Pakistani Army Chief Seeks War Talks   04/16 06:08

   Pakistan's army chief is set to meet with Iranian officials in Tehran on 
Thursday in hopes of extending the ceasefire that paused almost seven weeks of 
war between Israel, the U.S. and Iran.

   CAIRO (AP) -- Pakistan's army chief is set to meet with Iranian officials in 
Tehran on Thursday in hopes of extending the ceasefire that paused almost seven 
weeks of war between Israel, the U.S. and Iran.

   It's unclear whether the frantic diplomacy can lead to a lasting deal as the 
two-week ceasefire passes the half-way mark. The Iran war has killed thousands 
of people and upended global markets by disrupting the flow of oil.

   The meeting comes as President Donald Trump announced the leaders of Israel 
and Lebanon will speak later on Thursday about halting the fighting between 
Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. If it takes 
place, the conversation would be the first time the leaders of the two 
countries have spoken directly in more than 30 years. Both Israeli and Lebanese 
governments refused to confirm any conversation. Meanwhile, Hezbollah and 
Israel's military continued cross-border attacks on Thursday.

   The White House said any further talks regarding Iran would likely take 
place in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, though no decision had been made 
on whether to resume negotiations. The fragile ceasefire, which halted the 
fighting a week ago, is holding despite a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports 
and Iranian counter-threats to target regional ports across the Red Sea.

   Pakistan has emerged as a key mediator after hosting direct talks between 
the U.S. and Iran in Islamabad that authorities said helped narrow differences 
between the sides. Mediators are seeking a new round before the ceasefire 
expires next week.

   The war has jolted markets and rattled the global economy as shipping has 
been cut off and airstrikes have torn through military and civilian 
infrastructure across the region. Oil prices have fallen amid hopes for an end 
to fighting, and U.S. stocks on Wednesday surpassed records set in January.

   Uncertainty over Israel, Lebanon talks as strikes continue

   Trump said that Israel and Lebanon are expected to speak later on Thursday 
about a possible ceasefire, but did not elaborate which leaders would speak.

   Officials from Netanyahu's office and the Lebanese government refused to 
confirm the possible conversation.

   An Israeli minister said Netanyahu will speak with Lebanese President Joseph 
Aoun on Thursday. "Today the prime minister will speak for the first time with 
the president of Lebanon, after so many years of a complete disconnection in 
the dialogue between the two countries," Gila Gamliel, Israel's minister of 
science and technology, told Army Radio Thursday morning.

   Gamliel, who was at a cabinet meeting late Wednesday night about 
negotiations with Lebanon, is part of Israel's security cabinet. She said the 
talks "will hopefully ultimately lead to prosperity and flourishing" between 
the two countries. Lebanon and Israel held their first direct diplomatic talks 
in decades on Tuesday in Washington following more than a month of war between 
Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.

   But Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire across the border on Thursday, with 
Hezbollah targeting towns in northern Israel with rockets and drones. Israeli 
fire against southern Lebanon intensified, especially around the cities of 
Tyre, Nabatieh, and the strategic town of Bint Jbeil near the border with 
Israel.

   Israel and Lebanon have technically been at war since Israel was established 
in 1948, and Lebanon remains deeply divided over diplomatic engagement with 
Israel.

   On Thursday, Aoun said Lebanon wants a ceasefire but Israeli troops must 
first withdraw from southern Lebanon as an "essential step" to allow the 
Lebanese army to deploy to the border and disarm Hezbollah. Israeli troops 
pushed deeper into southern Lebanon with the aim of creating what officials 
have called a "security zone," which Netanyahu has said will extend at least 8 
to 10 kilometers (5 to 6 miles) into Lebanon to avoid threats from short-range 
rockets and anti-tank missiles.

   Officials say US and Iran are making progress

   Even as the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports and renewed Iranian threats 
strained the ceasefire agreement, regional officials reported progress, telling 
The Associated Press the United States and Iran had an "in-principle agreement" 
to extend it to allow for more diplomacy. They spoke on condition of anonymity 
to discuss sensitive negotiations.

   But while mediators worked for peace, tensions simmered.

   The commander of Iran's joint military command, Ali Abdollahi, threatened to 
halt trade in the region if the U.S. does not lift its naval blockade, and a 
newly appointed military adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei 
said he doesn't support extending the ceasefire.

   Mediators seek compromise on sticking points

   Mediators are pushing for a compromise on three main sticking points that 
derailed direct talks last weekend -- Iran's nuclear program, the Strait of 
Hormuz and compensation for wartime damages, according to a regional official 
involved in the mediation efforts.

   Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Iran is open to 
discussing the type and level of its uranium enrichment, but his country "based 
on its needs, must be able to continue enrichment," Iranian state media 
reported.

   The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,100 in 
Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen U.S. 
service members have also been killed.

   U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration would 
ramp up economic pain on Iran with new economic sanctions on countries doing 
business with it, calling the move the "financial equivalent" of a bombing 
campaign.

   Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Qatar on Thursday as 
part of a regional visit aimed at discussions on the ongoing U.S.-Iran peace 
process, his office said.

   China calls for Strait of Hormuz to reopen

   Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the window of peace was opening during 
a phone call with his Iranian counterpart, who briefed him on the latest 
developments in Iran-U.S. negotiations and Tehran's considerations on the next 
step, according to a statement from China's Foreign Ministry.

   Wang told Araghchi that the situation has reached a critical juncture 
between war and peace, and said Iran's sovereignty, security and legitimate 
rights should be respected as a littoral state of the Strait of Hormuz, while 
freedom of navigation and safety through the strait should be ensured.

   Since the war began, Iran has curtailed maritime traffic through the Strait 
of Hormuz, which a fifth of global oil transited through in peacetime. Tehran's 
effective closure of the strait sent oil prices skyrocketing, raising the cost 
of fuel, food and other basic goods far beyond the Middle East, and the U.S. 
has responded with a blockade on Iranian shipping.

   U.S. Central Command said Wednesday that no ships had made it past the 
blockade since it was imposed two days earlier, while 10 merchant vessels 
complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around and reenter Iranian 
waters.

   The blockade is intended to pressure Iran, which has exported millions of 
barrels of oil, mostly to Asia, since the war began Feb. 28. Much of it has 
likely been carried by so-called dark transits that evade sanctions and 
oversight, providing cash that's been vital to keeping Iran running.