Senior United States and Iranian officials have arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan, for ceasefire talks, as violence continues across the region.

Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are leading the Iranian side in the negotiations, while Washington is being represented by US Vice President JD Vance, along with special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Ahead of the talks, Vance said Washington is ready to “extend an open hand” if Iran negotiates in good faith, signalling a potential opening for diplomacy after weeks of escalating tensions.

At the same time, the situation on the ground remains volatile.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said on Friday that at least 357 people were killed in Israeli attacks on Wednesday, warning that the death toll is expected to rise as more victims are identified.

In Iran

• Accept Iran’s rights: The leader of the Iranian delegation, Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, says the US should accept Iran’s rights if it wants a deal. He told reporters that Iran has come to Islamabad in good faith, although it does not trust the US.

• No trust in the US: Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has told his German counterpart, Johann Wadephul, that Iran enters the negotiations with the US in “complete distrust”, the Mehr news agency reports.

• America First or Israel First: Iran’s first vice president, Mohammad Reza Aref, says the outcome of high-stakes talks in Islamabad depends entirely on US priorities. He says an agreement is possible if US representatives focus on their “America First” interests instead of an “Israel First” agenda.

War diplomacy

• ‘Minab 168’: Iran’s 71-person delegation to Pakistan has named itself after the 168 school girls and teachers were killed by US strikes on a school at the start of the conflict. Beyond the symbolism the delegations size shows that Iran is taking the negotiations very seriously.
• Iranians and Americans arrive for talks: Early on Saturday, the US delegation headed by Vice President Vance arrived in Islamabad. Late of Friday, Iran’s delegation, led by Ghalibaf, arrived.
• Lebanon-Israel talks: Lebanon’s presidency said in a statement on Friday that a meeting will be held at the US Department of State on Tuesday “to discuss declaring a ceasefire and the start date for negotiations between Lebanon and Israel under US auspices”.
• Iran demands Lebanon ceasefire: Iran’s parliamentary speaker demanded a truce in Lebanon and the release of his country’s blocked assets on Friday as Vance warned Tehran not to “play” Washington in their talks.
• Trump warning: US President Donald Trump said Iran has “no cards” in upcoming talks with the US. In a separate interview with the New York Post, the US president said US warships are being reloaded with weaponry to strike Iran if the talks fail to produce a deal.

In the US

• Trump says Hormuz will reopen ‘fairly soon’: The US president said the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened with or without Iran’s help, pledging Washington will “open up the Gulf” amid ongoing disruption to global energy supplies.
• US seeking quick ‘victory’: Former US ambassador Douglas Silliman told Global News Insight that Trump is likely to push for a fast outcome in the talks to ease economic pressure, with the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz seen as a critical priority.
• Inflation adds urgency: US consumer prices surged to a two-year high, increasing pressure on the administration as economic concerns grow at home.

In Israel

• Pressure on Israel to pause strikes: The US has reportedly asked Israel to halt attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon to avoid derailing negotiations, with the current US-Iran ceasefire set to expire on April 21.
• Ongoing fighting in Lebanon despite talks: Israel’s military operations and expanding ground offensive in Lebanon continued, even as ceasefire negotiations were scheduled.
• Hezbollah fires on Israel: The Israeli military said Hezbollah fired about 30 projectiles into Israel, reporting that some strikes caused damage. Air raid sirens were heard across northern Israel.

In Gaza and Jerusalem

• Thousands at Al-Aqsa Mosque prayers: More than 100,000 people attended the first Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem since its reopening following the US-Iran truce, the holy site’s Islamic authority reported.
• Gaza air strike: An Israeli air strike killed at least six people and injured several others at the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
• Death penalty backlash: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan heavily criticised a new Israeli law that allows military courts in the occupied West Bank to impose the death penalty on Palestinian prisoners convicted of “terrorism”, comparing the policy to Hitler’s actions against Jews and calling it a “worse version of the apartheid regime”.

In Lebanon

• Heavy toll from Israeli attacks: At least 10 people were killed by Israel in Lebanon on Saturday. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said nearly 2,000 people have been killed by Israeli air strikes and ground operations since early March, with thousands more wounded.
• Lebanon in food crisis: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said the country was facing a food security crisis, with prices surging and supply chains disrupted amid Israel’s offensive.
• More than 1.2 million forced to flee: The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has said that shelters for displaced people in Lebanon are severely overcrowded, with nearly half of the country’s public schools now functioning as reception centres.