US President Donald Trump on Friday said he was considering a “final determination” on whether to advance with possible peace talks with Iran to end months of conflict and instability in West Asia.
In an extensive statement on Truth Social, Trump said he would determine the next steps in the negotiations in the White House Situation Room and would propose a series of conditions Tehran must accept as part of a deal.
A White House official told AFP on Friday that Trump will only make a peace deal with Iran if it meets all of his conditions.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his military forces have pushed their invasion beyond Lebanon’s Litani River, located some 30km (19 miles) from the Lebanese-Israeli border, while dozens more civilian casualties were reported in Israeli attacks across Lebanon on Friday.
The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, said 15 children were killed and 62 injured in a week of attacks in Lebanon, describing the death toll of children as “staggering”.
CHECK ALL THE LATEST UPDATES ON US-IRAN WAR HERE:
Recent developments reveal Iran has started sending LPG to Pakistan through its rail network, which is transported using specially designed trucks. This is in addition to a lot of oil and LPG trade that already takes place between the two nations. The trade is already critical due to regional energy shortages.
US forces issue urgent warning to ships near Iran. Military operations are expected soon.
The head of the Islamic Republic, Khamenei, who ruled the country for over three decades, died in the initial wave of attacks by the United States and Israel, which started the war on February 28.
“Military officials from both countries held what was called ‘a productive discussion’ in Washington today,” the US official told Reuters. He added that the discussions would supplement the diplomatic efforts coming up soon after. “I hosted military delegations from Israel and Lebanon today here at the Pentagon for the security track of the ongoing peace talks between their two countries,” Elbridge Colby, the deputy secretary of the Pentagon, posted on X. “We held productive military-to-military discussions which will inform the Department of State-led political track next week,” he added.
