Iran war live: Tehran’s FM in Islamabad; US says envoys to travel for talks

The European Union’s aviation safety agency, EASA, ⁠is developing guidance to help member states ⁠introduce Jet-A fuel into operations that currently rely on ⁠Jet A-1, a spokesperson said.

The move comes as Europe looks to import ‌more jet fuel from the US amid shortages linked to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

“The vast majority of jet engines fitted ⁠on airliners are certified to ⁠use both fuel grades,” an EASA spokesperson told the Reuters news agency.

“Jet A fuel is used ⁠in North America. European airlines already ⁠fuel up with ⁠Jet A when departing from North America back to Europe, and that fuel ‌mixes with the fuel remaining in the tanks from the ‌incoming ‌flight,” the spokesperson said.

The White House has announced plans to send a delegation to Islamabad for talks with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi this weekend.

The meetings are expected to be exploratory in nature, with US President Donald Trump dispatching two of his close advisers to the Pakistani capital.

Listen to the full report:

Companies have paid out up to $4m for last-minute passage of their vessels through the Panama Canal in recent weeks to cope with the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, The Associated Press (AP) news agency reports, citing canal authorities.

The canal usually charges a flat rate for passage. But companies without a booking can pay extra in an auction to avoid waiting for several days to transit through the waterway.

With the Strait of Hormuz blocked, the AP is reporting that demand for these auctioned slots has skyrocketed, raising the going price, as commercial vessels increasingly use the Panama Canal.

There are a few suggestions in Washington, DC, that JD Vance has essentially been benched to let these conversations take place in Islamabad.

That’s not quite the case.

The White House will say that they want to hear what the Iranians have to say, and if there is something significant, substantial, and moving towards a deal, then JD Vance and also Marco Rubio will be called over to Islamabad to essentially tie up the deal.

There are also protocol issues as well.

The vice president needs someone almost of a similar stature to be involved in those discussions to make it worth his while to go there.

Clearly, there are things to be discussed there. There are some red lines on both sides.

For the United States, it’s very clear.

Donald Trump has said it on several occasions: No nuclear weapon for Iran, not now, not ever.

They also want to talk about Iran’s support for proxies in the Middle East.

And there are other questions as well. What happens to the enriched uranium, or what happens to the Strait of Hormuz? Who controls that so we don’t see a situation where it gets blocked at some point in the future?

So, these discussions are essentially fact-finding to see if there’s enough basis there to do a deal.

The position of the Iranians stated clearly that there is no planned meeting with the US officials in Islamabad, at least for the moment.

They ruled out any expectations of direct talks with the US representatives in Islamabad.

The blockade imposed by the United States over the Strait of Hormuz more than a week ago is blocking progress with any kind of talks and any kind of next round of talks in Islamabad.

At the same time, we are seeing that there are diplomatic efforts, especially from Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who is right now on a tour starting from Islamabad to Moscow, and then to Muscat. He said that he’s right now focused on coordination between all those capitals in terms of regional security.

If we take a step back to see the bigger picture of the Iranian position in regards to the next round of negotiations, there are many sticking points, especially the blockade by the US, and the guarantees that the Iranians need about agreements and past conditions and commitments from the United States.

There’s a lack of trust between the Iranians and the US officials.

The bigger picture is that diplomacy is not closed between the United States and the Iranians, and we are seeing that mediation efforts from Pakistan, especially in Islamabad.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has threatened to return Iran “to the Stone Age”.

Well, here’s a look at the rich civilisation Iran has built since then, long before Israel and the US even existed.

Israel's defense minister just threatened to return Iran "to the Stone Age."

Well, here's the rich civilization Iran has built since then – way before Israel even existed: pic.twitter.com/jufnhWmLaA

— AJ+ (@ajplus) April 24, 2026

The spokesperson for Iran’s Defence Ministry, General Reza Talaei-Nik, has stated that a “significant portion of the missile capabilities” of the country “remains unused”, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

He also said that Iranian armed forces “maintained control over the skies of the occupied territories until the moment the ceasefire began”, according to Tasnim.

The key phrase from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was we want to hear the Iranians out.

The White House says the Iranians approached the United States, that they have something substantive to discuss, and so the Americans want to hear exactly what may well be on the table.

The fact that JD Vance isn’t going suggested that these are just exploratory talks, and if there is something significant and substantive there, then he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will head towards Islamabad and try and tie up a final deal.

But, of course, there are many areas of dispute between the two countries.

Those things have to be discussed and have to be sorted out before there can be any sort of deal.

But of course, if there’s going to be a deal, and Donald Trump says he’s wanting the right deal, the correct deal, a proper deal, rather than one that’s rushed into, then they have to start talking somewhere, and it seems like Islamabad this weekend is the place to start.

More than 1.2 million Lebanese have been forced from their homes by Israeli attacks since the start of March.

Since the ceasefire came into effect, some have decided to return; others are unable to because their villages are occupied, under fire or destroyed by Israel’s army.

Al Jazeera’s Malcolm Webb spoke to displaced people sheltering in a university in the city of Sidon in southern Lebanon.

• Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Pakistan for what Tehran said will be indirect talks, mediated by Pakistan.
• US envoys ⁠Steve Witkoff ⁠and Jared Kushner will travel to Islamabad on Saturday morning, the White House said.
• The US has imposed sanctions on a major China-based oil refinery and roughly 40 shipping companies and tankers which transport Iranian oil.
• Israeli attacks killed six people in southern Lebanon on Friday, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health said, despite a temporary ceasefire extension.
• At least 12 Palestinians were also killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza, including six police officers, medics and officials said.

Hello, and welcome to our live coverage of the United States and Israel’s war on Iran, and Israel’s war on Lebanon.

Stay with us for the latest news and analyses from across the Middle East and beyond.

You can find our updates from Friday, April 24, here.