HOPES RISE FOR RENEWED US-IRAN TALKS AS TEHRAN’S FOREIGN MINISTER REPORTED TO BE HEADING TO PAKISTAN.
By Guardian-Aneesa Ahmed/Tom Ambrose/Adam Fulton-24 Apr 2026 14.15 BST
Iran’s foreign minister set to travel to Pakistan, raising hope for renewed talks to end war. Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi will begin a trip on Friday that includes visits to Islamabad, Muscat and Moscow, Iranian state media said. Iranian state media says Abbas Araqchi due to begin a trip today that includes visiting Islamabad, Muscat and Moscow.
“The purpose of this visit is to hold bilateral consultations, and discuss current developments in the region, as well as the latest situation in the war imposed by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran,” the state news agency IRNA said.
14.15 BST
The UAE has said rebuilding trust between Abu Dhabi and Tehran will take “ages and ages”, given the number of times Iran has targeted the United Arab Emirates during the war.
“You can’t be attacked with 2,800 missiles and drones and then talk to me about trust. That will take ages and ages,” said UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash at a World Policy Conference in France.
The top official said that 89 percent of the Iranian attacks targeted “civilians, civilian infrastructure, energy infrastructure”.
“Tehran was telling the Arab Gulf countries that ’you don’t matter in my calculations,’ and I think this is going to last for a very long time,” he said.
He continued: “To the region – to the United Arab Emirates and other countries, Iran will be seen as a strategic threat.”
Iran’s foreign minister set to travel to Pakistan, raising hope for renewed talks to end war
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi will begin a trip on Friday that includes visits to Islamabad, Muscat and Moscow, Iranian state media said.
“The purpose of this visit is to hold bilateral consultations, and discuss current developments in the region, as well as the latest situation in the war imposed by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran,” the state news agency IRNA said.
14.05 BST
The Pentagon chief says he would welcome a “serious European effort” over the strait of Hormuz and refers to the recent conference of leaders as a “silly conference”.
He says:
I think it’s a wake up call. It’s a wake up call for countries around the world. Either you have capabilities or you don’t.
Otherwise, you’re at the behest of a country, like Iran and the only country that can do something about it, is the United States military.
He adds that any attempts by Iran to lay more mines in the strait would constitute a violation of the ceasefire.
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