US-Iran peace talks extended for another day

Negotiations between delegations from Iran and the United States will be extended for another day at Pakistan's proposal and at the two sides' consent, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported early Sunday, reported Xinhua.

The report said given the "illogical and excessive demands" of the United States and the Iranian delegation's insistence on ensuring national interests, Pakistan proposed to hold another round of negotiations on Sunday and the two sides agreed.

This occurred at the end of the latest round of Pakistani-mediated talks that ended early Sunday in Islamabad, and after the two delegations exchanged texts, according to Tasnim.

The negotiations started at 1 p.m. local time (0800 GMT) on Saturday and continued for more than 14 hours, the report said.

Tasnim said earlier that certain serious differences still remain between the two sides, adding that "the ball is now in the U.S. court to put aside its usual excessive demands and replace its ambitious approach with a realistic one."

It quoted an informed source as saying that despite the initial progress achieved in the negotiations between the two sides' expert teams, the delegations still have "serious" differences over the Strait of Hormuz and a number of other issues, and no tangible change has occurred in the talks due to the U.S. "excessive demands."

The report stressed that some Western media are exaggerating the talks' "positive atmosphere" to control global energy prices.

Regarding the latest round, Tasnim said: "Given the U.S. excessive demands, this round appears to be the last chance given by the Iranian team to the Americans to achieve a joint framework."

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday he is not bothered about the outcome of the U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan.

Trump insisted that the United States had come out ahead from the war. "Whether we make a deal or not makes no difference to me. The reason is because we've won," Trump told reporters when departing the White House.

"We're in very deep negotiations with Iran. So we win regardless," Trump said.

"We've defeated them militarily. We've defeated their military. They have no navy. 158 ships are underwater. Undersea. All of their minesweepers," he claimed.

Meanwhile, Iranian and U.S. delegations have a "serious disagreement" over the Strait of Hormuz, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Saturday.

The report said that, following in-person negotiations in Islamabad, Pakistan, expert and technical teams had reached the stage of exchanging texts to develop a joint framework for further talks. However, it said the U.S. side had stalled progress with what it described as "usual excessive demands."

It added that talks are continuing, but said Iran is insisting on preserving what it called its "military achievements" and ensuring its rights are respected.

Delegations from Iran and the United States are in Islamabad for talks aimed at easing tensions in the Middle East following a ceasefire reached earlier this week after more than a month of fighting.

Also on Saturday, Tasnim said the Strait of Hormuz remains closed and that no shipping traffic is moving through the waterway. It said Iran earlier in the day denied passage to a U.S. Navy destroyer that attempted to enter the strait.

Citing a military official, Tasnim said Iran remains determined to prevent "unauthorized passage" through the strategic waterway, adding that transit would only be allowed with Iranian permission.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Saturday that two U.S. warships transited the Strait of Hormuz and began mine-clearing operations in the Gulf. Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters rejected that account, "strongly" denying CENTCOM's claim that American vessels were approaching and entering the strait.

"The passage of any vessel lies with the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran," the Iranian armed forces said.

US military begins mine clearance in Hormuz: U.S. command

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces began setting conditions for clearing mines in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, as two U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers conducted operations, the CENTCOM said on social media.

The post on X by CENTCOM said USS Frank E. Peterson and USS Michael Murphy transited the Strait of Hormuz and operated in the Arabian Gulf as part of a broader mission to ensure the strait is fully clear of sea mines previously laid by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

"Today, we began the process of establishing a new passage and we will share this safe pathway with the maritime industry soon to encourage the free flow of commerce," said Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM.

Additional U.S. forces, including underwater drones, will join the clearance effort in the coming days, the post said.

However, Iranian media reported that no U.S. vessels have crossed the Strait of Hormuz yet, and a U.S. destroyer turned back from the Strait after Iran's warning.

13 killed in S. Lebanon as Israel intensifies strikes

Israeli warplanes intensified their air campaign across the Nabatieh district in southern Lebanon on Saturday, launching airstrikes that killed at least 13 people and caused widespread destruction across multiple areas, including casualties among emergency and health workers.

At dawn, airstrikes targeted a residential building in a town, killing three people. Additionally, an initial strike targeted a cluster of private electricity generators in a village, igniting fires and causing significant damage, followed by another airstrike that killed three people.

According to Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health, a strike on Kfar Sir killed four people, including a paramedic affiliated with the Islamic Health Authority, and wounded four others. Another airstrike on Zefta killed three people, including a member of the Lebanese Civil Defense, and injured two others.

In a statement, the ministry condemned the repeated targeting of medical teams, describing it as a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, and said such incidents are being documented as part of international legal proceedings to protect the rights of emergency responders.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah said in two statements that its members targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers and military vehicles at the Metula site using attack drones, and launched a rocket salvo at infrastructure belonging to the Israeli army in a settlement.

On March 2, Hezbollah announced the launch of rockets from southern Lebanon toward Israel, marking the first such attack since a ceasefire was declared in November 2024. In response, Israel carried out airstrikes targeting Beirut, its southern suburbs, and other areas.

A two-week ceasefire reached between Iran and the United States took effect on Wednesday. Yet Israel has said the ceasefire does not cover the conflict in Lebanon, and carried out its largest single-day attack on Lebanon on Wednesday, killing more than 300 and injured over 1,100.

On Friday, Lebanon and Israel agreed to hold an initial meeting next Tuesday in Washington on a ceasefire and the date for starting U.S.-mediated negotiations, whereas Iran demanded a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran's blocked assets prior to the commencement of negotiations with the United States on Saturday.

Netanyahu says Hezbollah disarmament prerequisite for ceasefire with Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday that the disarmament of Hezbollah is a prerequisite for any ceasefire agreement with Lebanon.

In a video statement, he said Lebanon had approached Israel several times over the past month seeking to begin direct talks following Israeli military actions.

"I approved this, subject to two conditions: we want to achieve the disarmament of Hezbollah, and we want a real peace agreement that will last for generations," Netanyahu said.

The campaign against Iran is not over, Netanyahu said in the statement. Pointing at a map of the Middle East, Netanyahu added that the "Iranian axis" wanted to "strangle" Israel and Israel is "strangling" them. "We hit them. We still have more to do," he said.

In the statement, Netanyahu noted that he has spent much of his life ensuring that Iran will not achieve nuclear weapons, while Iran has long denied seeking to develop them.

Tehran says in touch with Beirut to ensure ceasefire

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran is in constant contact with Beirut to ensure the ceasefire commitments in Lebanon are implemented, semi-official Fars news agency reported Saturday.

Speaking from Pakistan's Islamabad, where U.S.-Iran formal negotiations to end the hostilities in the Middle East have kicked off with the participation of the Pakistani side, Baghaei said the Iranian delegation has held talks with Pakistan, and has conveyed clearly its positions and demands, Fars reported.

Baghaei added that ceasefire violations were observed on Saturday, Fars reported.