President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.
Following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire, initial U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan earlier this month failed to reach a peace deal. On Tuesday, Trump announced he was extending the ceasefire and continuing the blockade until Iran's proposal is submitted and discussions are concluded "one way or the other."
Latest Developments
Apr 24, 2:43 PM
US, Iran delegations to meet with Pakistani mediators: Pakistani official
U.S. and Iranian delegations will have separate meetings with Pakistani officials this weekend, a senior Pakistani government official told ABC News. If those meetings go well, the U.S. and Iranian delegations would then meet directly on Sunday, the official said.
The official said the Iranian delegation has arrived in Pakistan and the U.S. delegation is expected to arrive Saturday evening local time.
-ABC News’ Habi Khan
Apr 24, 2:06 PM
Leavitt says Vance 'on standby,' 'willing to dispatch to Pakistan' if necessary
During a gaggle with reporters Friday afternoon, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that while President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner will travel to Pakistan this weekend, it's still possible for Vice President JD Vance to be dispatched, too.
“The vice president, I understand, is on standby and will be willing to dispatch to Pakistan if we feel it's a necessary use of his time,” Leavitt said.
“We hope progress will be made, and we hope that positive developments will come from this meeting, and we will see,” she added.
“The Iranians want to talk. They want to talk in person,” Leavitt said, and Trump is “always willing to give diplomacy a chance.”
-ABC News’ Nicholas Kerr, Emily Chang and Michelle Stoddart
Apr 24, 1:26 PM
Witkoff, Kushner to travel to Islamabad Saturday for peace talksPresident Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner will travel to Islamabad, Pakistan, on Saturday for another round of peace talks with Iranian officials, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.
They will "engage in talks, direct talks inter-mediated by the Pakistanis, who have been incredible friends and mediators throughout this entire process, with representatives from the Iranian delegation," she said Friday. "The Iranians reached out as the president called on them to do, and asked for this in-person conversation. So the president is dispatching Steve and Jared to go hear what they have to say."
Leavitt said Vice President JD Vance will not be going but said he "remains deeply involved in this entire process, and he'll be standing by here in the United States, along with the president and the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and the entire national security team for updates."
When asked whether the administration had any indication that the Iranians were closer to coming to a deal, Leavitt only said "we'll see," adding that it was part of the reason for the trip by Witkoff and Kushner.
Despite the president’s rhetoric threatening to bomb Iran and his past claims that he does not need a deal, Leavitt said the U.S. has “transitioned” into a “diplomatic phase” in order to secure a deal.
-ABC News’ Nicholas Kerr, Emily Chang and Michelle Stoddart
Apr 24, 11:43 AM
Iranian foreign minister heading to Pakistan, Oman, Russia
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on social media that he's visiting Islamabad, Pakistan, Muscat, Oman, and Moscow, Russia "to closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments."
Apr 24, 8:41 AM
Navy fired 9 disabling shots at seized ship, Caine saysGen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, noted that U.S. forces are ready to continue striking Iran if President Donald Trump issues the order.
Caine described how the U.S. seized the Iranian-flagged ship Touska, which he said tried to evade the blockade. Caine said the U.S. fired five warning shots and ultimately nine disabling shots at the ship.
“American forces began to issue several clear and unambiguous warnings and informed the vessel and its crew that they were in violation of the U.S. blockade and directed the ship to turn around,” Caine said. “Over a six-hour period, the vessel and her crew repeatedly ignored U.S. warnings, and then the U.S. Navy destroyer executed a series of pre-planned, carefully calibrated escalation options, including firing five warning shots. The vessel and her crew continued to ignore warnings, and after exhausting all other measures, CENTCOM authorized disabling fire against the Touska.”
“U.S. sailors warned the crew to abandon the engine room, and at approximately 9 a.m. Eastern Time, the destroyer disabled the Touska’s engine by firing nine inert rounds … precisely into the engine room,” Caine said.
The vessel “went dead in the water and began to comply with U.S. directions and orders,” he said, and “CENTCOM ordered United States marines to seize the ship via helicopters.”
-ABC News’ Steven Beynon, Christopher Boccia and Luis Martinez
Apr 24, 8:28 AM
Hegseth says 2nd aircraft carrier will join blockade in 'a few days'Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that a second aircraft carrier will be joining the blockade in "a few days" and that just this week, the United States seized "two Iranian dark fleet ships in the Indo-Pacific region that had left Iranian ports before the blockade went into effect."
"They thought they'd made it out just in time. They did not," Hegseth said during a press conference on Friday morning. "We seized their sanctioned ships, and we will seize more."
"President Trump's fortitude is unshakable and his mission is crystal clear," Hegseth continued. "President Trump said it again yesterday. We have all the time in the world, and we're not anxious for a deal."
Apr 24, 8:19 AM
Hegseth says 'blockade is growing and going global'Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says "our blockade is only growing and going global" and that Iran "will never get a nuclear bomb."
"Operation Epic Fury has delivered decisive military results," Hegseth said during a press conference at the Pentagon on Friday morning.
"Iran has an important choice, a chance to make a deal, a good deal, a wise deal. As part of that effort, the United States has imposed an ironclad blockade that grows more powerful by the day. From the gulf of Oman to the open oceans, our Navy is enforcing this blockade without hesitation or apology," Hegseth said.
Apr 24, 7:15 AM
Iran's military commanders join government and parliament in show of unity after Trump's rift claim
The commander in chief of Iran's Army General Amir Hatami reiterated unity among the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran in a post on X on Friday, following President Donald Trump alleging a rift among Iranian leaders.
Hatami said all branches of power are united and "obedient" to the Supreme Leader, adding that they "will make the criminal aggressor regret."
"One God, one Leader, one Nation, one Path, and that is the path to the victory of dear Iran that is more precious than life," Hatami wrote.
In a separate note, commanders of the IRGC Navy and IRGC Aerospace Forces issued a joint message of unity on Thursday evening, saying the unity of the Islamic Republic leaders supports the armed forces as they prepare to fight.
Other top authorities of the country, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and parliament speaker and lead negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, shared similar post emphasizing unity among leaders on their X accounts.
These posts seem to be a response to President Trump’s post on Truth Social on Thursday, where he wrote there is infighting among the Iranian "hardliner" and "moderate" leaders.
-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian
Apr 24, 6:03 AM
IDF says Hezbollah committing 'blatant violations' of ceasefire
The Israel Defense Forces said that three members of Hezbollah were killed after "unsuccessfully launching a surface-to-air missile toward an IAF aircraft."
"These actions constitute blatant violations of the ceasefire understandings," the IDF said in a statement on X early Friday.
Elsewhere, in two separate incidents, the IDF said that members of Hezbollah also "launched rockets and an explosive UAV toward IDF soldiers operating south of the Forward Defense Line in southern Lebanon."
Apr 23, 6:37 PM
'We hope' no firing during Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, Trump says
Moments after announcing an extended ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, President Donald Trump said "we hope" there's three weeks of "no firing" between the two countries.
"But they do have Hezbollah to think about, and we're going to be working with Lebanon to get things straightened out in that country," he said during surprise remarks from the Oval Office while flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance.
Trump also said he expects the president of Lebanon and the prime minister of Israel to come to the White House "over the next couple of weeks" while the ceasefire is in place, though he did not provide any specifics of such potential travel.
Trump expressed his hope that the Israel-Lebanon conflict will get "worked out simultaneously with what we're doing in Iran."
-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart, Isabella Murray and Emily Chang
