iranian President Pezeshkian was “warm and constructive” and that Pakistan remains committed to facilitating durable peace.
• Araghchi described his Pakistan visit as “very fruitful” and said Iran had shared a “workable framework to permanently end the war”.
• Iranian sources said Tehran “will not accept maximalist demands”.

HORMUZ

• US Central Command said a merchant vessel was intercepted in the Arabian Sea.
• The vessel was intercepted by a US Navy helicopter from a guided-missile destroyer.
• US Central Command said 37 vessels have been redirected since the start of the blockade.
• Iran’s military warned the US would face a response from Iran’s armed forces if “blockading, banditry, and piracy” continued.
• French President Macron said he wants the Strait of Hormuz reopened to oil traffic “in the coming days and weeks”, adding that more than a dozen countries are willing to join a UK-French-led mission when conditions permit.
• Turkey said it could help with de-mining the Strait of Hormuz after a peace agreement.

LEBANON / ISRAEL

• Israel and Hezbollah accused each other of ceasefire violations.
• Israeli PM Netanyahu told the IDF to strike Hezbollah targets “with force” after rockets and drones were launched at northern Israel.
• Israel said it struck Hezbollah infrastructure across southern Lebanon, including launchers and weapons facilities.
• The IDF said two projectiles were fired from Lebanon towards Israel, with one intercepted and one landing in an open area.
• Israel said it shot down a “suspicious aerial target” launched from Lebanon and lost contact with another.
• Lebanese state media reported four people were killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon.
• Israel reissued evacuation warnings to Lebanese civilians, telling them not to return to villages in southern Lebanon.
• Hezbollah said it targeted the Israeli army in recent strikes.
• Israeli troops remain stationed in a “security buffer zone” across southern Lebanon.

SEPARATE US INCIDENT

• Separate to the Iran war, US President Trump was rushed to safety from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner after gunshots were reported at the Washington Hilton.
• Police named the suspect as 31-year-old Cole Thomas Allen from Torrance, California.
• One officer was struck but saved by a bulletproof vest, while Trump later called the attacker a “lone wolf whack job”.