IRAN WAR UPDATES: Israel, Lebanon to meet in Washington while Iran-U.S. talks in limbo

The standoff between Iran and the U.S. has essentially choked off nearly all exports through the Strait of Hormuz

Published Apr 23, 2026  •  2 minute read

This screen grab taken from a screen recording of the MarineTraffic website on April 21, 2026, shows data visualization of maritime traffic in the Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman from April 18 to April 20, amid a fragile US-Iran truce. Photo by - /MARINETRAFFIC.COM/AFP via Getty

A second round of talks between Israel and Lebanon was slated to start in Washington on Thursday. This, as the prospect of Iran-United States talks in Pakistan seemed questionable, as the Islamic Republic accused the U.S. of a “lack of good faith” in negotiations.

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The standoff between Iran and the U.S. has essentially choked off nearly all exports through the Strait of Hormuz, where 20% of the world’s oil trade passes through, with no end in sight.

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There was a planned second round of talks hosted by Pakistan, but U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s planned trip to Islamabad was cancelled as Iran rebuffed efforts to restart discussions.

Three separate Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon have killed at least six people and wounded others, authorities say. Israel has denied one of the attacks, and didn’t immediately comment on the others. The attacks came as Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors were prepping for a new meeting in the U.S. to extend a 10-day ceasefire that began last week.

Here’s the latest in the Iran war for Thursday:

Pakistan interior minister meets U.S. official

In a statement on Thursday, Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said he hoped for “positive progress” from Iran after a meeting with U.S. Charge d’Affaires Natalie Baker.

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The meeting in Islamabad included a discussion of diplomatic efforts related to a second round of U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks, which was delayed after Tehran didn’t confirm when it would send its delegation.

Naqvi said Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir were making efforts “at every level” to support a peaceful settlement and hoped all sides would give diplomacy a chance.

Naqvi praised U.S. President Donald Trump for extending the ceasefire, calling it a welcome step toward de-escalation.

Baker appreciated Pakistan’s “constructive role” in promoting peace, the statement said.

Iran hangs another member of exiled opposition group

Iran said Thursday it hanged another member of the Iranain exiled opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq.

Iran’s Mizan news agency identified the man as Soltanali Shirzadi Fakhr.

It accused him of cooperating with the Israeli intelligence service Mossad, without offering specifics. It also did not say when or where it arrested him.

Iran has accused many it has hanged during the war of having links to Israel. Activists say Iran routinely tries capital cases behind closed doors, uses coerced confessions and doesn’t allow the accused to properly challenge the evidence against them.

This brings to nine the total number of MEK members executed since the start of the war.

– With files from The Associated Press

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