A final decision on whether Iran will participate in peace talks in Pakistan with the US has not yet been made, state broadcaster IRIB quotes the Foreign Ministry as saying, reports Al Jazeera.

Both sides have sent mixed messages with Trump saying, “I expect to be bombing,” and Iran’s parliament speaker, Ghalibaf, saying Tehran has “new cards on the battlefield” that haven’t yet been revealed.

Israeli military says Hezbollah launches rockets at soldiers in southern Lebanon

The Israeli army has issued a statement accusing Hezbollah of launching several rockets towards its soldiers in southern Lebanon.

It added that it retaliated by launching rockets towards the site from which the Lebanese group had launched its attack.

The statement comes during a fragile ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel as the two countries push on with a second round of talks expected on Thursday.

Hezbollah has yet to comment on the incident via its Telegram channel.

Pezeshkian’s office: Testing the tired is a mistake

The deputy communications officer of the office of Iran’s president says, “The choice of the Iranian nation has been peace and tranquillity; the expectation of the enemies is inaction and surrender.”

In comments carried by semi-official Mehr news, he said that Iran defended valiantly and will continue to do so against Israel and the US.

“We will make the aggressor regret it and also eradicate the root of the desire to repeat the audacity”, he continued.

His comments come hours before the expiration of a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, and amid deadlocked negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme and a permanent end to the war.

Russia’s Lavrov says Iran ‘trapped by false promises’

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Russia sees “threats and pledges” in the US-Iran talks but no facts, Russia’s TASS news agency reports.

“And we see Iran’s position, which quite rightly argues that they have already found themselves trapped by false promises, including that very Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,” he said, referring to the 2015 agreement under former US President Barack Obama limiting Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

Lavrov also said Russia is analysing developments around possible new talks in Pakistan knowing “the situation can make an about-face 10 times within 24 hours”.

“If the current efforts of the Iranian and American negotiators, which we support, result in something like the 2015 agreement, I think it would be a great success,” he added.

Lebanon raises Israel-Hezbollah war death toll to 2,454

Lebanon has raised the toll from six weeks of war between Israel and Hezbollah to 2,454 dead as a fragile 10-day ceasefire holds.

The government’s disaster management unit, in a statement, also said 7,658 people had been wounded in the conflict, which began on March 2, days after the broader Middle East war erupted.

Authorities and rescuers in Lebanon have been continuing to recover and identify bodies in areas subjected to heavy Israeli strikes.

EU agrees to widen sanctions against Iran to include Strait ​of Hormuz

EU countries ⁠have ⁠agreed to widen sanctions against Iran ⁠to include those responsible for ⁠blocking the Strait of Hormuz, EU foreign policy chief Kaja ‌Kallas says.

Kallas added she asked foreign affairs ministers at their meeting ⁠in Luxembourg to ⁠bolster the EU’s naval mission in the ⁠Middle East, which ⁠is currently protecting ⁠ships from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi group ‌in the Red Sea.

US claims 28 vessels returned to port during blockade of Iran

US Central Command claims it has forced 28 vessels attempting to enter or exit Iranian ports to “turn around or return to port” since the start of the US’s naval blockade.

Meanwhile, Iran continues to claim that some of its ships have managed to transit the Strait of Hormuz, effectively running the US blockade.

The blockade appears to be the main sticking point in Iran sending a delegation to Islamabad to continue talks over a permanent end to the war with the US, with officials saying that the country will not negotiate under threat.

US official says petrol prices have peaked despite Iran war

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright says petrol prices appeared to have peaked after a surge linked to the Iran war ” a marked shift in tone a day after President Trump publicly rebuked his earlier, more cautious outlook.

“I don’t know the future of energy prices ” often I will speculate or look at those things. I would say, gasoline prices, it looks like they peaked about a week or so ago,” Wright told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

He said the high point was $1 a gallon ($0.26 per litre) cheaper than the peak during the administration of Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden, adding, “Yet we’re in the midst of ending a 47-year conflict in the Middle East, a major energy-producing region.”

Trump says administration is weighing currency swap for UAE

Trump has said in an interview with CNBC that he’s considering a request from the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) for a currency swap to help secure dollar liquidity for the oil-rich economy, which has been rattled by the Iran conflict.

The president expressed surprise that the nation needs assistance, but made clear he was open to the prospect of making the move to help meet his ally’s concerns.

“I mean, I’m surprised because they are really rich,” Trump said.

He added, “You know, they’re very good for this country. So, yeah, if I could help them, I would.”

Lebanon’s president and Qatar’s emir discuss ceasefire in Lebanon

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani discussed the ceasefire in Lebanon in a phone call today.

Qatar’s emir voiced support for Lebanese efforts to halt fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, to push for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon’s south, and to deploy the Lebanese army to the southern border, the Lebanese presidency said.

Aoun expressed gratitude for Qatar’s support, especially in helping Lebanon’s displaced, who have been forced to flee their homes due to Israeli attacks.

Pakistani minister says Iran’s response on talks with US ‘still awaited’

Pakistani Minister of Information Attaullah Tarar says Iran’s formal response on whether it will attend the next round of talks with the US in Islamabad is “still awaited”.

Tarar said Pakistan is still pursuing “the path of diplomacy and dialogue” but stressed that Iran’s decision is “critical” because a two-week ceasefire is set to expire shortly.

Iran condemns UAE arrests of Iran-linked ‘terror’ cell

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei has condemned the arrest of Iranian nationals by the UAE, a day after its State Security Service said it had dismantled an Iran-linked group accused of plotting “systematic terrorist and sabotage acts”.

Baghaei was quoted by the Iranian government on X as saying that the arrests were “baseless” and urging for “respect for human rights and a return to good neighborliness.”

Pakistan urges US and Iran to extend ceasefire

Pakistan ⁠has ⁠urged both the United States and Iran ⁠to extend their two-week ⁠ceasefire, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

In ‌a meeting with the US charge d’affaires in Pakistan, Natalie A Baker, Foreign Minister Ishaq ⁠Dar stressed the ⁠need for engagement between the US and Iran, ⁠and said Pakistan urged ⁠both sides ⁠to consider extending the ceasefire, the statement read.

Trump says US military ‘obliterated’ nuclear sites in ‘bloodthirsty Iran’

The US president has issued a second post on Truth Social in which he claims that his military “totally obliterated” Tehran’s highly enriched uranium reserves, “to the point where bloodthirsty Iran has been unable to get to it, or dig it out”.

He also blasted “the totally corrupt Fake News Media” for criticising the June 2025 attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, known as Operation Midnight Hammer.

Source: Al Jazeera