Iranian and American negotiators have been sent to Pakistan two weeks after a previous attempt failed.
Published on: Le 24/04/2026 23:51 Reading time: 2min
The Pakistani Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ishaq Dar, and the Chief of Army Staff, Syed Asim Munir, accompanying the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araghchi, upon their arrival at Nur Khan Base near Islamabad (Pakistan) on April 24, 2026. (PAKISTAN’S PRESS INFORMATION DEP / AFP)
A resumption of talks between the United States and Iran to end the war is on the horizon. On Friday, April 24, negotiators from both sides were sent to Islamabad, without a guarantee of direct discussions, two weeks after a previous failed attempt. Franceinfo provides an overview of the information from this day.
Talks are planned in Islamabad Is a resumption of peace negotiations in sight? The Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araghchi, arrived in Islamabad on Friday evening for talks between Iran and the United States aimed at ending the war in the Middle East, as announced by the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, without directly mentioning the resumption of direct discussions with the American envoys.
From the American side, “I confirm that special envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner will depart again for Pakistan [Saturday] morning to have talks (…) with representatives of the Iranian delegation,” said White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt. She specified that Vice President JD Vance is not expected to accompany them this time, but could join them later if there is progress.
Israeli strikes kill six in Lebanon On the Lebanese front, the ceasefire, of which a three-week extension was announced Thursday evening by Donald Trump, is being severely tested. On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hezbollah of “sabotaging” peace efforts: “We have initiated a process to achieve a historic peace between Israel and Lebanon, and it is clear to us that Hezbollah is trying to sabotage it,” he said. Lebanese authorities “must (…) withdraw from the so-called direct negotiations” with the Israelis, according to Mohammad Raad, head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc.
In southern Lebanon, Israeli strikes killed six and “wounded two others,” according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. The Israeli army, on the other hand, stated that its soldiers had killed six Hezbollah members in exchanges of fire, after declaring that the pro-Iranian movement had downed one of its drones.
EU calls for immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz With few actual levers in the face of the war in the Middle East, Europeans attempted to advocate for de-escalation on Friday by hosting the presidents of Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, and the Crown Prince of Jordan in Cyprus.
The meeting first served to reaffirm their “steadfast support for Lebanon and its sovereignty,” said European Council President Antonio Costa. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun emphasized the considerable “humanitarian and economic challenges” of his country, which had not “yet recovered from successive crises” when this new war started.
Antonio Costa also called on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz immediately and “without payment.” “It is vital for the entire world,” he emphasized.
