US, Israel and Lebanon hold rare talks as Iran tensions escalate

The US, Israel and Lebanon held rare talks amid rising tensions involving Iran, as Washington claimed success in enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports. Meanwhile, the UN urged continued diplomacy, warning that violations of international law are worsening instability

Washington: Lebanon and Israel were holding their first direct talks in decades as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants rocks southern Lebanon. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors for Tuesday’s discussions in Washington. Hezbollah says it will not abide by any agreement, a high-ranking member of the group’s political council told AP.

The US military claimed Tuesday that it has successfully begun to enforce a blockade of Iranian ports, as the stand-off between the US and Iran deepens. Tehran threatened to strike targets across the region, a day after Trump warned on social media that any Iranian warships nearing the blockade would be destroyed in a “quick and brutal” strike.

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With Pakistan racing to bring the sides together for more talks, US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a second round “could be happening over the next two days”. The first round ended without an agreement on Iran’s nuclear ambitions, which the White House says is a sticking point.

Neither side has indicated what will happen after the ceasefire expires on April 22.

 

Here is the latest:

399 US troops have been wounded in the Iran war

The formal injury count, provided by Capt Tim Hawkins, spokesman for US Central Command, says three service members have been seriously wounded.

Central Command said two weeks ago in a previous update that 348 troops were wounded, six of them seriously. However, the military command does not provide any further details about the wounded, so it is unclear whether anyone’s status has improved or worsened.

Hawkins said that of the total wounded to date, 354 service members have returned to duty.

Since the Iran war began, 13 US service members have been killed in combat.

 

UN chief says it is ‘highly probable’ that US-Iran talks will restart

Guterres said this was the indication he had after a meeting Tuesday with Pakistan’s deputy prime minister, who is also the country’s foreign minister.

The UN secretary-general expressed “enormous admiration” for Pakistan’s initiative to bring peace to the Middle East.

“I consider it essential that these negotiations go on,” Guterres told UN reporters, explaining that it would be “unrealistic” for long-lasting and complex problems between the US and Iran to be resolved in a first negotiating session.

“We need negotiations to go on, and we need a ceasefire to persist as negotiations go on,” he said.

 

UN chief says international law is being trampled, especially in the Middle East

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Tuesday that violations of international law are fuelling instability and mistrust. Speaking to reporters at the UN headquarters, he urged renewed US-Iran talks and respect for freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

The secretary-general said he will travel to The Hague, Netherlands, later this week to mark the 80th anniversary of the International Court of Justice, the UN’s highest tribunal, and send “a message that in a world moving toward greater fragmentation and sharper power competition, international law is indispensable.”

 

US State Department issues $10 million reward for Iraqi militia leader

The bounty was placed on Ahmad al-Hamidawi, secretary-general of the Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah. In a post on X, in which it published al-Hamidawi’s photograph, the State Department’s Rewards for Justice programme wrote that the group was “responsible for attacks on US diplomatic facilities in Iraq, the kidnapping of US citizens, and the killing of innocent Iraqi civilians.”

Last month, Kataib Hezbollah kidnapped an American journalist, Shelly Kittleson, in Baghdad, but released her several days later on condition that she leave the country. Officials with the group at the time told The Associated Press that in exchange, the Iraqi government would release several members of the militia who had been previously detained.

Kataib Hezbollah is allied with Lebanon’s Hezbollah but they are two entirely different groups with different leaders.

 

US military claims blockade success

The US military claims that it has successfully begun to enforce a blockade of Iranian ports, though at least one ship with apparent ties to Tehran has transited the Strait of Hormuz.

US Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said that “during the first 24 hours, no ships made it past the US blockade and six merchant vessels complied with directions from US forces to turn around to re-enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman.”

While some tankers approaching the strait on Monday did turn around shortly after the blockade took effect, the tanker Rich Starry reversed course again and transited the waterway early Tuesday.

 

UN chief praises Pakistan’s role in US-Iran talks

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar received a call Tuesday from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who appreciated Pakistan’s “constructive role” in bringing the United States and Iran to the negotiating table to advance regional peace.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to promoting dialogue and diplomacy to ensure peace and stability in the region.