Israel has agreed to hold talks with Lebanon’s government, a move seen as aimed at easing conditions for wider ceasefire efforts involving the United States and Iran.
For more than a month, the US and Israel have been carrying out attacks on Iran, prompting Tehran to close the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global crude oil shipments. The closure pushed up oil prices and triggered fuel shortages in several countries, including the US.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged Iran to reopen the strait. Iran proposed a 10-point set of conditions, after which Tehran and Washington agreed to hold peace talks focused on reopening Hormuz and ending the war permanently.
The talks are scheduled to take place today in Islamabad, Pakistan. A US delegation led by Vice President J.D. Vance has departed for the meeting.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah in Lebanon has been attacking Israel in protest against the war on Iran, and Israel has been striking Lebanon in response. Iran has demanded that Israel halt attacks on Hezbollah as a condition for peace talks, but Israel has rejected this, while Iran warned it would stay away if strikes on Lebanon continued. Israel has now agreed to talk only with Lebanon’s government—not Hezbollah—with discussions expected next week in Washington, following an order by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to begin talks soon.
