Negotiators from Iran and the United States prepared on Friday (April 10, 2026) for high-level talks planned to start a day later in Islamabad, seeking to steady a ceasefire teetering over Israel and Hezbollah exchanging fire and Tehran's chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance was set to take off from Washington, with Iran still remaining mum over its team as it tried to pressure Washington to halt Israeli attacks in Lebanon. The semiofficial Tasnim news agency, close to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, claimed that talks would “remain suspended” otherwise.
Iran announces alternative routes for ships travelling through Strait of Hormuz
Meanwhile, Kuwait said it faced a drone attack on Thursday (April 9, 2026) night that it blamed on Iran and its militia allies in the region. Though Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard denied launching any assault, it has in the past carried out attacks across West Asia it did not claim.
In addition to talks in Iran, Israel-Lebanon negotiations are also expected to begin next week at the State Department in Washington — a potential boost to West Asia ceasefire efforts — according to a U.S. official and a person familiar with the plans, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the delicacy of the matter.
