Next round of US-Iran talks likely to be held in Pakistan on Monday

A fresh round of talks between Iranian and American negotiators is expected to take place in Islamabad on Monday, Iranian officials familiar with the discussions said, CNN reported, according to ANI.

They added that delegations are likely to arrive in the Pakistani capital on Sunday, as reported by CNN.

The development comes amid renewed diplomatic efforts to ease West Asia tensions.

Separately, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and discussed "international efforts aimed at de-escalation and advancing diplomatic solutions", Al Jazeera reported.

"The Emir and the Turkish President commended the efforts undertaken by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in this regard, and expressed their support for the efforts of the prime minister," Qatar's Amiri Diwan said, according to Al Jazeera.

The meetings took place on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, as per Al Jazeera.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir met Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in Tehran on Thursday as diplomatic efforts intensified to revive stalled US-Iran negotiations.

The visit comes amid heightened back-channel engagement between the United States and Iran, with Pakistani officials expressing hope for a breakthrough, particularly on Tehran's nuclear programme, Al Jazeera reported.

Munir, who arrived in Tehran on Wednesday, was received by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The visit aims to prepare the ground for a possible second round of talks after earlier discussions ended without progress.

The Islamabad Peace Talks, held on 11-12 April, marked a historic but inconclusive diplomatic attempt to end the 39-day Gulf War between the United States and Iran. Mediated by Pakistan, the talks were the first high-level, face-to-face negotiations between the two nations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iran says transferring enriched uranium to U.S. never an option

Iran will not transfer its enriched uranium to a foreign country, and sending it to the United States has never been under consideration, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Friday, reported Xinhua.

Baghaei, speaking on state-run IRIB television, said that recent public statements by Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi were made within the framework of the ceasefire between Iran and the United States announced on April 8, not as signals of a new diplomatic opening.

Earlier Friday, Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz would remain "completely open" to commercial shipping for the duration of the current truce between Iran and the United States.

Baghaei moved to clarify the foreign minister's position, saying that following a ceasefire in Lebanon on Friday, Tehran chose to apply safe-passage conditions outlined in its agreement with Washington to vessels transiting the strait.

"We have reached no new agreement," he said. "The ceasefire agreement is the one announced on April 8."

He accused the United States of failing, from the outset of the truce, to honor a commitment to extend its terms to Lebanon, a provision Iran insists was included in the April 8 agreement. Washington and Jerusalem have rejected that characterization.

Baghaei also warned that Iran would take "countermeasures" if a United States naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz persisted. He said no talks on extending the ceasefire had taken place, and that mediation efforts led by Pakistan remained focused on ending the conflict and protecting Iran's interests.

Axios reported Friday, citing people familiar with the talks, that a second round of United States-Iran negotiations is expected to take place in Pakistan this weekend, most likely on Sunday.

Trump claims Iran has "agreed to everything"

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Friday that Iran has "agreed to everything" for a peace deal including working with Washington to remove its enriched uranium without the involvement of U.S. ground troops.

"No. No troops," he said in a phone interview with CBS News.

However, when asked who would retrieve Iran's uranium, Trump said "our people."

"We'll go down and get it with them, and then we'll take it," Trump said.

"We'll be getting it together because by that time, we'll have an agreement and there's no need for fighting when there's an agreement. Nice right? That's better. We would have done it the other way if we had to," he said.

Trump also said Iran has agreed to stop backing groups like Hezbollah and Hamas.

He said the two sides are meeting this weekend and that the United States would continue its blockade against Iranian ports "until we get it done."

Trump told Bloomberg earlier on Friday that a deal to end the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran is mostly complete as talks over a lasting peace deal will "probably" be held this weekend in Pakistan.

The United States and Iran had their first round of negotiations in Pakistan's Islamabad on Saturday and early Sunday to ease tension in the Middle East. The talks, which failed to produce an agreement, took place after a ceasefire was announced on April 8 between Iran, the United States and Israel, following 40 days of fighting.

Iran tightened control over the Strait of Hormuz after the United States and Israel launched joint attacks on the country on Feb. 28. The United States also imposed a naval blockade on the strait following the failed negotiations in Islamabad.

Earlier on Friday, both Washington and Tehran confirmed that the strait had been completely open for all commercial vessels. However, Trump said on Truth Social that the U.S. naval blockade would "remain in full force." In response, Iran warned of closing the waterway again if the U.S. blockade continues.

Iran to close Hormuz if US naval blockade continues

If the United States continues its naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran will consider it a violation of the ceasefire between the two countries and will close the waterway, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Friday, citing an informed source close to the Supreme National Security Council.

The warning came after Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said earlier in the day that the strait will be "completely open" for the passage of all commercial vessels for the remaining period of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, aligning with the newly-enforced truce in Lebanon.

The source said that Iran had initially agreed to allow some vessels' passage through the strait under the Pakistan-mediated ceasefire plan, but suspended it because the ceasefire was not enforced in Lebanon and did not apply to the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

According to the source, Iran has specified three conditions for the vessels' passage: the vessels must be commercial and not military, unaffiliated with hostile countries, and follow Iran-determined routes with prior coordination with Iranian authorities.

Iran tightened control over the strait after the United States and Israel launched joint attacks on the country on Feb. 28. The United States also imposed a naval blockade on the strait following its failed negotiations with Iran in Islamabad, Pakistan.

The peace talks were held Saturday and early Sunday, following a two-week ceasefire between Iran, the United States and Israel that took effect on April 8. A second round of talks is likely to take place on Sunday in Islamabad, media reports said.

Earlier on Friday, both Washington and Tehran confirmed that the Strait of Hormuz has been completely open for all commercial vessels. However, U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. naval blockade against Iran will "remain in full force."

Trump says may sign deal with Iran "in the next day or two"

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday told Israel's Channel 12 News that he estimates a deal with Iran will be signed "in the next day or two."

Trump said in an interview that the United States and Iran will probably meet over the weekend to finalize a deal to end the war. "The Iranians want to meet and make a deal," he said.

He said "the naval blockade on Iran is helping to make a deal. I will not lift it until we make a deal," adding that "the biggest part of this deal is that it will make Israel safer. This deal is good for Israel."

According to the channel, one component of the deal under discussion is that the United States will release 20 billion U.S. dollars in frozen Iranian funds.

In exchange, Iran would give up its stockpile of enriched uranium, and would be only allowed to have nuclear research reactors to produce medical isotopes, all above ground.

Trump also stressed that Israel must stop the strikes on Lebanon, saying, "They can't keep blowing up buildings. I'm not going to allow that."

Iran asks Islamic countries not to let Israel use their land against Muslims

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called on Islamic countries to prevent Israel from using their lands against Muslims, according to a statement posted on the presidential office's website on Friday.

Iran considers all Muslim states as its brothers, seeks lasting peace and stability in the West Asia region, and insists on safeguarding its people's rights within international law, Pezeshkian told visiting Pakistan Army Chief Asim on Thursday, according to the statement.

Pezeshkian noted that Iran's targeting of U.S. military bases in the region during the war with the United States and Israel was an action taken within the framework of defense necessities and in response to the conditions imposed on the country. In addition to U.S. military assets, Iran inflicted damage to civilian and energy infrastructure across the Gulf, including in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

He condemned the U.S. and Israeli "criminal and illegal aggression" against Iran, saying it was launched against Iran without any reason.

During the meeting, Pezeshkian praised Pakistan's effective role in mediating a ceasefire between Iran and the United States and hosting their subsequent peace talks.

Munir arrived in Tehran on Wednesday, leading a high-level delegation as part of ongoing efforts to mediate U.S.-Iran talks.

Pezeshkian noted that the war is in no party's interest, adding that the United States will not achieve victory and that other countries will suffer serious material damage and losses.

Pezeshkian said the United States and Israel have resorted to "hostile and provocative" actions ever since he took office as Iran's president in July 2024, adding that Iran, however, has never sought instability in the region and seeks to develop brotherly ties with the neighboring and regional states.

He underlined the Iranian people's distrust of the United States owing to the frequent violations of its commitments, attacking Iran in the middle of negotiations and assassinating the country's officials.

Iran will "naturally pursue the interests of its people with strength," he added.

Thousands attend pro-Iran rally in Tehran, chant anti-US, anti-Israel slogans

Thousands of women and young girls took part in the "Daughters Devoted to Iran" rally held in central Tehran on Friday (local time), according to Iranian state-run Press TV, reported ANI.

People took part in an anti-US and anti-Israel rally at Enghelab Square amid a ceasefire between the US and Iran, in Tehran.

The participants were "pledging their allegiance to the new Leader of the Islamic Revolution and expressing their readiness to defend the nation," Press TV reported.

The gathering coincided with Iran's "Girls Day" as well as the birth anniversary of the daughter of the Prophet of Islam, state media added.

One young girl speaking to Press TV said, "I came here so that we can, through unity and cooperation defeat the American Zionist enemy. Death to America."

The rally comes amid ongoing pro-government demonstrations across Iran, which have continued since the reported killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei on February 28 in US-Israeli strikes targeting his regime.

Such gatherings are typically organised by the Iranian authorities, in contrast to anti-government protests, which have often been met with a heavy security crackdown.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration on Friday imposed sanctions on seven commanders of Iranian-aligned militias in Iraq, accusing them of being "responsible for planning, directing, and executing attacks against US personnel, facilities, and interests," CNN reported.

The measures target members of Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba, Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada and Asaib Ahl Al-Haq, groups linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). All four are designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorists and Foreign Terrorist Organizations, CNN reported.

"Today's action sends a clear message: Those who enable or support these militias' violence will face consequences. We call on Iraqi authorities to take immediate steps to dismantle these groups and prevent them from using Iraqi territory to conduct terrorist activities that destabilize the region," State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, "We will not allow Iraq's terrorist militias, backed by Iran, to threaten American lives or interests." He added, "Those who enable these militias' violence will be held accountable."