Vance to lead US delegation to Iran talks on Saturday

Pulse of the War: Apr 8

US to send top delegation for Iran talks: Washington will dispatch Vice President JD Vance along with advisors Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to Islamabad for talks with Iran, with the first round set for Saturday. (Source: Al Jazeera)

Ceasefire sparks confusion in Israel: Israeli authorities initially delayed responding to the US-Iran truce, later backing it while clarifying that Lebanon was not included, amid criticism and uncertainty over the scope of the agreement. (Source: CNN)

Strikes continue despite ceasefire: An Iranian oil refinery on Lavan Island was hit, while Kuwait and the UAE reported Iranian drone and missile attacks causing significant infrastructure damage, with Tehran framing the strikes as retaliation. (Source: Al Jazeera, CNN)

Israel launches major strikes in Lebanon: Israel says it carried out its largest coordinated assault since March, hitting over 100 Hezbollah sites across Beirut, the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon. (Source: Al Jazeera)

Iran vows retaliation over Lebanon attacks: A senior Iranian official has warned that Tehran will “punish” Israel for alleged ceasefire violations in Lebanon, with reports suggesting preparations for a response. (Source: Al Jazeera)

Israel ready to resume fighting: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is prepared to return to combat at any moment despite the ceasefire, adding that their objectives against Iran remain unfulfilled. (Source: CNN)

Iran signals possible Hormuz reopening ahead of talks: A senior Iranian official says Tehran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday or Friday ahead of planned talks with the United States in Pakistan, depending on progress on a ceasefire framework. (Source: Al Jazeera)

US President Donald Trump is dispatching his Iran negotiating team, led by Vice-President JD Vance, to Pakistan for talks, the White House told reporters on Wednesday, adding that the first round of negotiations would take place on Saturday.

With several of Iran's veteran political leaders killed in the war, Iran's delegation is expected to be led by parliament speaker and former Revolutionary Guards commander Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

The confirmation of the talks came after relief over a truce between the United States and Iran gave way to alarm that fighting was still raging across the region, as Israel launched its biggest attacks yet on Lebanon, and Iran struck Gulf neighbours' oil facilities.

World financial markets rose after Trump announced the agreement late on Tuesday, two hours before a deadline he had set for Iran to open the blockaded Strait of Hormuz or face the destruction of its "whole civilisation".

But even as Israel and the United States paused their attacks on Iran, Israel escalated its parallel war with Iran-aligned Hezbollah in Lebanon, launching its heaviest strikes yet, sending huge columns of smoke above Beirut as buildings crumpled.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ceasefire did not include Hezbollah and that Israel would "continue to strike them."

Netanyahu said Israel had achieved many of its objectives in the war with Iran, but still had others to accomplish. He said that those could be reached either through a US-Iran agreement or by resuming the military campaign, stressing that Israel had its “finger on the trigger” and was prepared to return to fighting at “any moment.”

Iran's Tasnim news agency cited an unnamed source warning that Iran will withdraw from the ceasefire if attacks on Lebanon continue.

Lebanon's civil defence service said 254 people had been killed in Israel's strikes across Lebanon on Wednesday. The highest toll was in the capital Beirut, where Israeli strikes killed 91 people, it said. Residents said some of the Israeli strikes had come without the usual warnings for civilians to evacuate.

Despite concerns over the durability of the ceasefire, Brent crude, which had risen by more than 50 percent since the war began, was down around 14 percent on the day, at $95.20 a barrel at 1720GMT

US stocks jumped to near one-month highs, joining a major global relief rally.