US Vice President JD Vance (R) speaks during a press conference as Jared Kushner (L) and Steve Witkoff look on in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 12, 2026 (Reuters)
EA on Pakistan TV: “Limbo” in Talks to End US War on Iran
UPDATES: US-Israel Wars, Day 124 — US Renews Attacks on Iran
UPDATE 1412 GMT:
Bandar Abbas International Airport in southern Iran has resumed commercial flights after a four-month suspension.
The first passenger flight from Mashhad in northeast Iran landed on Saturday afternoon.
The airport was closed for reconstruction and repairs following damage sustained during the US-Israeli War.
Authorities expect a gradual return of flights to Tehran, Shiraz and Yazd in the coming days.
UPDATE, JULY 5:
A cargo vessel is under attack by unknown armed assailants off Yemen’s Red Sea coast, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations center.
UKMTO received a distress alert from the vessel 56 km (30 nautical miles) southwest of Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
In the Strait of Hormuz, six ships changed course from the Omani corridor as boats of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards patrolled the area.
Maritime intelligence firm Windward said two have sailed towards Iran and four others have returned to the Persian Gulf.
The Guards navy has been issuing radio warnings to ships seeking passage away from Iran’s approved routes.
UPDATE 1649 GMT:
The Lebanese Health Ministry says 4,303 people have been killed and 12,202 wounded by Israeli attacks since March 2.
UPDATE 1641 GMT:
The Saudi-owned outlet Al Arabiya says indirect US-Iran talks will resume next Saturday.
Discussions are expected to address issues such as sanctions on Tehran, Iran’s frozen funds, and nuclear talks.
UPDATE 1207 GMT:
Iran’s Intelligence Ministry has vowed “revenge for the blood of the martyred [Supreme] Leader and the innocent victims” of the US-Israel Wars.
The ministry said, “The wounded hearts of the proud people of Iran and freedom-seekers around the world will not heal except through vengeance against those responsible for the crime of assassinating the martyred leader.”
Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi posted:
The Strait of Hormuz is not a place for military displays by outside powers.
Iran, as the responsible power and guarantor of security in the Strait, warns against any military movement in this waterway….Those who create crises will be responsible for the consequences of their adventurism. This is a serious warning.
UPDATE, JULY 4:
Crowds have gathered in Tehran for the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Khamenei assassinated, along with dozens of officials and commanders, by an airstrike on February 28, the first day of the US-Israel War.
The casket is in the Grand Mosalla, along those of other slain family members. Some mourners chanted, “Our word is one! Revenge! Revenge!”
Iranian authorities say they anticipate between 15 and 20 million participants in Tehran alone over the next three days.
The current Supreme Leader, Khamenei’s son Mojtaba, is unlikely to attend the funeral because of security concerns. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has said the younger Khamenei could be targeted in renewed assassination attempts.
UPDATE 1614 GMT:
The Lebanese Health Ministry says 4,301 people have been killed and 12,199 wounded by Israeli attacks since March 2.
UPDATE 1604 GMT:
Using a US sanctions waiver in effect until August 21, Iran has begun talks with Japanese companies to resume oil sales, say “three Iranian and Western sources”.
The sources said prospective buyers are seeking a longer waiver period and reassurances about ship safety.
Japan, South Korea, India, and European countries stopped buying Iranian oil when the Trump Administration imposed comprehensive sanctions in November 2018, six months after leaving the 2015 nuclear agreement.
UPDATE 0940 GMT:
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said, “We strongly demand full implementation of the agreements, and if the US and the Zionist regime fail to fulfil their commitments, Iran will resume proportionate actions.”
Ghalibaf asserted that Washington cannot militarily confront Iran and said Israel’s threats are “baseless propaganda”.
The United States and the Zionist regime did not achieve any of their goals in the Ramadan War, and today everyone has come to the conclusion that the military action against Iran has failed and, ultimately, they requested a ceasefire themselves.
UPDATE, JULY 3:
US officials say Israel was planning to assassinate Iranian negotiators during talks to end the US-Iran War.
Officials said the Israelis planned to kill Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
“You kill those folks, and you’re killing the pragmatists,” one US official said.
It was previously reported that the US told Israel of a “red line” over any attempt on the lives of Araghchi and Ghalibaf. The officials said the US asked countries in the Middle East to warn Iran of the risk.
UPDATE 1506 GMT:
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei will not attend the 6-day funeral ceremonies for his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei, because of security concerns.
Ayatollah Hakim Elahi, the current Leader’s representative in India, cited Israel’s continuing threats.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said Khamenei was “marked for death”. Iranian Foreign Minister said the Israeli threats would be met with a “powerful response”.
UPDATE 0632 GMT:
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has reiterated that International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors will not be allowed into nuclear sites before completion of a deal to end the US-Israel War.
Ghalibaf said reports that Iran granted access are “false”: “IAEA inspectors do not have the right to inspect nuclear sites” in Natanz, Fordoo, and Isfahahn, bombed by the US and Israel during the 12-day Israeli war in June 2025.
“Currently, inspectors only have access to two locations: Bushehr power plant and Tehran reactor,” he reportedly says.
IAEA head Rafael Grossi said last Friday, “There is an agreement and to comply with that agreement, the IAEA will have to have access and inspect.”
UPDATE, JULY 2:
Despite no direct contact between the Trump camp and Iran’s representatives, Qatari mediators cited “positive progress” in indirect talks on Doha on Wednesday.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said discussions will resume after the completion of the 6-day funeral of Iran’s Supreme Leader, culminating on July 9.
The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was assassinated along with dozens of officials and commanders in an airstrike on February 28, the first day of the US-Israel War on Iran.
UPDATE 1459 GMT:
“US officials with the planning process” say the Trump Administration is considering the move of American bases out of Saudi Arabia.
The officials said the Administration is angry that Saudi Arabia denied the use of bases and airspace for US forces to seize control of the Strait of Hormuz in “Project Freedom”.
The White House threatened to hold back delivery of interceptors that Saudi Arabia needs to shoot down Iranian missiles and drones, if the kingdom didn’t reverse course.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio excluded Saudi Arabia from his Gulf tour last week, visiting the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain.
Before that, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman turned down an invitation to the G7 summit in France.
UPDATE 1117 GMT:
Shipping unions and companies are continuing to designate the Strait of Hormuz as a war-like operations area, after two vessels were attacked on Thursday and Saturday last week.
“This decision recognises the continuing and significant risk to life and the rapidly evolving situation in the area,” said a joint statement by the International Transport Workers’ Federation and the Joint Negotiating Group, an umbrella organization representing shipping owners.
The status will last until at least July 9 and will be reassessed weekly.
UPDATE 1030 GMT:
A ship has run aground in the Strait of Hormuz after following a route that was not approved by Iran.
The extent of damage is unclear.
The navy of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards “has repeatedly warned captains, shipowners and officials of shipping companies around the world that any entry or exit through routes other than the ‘Route of Authority’ in the Persian Gulf could lead to irreparable incidents”, said Iranian State media.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: Tehran is holding out against talks with Donald Trump’s envoys over the Memorandum of Understanding to end the US War on Iran.
Real estate developer Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner arrived in Qatar’s capital Doha on Tuesday but the Iranians refused to see them. Each side met with Qatari mediators; however, no senior officials from Tehran were involved.
Iran initially said that the talks were sidelined by US attacks on its southern coast over the weekend, responding to Iranian drone strikes on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran is also raising questions over Israel’s military operations and occupation in southern Lebanon and the status of Iranian assets to be unfrozen under the Memorandum.
American officials told The Wall Street Journal that Trump has in recent days considered options for a return to full-scale war, but has decided to pursue the talks at this time.
They said he was given military options to “finish the job”, but he fears a renewed war could harm the prospects of a diplomatic resolution which includes the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program. He is willing to continue indirect negotiations in Qatar beyond the MoU’s 60-day deadline on August 18, they said.
US Vice President J.D. Vance, hoping to benefit politically from a deal with Iran, insisted on Fox TV that the Trump Administration is in a “great position” whatever happens with the talks. He proclaimed that Tehran’s nuclear program and military have been “destroyed”, and said the US military will respond to any Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait.
Vance also lied that oil traffic in the waterway has returned to its pre-war level.
