LIVE: Iran FM may leave for Pakistan for talks: Reports

Indian seafarer safe on Iran-held vessel in Hormuz

An Indian crew member aboard a cargo vessel detained by Iranian authorities remains unharmed, officials said Friday, as the ship has shifted to what is seen as a less volatile stretch of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran seized two foreign container ships on April 22 as they attempted to leave the waterway, and opened fire on another, in what it described as a response to U.S. naval actions targeting Iranian shipping. Forces boarded the vessels Francesca and Epaminondas. Only the latter carries an Indian national, one among 21 crew members.

Shipping ministry official Mandeep Singh Randhawa said contact had been established with the seafarer, confirming his safety. The vessel, initially held in the western sector under Iranian control, has since been repositioned eastward.

A third ship, Euphoria, carrying 21 Indian sailors, remains in the safer eastern corridor. No fresh incidents involving Indian-flagged vessels have been reported.

Araghchi set to arrive in Islamabad for US-Iran talks

An Iranian delegation headed by Abbas Araghchi is expected in Islamabad late Friday, as preparations continue for a second round of indirect talks with the United States, Pakistani media outlets reported.

Citing officials familiar with the arrangements, several reports said an American logistics and security contingent has already reached the Pakistani capital. Dawn, quoting its sources, reported that Araghchi will arrive with a limited negotiating team.

The anticipated visit follows a phone conversation earlier in the day between Araghchi and Ishaq Dar. According to officials, the two discussed the fragile ceasefire involving Washington and Tehran, along with Pakistan’s ongoing diplomatic outreach aimed at keeping channels open.

An earlier round of discussions, held on April 11 and 12, ended without any tangible progress. Since then, Islamabad has stepped up behind-the-scenes engagement in an effort to ease tensions and bring both sides back to the table.

The current crisis traces back to February 28, when joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeted Iranian positions, setting off a wider confrontation.

Iran deploys new naval mines in Strait of Hormuz amid rising US–Iran tensions

Iran has deployed additional naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz this week, according to a US official and another source cited by Axios, signalling a fresh escalation in the military standoff over one of the world’s most critical oil routes.

The report said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy laid the new mines as tensions rise between Tehran and Washington. In response, US President Donald Trump ordered the US Navy to “shoot and kill” any Iranian boats found placing mines in the waterway.

Roughly 20% of the world’s seaborne oil normally passes through the Strait of Hormuz, but shipping traffic has reportedly fallen sharply since the conflict intensified.

Axios reported this is the second time Iran has mined the strait since the war began. It remains unclear whether all mines from the first round have been detected and cleared. The report added that the US military is closely tracking Iranian mine-laying activity but has not disclosed how many new mines have been deployed.

Meanwhile, the USS George HW Bush carrier strike group arrived in the US Central Command region on Thursday, becoming the third US aircraft carrier in the area.

According to the report, the increased American naval presence could strengthen the blockade on Iran and provide Trump with more military options if fighting resumes. US officials also said the Navy is using underwater drones and mine-clearing vessels in the strait, while Trump said those operations would continue “at a tripled up level.”

Islamabad remains shut for heavy traffic amid uncertainty over US-Iran talks

Pakistan's capital Islamabad continues to remain closed for heavy traffic on Friday as authorities await the possible visit of top leaders of the US and Iran for peace talks, which were stalled due to differences on key issues.

The administrations of the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi had closed all major roads and markets in VVIP movement areas on Sunday amid indications that the talks could begin any day during the week. More than 10,000 security personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order.

However, no schedule for the arrival of the leaders has been announced as the week draws to a close. With uncertainty persisting, district administrations are yet to decide on reopening areas around the Nur Khan Airbase and resuming Metro Bus, electric bus services and goods transportation.

Streets, link roads, markets and banks around the old airport have remained closed during the last five consecutive days, confining residents of Shah Faisal Colony, Khalid Colony, Gulzar-e-Quaid, Fazal Town, among other areas, to their homes.

The Metro Bus Service between Rawalpindi and Islamabad, and electric buses on seven routes have been suspended, while goods transport has remained halted since April 19, causing inconvenience to the public.

The Red Zone continues to remain closed, with employees of offices in the area working from home.

Movement of heavy traffic has been partly allowed in some parts of Rawalpindi, but Islamabad remains off-limits for trucks and buses. Though schools and colleges are not shut, universities have switched to virtual classes.

There is still no official word on the start of the talks, even as Pakistani authorities continue diplomatic efforts and remain hopeful of bringing the two sides to the negotiating table.

Asian stocks slip; Iran war doubts push oil higher

Asian stocks were mostly lower and oil prices extended their gains Friday as talks on ending the war between the US and Iran remained stalled.

US futures edged lower after Wall Street pulled back from its all-time highs.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 gained 0.6% to 59,504.22, led by heavy buying of technology stocks. On Thursday, it hit a record intraday high above 60,000.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.8% to 25,714.99, while the Shanghai Composite index fell 0.5% to 4,071.52.

South Korea's Kospi shed 0.4% to 6,452.33. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.6% to 8.745.00.

Taiwan's Taiex jumped 2.5% as chipmaker TSMC, which makes up a key part of the index, gained more than 4%.

Progress on another round of peace talks between the United States and Iran was limited even after President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the US was indefinitely extending a two-week ceasefire with Iran, a day before it was originally set to expire.

Democrats slam Trump of amplifying 'racist trash' on social media

Democrat leaders slammed US President Donald Trump for referring to India and some other countries as "hellholes" and accused him of turning the presidency into a reality TV gig by amplifying "racist trash" on social media.

"Americans are struggling, and he’s busy amplifying racist trash on social media, treating the presidency like a reality TV gig. This is a serious moment. Our country deserves leadership that acts like it," the House Foreign Affairs Committee-Democrats said in a post on X.

The remarks came after Trump on Thursday kicked off a row by reposting comments by American radio show host Michael Savage that contained derogatory references to India.

Savage had made the comments in the context of a case in the US Supreme Court challenging birthright citizenship.

Addressing Vice President JD Vance, Congressman Ro Khanna, in a social media post, asked, "Any comment on the President insulting immigrants from 'China or India or some other hellhole on the planet'. Do you also think that India is a hellhole and Chinese or Indian immigrants denigrate America?" Congressman Ami Bera said that as the son of immigrants from India, he takes great pride in both his heritage and in the country that gave his family the opportunity to build a better life.

"The comments shared by President Trump are offensive, ignorant, and beneath the dignity of the office he holds. They reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of who we are as a nation. America has always been strengthened by generations of immigrants who come here, work hard, and contribute to our country. They do not weaken America — they strengthen it," he said.

Italy dismisses replacing Iran at the World Cup after suggestion by Trump official

Italian sports officials say four-time champion Italy is not interested in replacing Iran at the upcoming World Cup following a suggestion to that effect by a Trump administration official.

Iran has not withdrawn from the World Cup, and the team is preparing to play in the U.S. despite the war in the Middle East. FIFA has insisted its group stage games near Los Angeles and in Seattle will go ahead as planned in June.

The Financial Times reported that Paolo Zampolli, the U.S. special envoy for global partnerships, had suggested the swap to President Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

In a phone interview with the Associated Press on Thursday, Zampolli emphasized that “my request is not a political request." The ask, which was made to Trump and Infantino on Wednesday, was meant as a contingency plan in case Iran could not participate in the soccer tournament at the last minute.

“I had a dream,” Zampolli told the AP. “My request was for the Italian people and the American-Italian people.” He said in the FT interview that, with four titles, the Italian national team's appearance in the World Cup would be justified.

Italian officials pushed back hard at the suggestion, with Sports Minister Andrea Abodi saying Thursday that “first of all, it's not possible. Secondly, it's not a good idea.” Luciano Buonfiglio, the president of the Italian Olympic Committee, which oversees all sports in Italy, also dismissed the idea.

Guyana says tanker seized by US 'fraudulently' flying Guyana flag

The South American nation of Guyana said that a tanker seized by the United States in Asia for allegedly carrying sanctioned Iranian crude oil was “fraudulently flying the Guyana flag”.

Guyana's Maritime Administration Department made the announcement in a statement to journalists on Thursday.

It noted the vessel had previously been named Phonix, which the US Treasury noted when it previously sanctioned the vessel.

“This ship is not registered in Guyana; thus, the registration is false and fraudulent,” its statement said.

“While the name of the vessel has changed, the (International Maritime Organisation) number remains recorded in the international database as PHONIX. There is no record of this vessel or name in Guyana's registry,” it said. 

Trump orders military to shoot and kill' Iranian small boats choking Strait of Hormuz

US President Donald Trump has ordered the US military to “shoot and kill” Iranian small boats choking the Strait of Hormuz.

In a social media post Thursday morning, he said the military is intensifying its mine clearing efforts in the critical waterway. The move intensified the US-Iran standoff in the Persian Gulf and raised questions about efforts to end the war.

Later Thursday, Trump said Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah by three weeks after talks at the White House. The meeting Thursday was the second high-level negotiation between the two countries since last week. The initial 10-day ceasefire, which took effect last Friday, had been due to expire Monday.

Meanwhile, the US military said it seized another tanker Thursday associated with smuggling Iranian oil, the Majestic X, in the Indian Ocean, deepening confusion over efforts to end the war. The seizure comes after a day after Iran attacked three cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz, capturing two of them. Ship-tracking data showed the Majestic X in the Indian Ocean between Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

The standoff between the US and Iran has effectively choked off nearly all exports through the Strait of Hormuz, where 20% of the world's traded oil passes in peacetime, with no end in sight.

Trump says Lebanon and Israel agree to extend Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire by 3 weeks

US President Donald Trump said Israel and Lebanon have agreed to extend a ceasefire between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group by three weeks after talks at the White House on Thursday.

Trump said the meeting between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States, the second in the past week, went “very well,” but during an Oval Office gathering he acknowledged that “they do have Hezbollah to think about.” The Iranian-backed group has opposed the talks, and since the initial ceasefire went into effect last Friday, there have been multiple violations by both sides.

Despite that, these were the first direct diplomatic talks in decades between Israel and Lebanon and represented a major step for neighboring countries that officially have been at war since Israel's inception in 1948. The initial 10-day ceasefire had been due to expire Monday.

“The United States is going to work with Lebanon in order to help it protect itself from Hezbollah,” Trump said in a social media post. He added later in the Oval Office that he expects to meet in Washington with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the next couple of weeks.

Trump told reporters, while surrounded by the ambassadors as well as Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that Israel has a right to defend itself “if they're shot at, and they will.” “We hope that together, under your leadership, we can formalize peace between Israel and Lebanon in the very near future,” Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter said.