11/04/2026 – 12:24Saudi defence ministry says Pakistani force including fighter jets reaches kingdom
Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry said that a Pakistani military force, including fighter jets, had arrived at the King Abdulaziz Air Base under a defence pact between the two countries.
In its statement, the ministry said the deployment aimed to strengthen joint defence cooperation and support regional and international security and stability.
11/04/2026 – 12:24US Vice President Vance holds talks with Pakistan PM Sharif
US Vice President JD Vance held talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif , the White House and Sharif’s office said, with special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner also taking part.
“Prime Minister expressed the hope that these talks would serve as a stepping stone toward durable peace in the region,” Sharif’s office said.
Vance is in Pakistani capital Islamabad for talks to settle the six-week war with Iran.
11/04/2026 – 12:03Iraq official says drone crashed near US diplomats at Baghdad airport
A senior Iraqi security official told AFP that a drone crashed near a group of US diplomats inside the grounds of Baghdad’s airport earlier this week as they were escorting an American journalist freed after a recent kidnapping.
The account shed light on a statement issued Thursday by the US State Department saying it had summoned Iraq’s ambassador to Washington to express “strong condemnation” of attacks by pro-Iran groups on US interests, “including the April 8 ambush of US diplomats in Baghdad”.
Since the war in the Middle East broke out on February 28, the US embassy in Baghdad and a logistical and diplomatic centre inside the city’s airport have been repeatedly targeted by rockets and drones, with most intercepted.
11/04/2026 – 11:36Iran, Lebanon bore brunt of missiles and drones launched during war
Some three-quarters of the airstrikes during the Middle East war targeted sites in Iran or Lebanon, according to an AFP analysis of data from ACLED, a non profit that tracks political violence worldwide.
At least 7,700 strikes or series of strikes by missiles, drones, rockets or bombs, were recorded by the US-based conflict research group between the start of the war on February 28 up to April 8, when a fragile ceasefire concluded between Tehran and Washington came into effect.
ACLED collected and vetted its data from sources that it considers reliable, such as news reports, social networks, institutions, and other NGOs.
This count, which includes attacks that were intercepted, cannot be considered an exhaustive list from the conflict.
11/04/2026 – 11:23Iranian source says US has agreed to release frozen Iranian assets in Qatar, other banks
A senior Iranian source said the US had agreed to release Iranian frozen assets that were held in Qatar and other foreign banks, welcoming the move as a sign of “seriousness” in reaching a deal with Washington in talks in Islamabad.
The United States has not made any public comments on the issue of unfreezing assets.
The source, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters that unfreezing the assets was “directly linked to ensuring safe passage through Strait of Hormuz”, which is expected to be a key issue in the talks.
11/04/2026 – 11:21Hezbollah MP says direct talks with Israel are ‘blatant violation’ of constitution
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah reiterated his Iran-backed group’s rejection of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, a day after Lebanon’s president said such talks would take place next week in Washington.
The move is “a blatant violation of the (national) pact, the constitution and Lebanese laws… and it exacerbates domestic divisions at a time when Lebanon most needs solidarity and internal unity to face Israel’s aggression”, Fadlallah said in a statement.
Hezbollah supporters shout slogans during a protest against the Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, in front the government palace in Beirut, Lebanon, April 10, 2026. © Emilio Morenatti, AP
11/04/2026 – 11:20Iran delegation meets Pakistan PM ahead of negotiations with US
An Iranian delegation met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad, state TV reported, ahead of talks with the United States aimed at ending the war in the Middle East.
Confirming the sit-down, Iran’s state broadcaster added that “arrangements for the Iran-US will be defined at the conclusion of this meeting”.
11/04/2026 – 09:54’Children from Minab are accompanying the [Iranian] delegation on its trip to Islamabad,’ says Iranian FM
The Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi documented the Iranian delegation’s trip to Islamabad.
He notably posted photos of himself and the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Ghalibaf, in front of portraits and the bloodstained belongings of four children believed to have been killed in the US airstrike on the Minab school on February 28, the first day of the war.
“Children from Minab are accompanying the delegation on its trip to Islamabad,” he wrote.
The bombing of the Shajarah Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab, southern Iran, killed more than 150 people.
The New York Times revealed on March 11 that the US military was responsible for the missile strike after an error in the target’s coordinates.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi looks at damaged bags and shoes placed in an airplane cabin, along with pictures of four children from Minab, according to a social media post, in this handout image taken an at unknown location and released on April 11, 2026. © Abbas Araqchi via Telegram/Handout via Reuters
11/04/2026 – 09:45 ‘Iran has put up a demand that Lebanon should be included in the ceasefire’
“These talks [between the United States and Iran] are supposed to begin in the coming hours”, said Shazaib Wallah, France 24 correspondent in Islamabad, Pakistan. Yet in a last-minute hurdle, the “Iranian side has put up a demand that Lebanon should be included in the ceasefire”, he added. Watch the video for more.
11/04/2026 – 09:18Pakistan says hopes Iran, US will ‘engage constructively’ after Vance arrival
Pakistan’s foreign minister called for the United States and Iran to “engage constructively” at talks in Islamabad aimed at ending the Middle East war after both delegations arrived in the Pakistani capital.
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar “expressed the hope that parties would engage constructively, and reiterated Pakistan’s desire to continue facilitating the parties towards reaching a lasting and durable solution to the conflict”, said a foreign ministry statement.
US Vice President JD Vance (C) speaks with Army Chief and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir (L) and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar after arriving for the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad on April 11, 2026. © Jacquelyn Martin, AFP
11/04/2026 – 08:07Vance in Islamabad for Iran talks overshadowed by mutual mistrust
US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Islamabad for talks with Iran that the Pakistani premier hosting the warring sides called a “make or break” effort to permanently halt weeks of fighting in the Middle East.
An Iranian delegation led by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf arrived overnight at an airbase near the capital, disembarking from the commercial plane to embrace Pakistan’s powerful army chief Asim Munir, who also shares a personal rapport with US President Donald Trump.
Munir also greeted Vance, escorting him down a red carpet at the Nur Khan air base, where US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were already waiting.
11/04/2026 – 08:05Iran’s new supreme leader has severe and disfiguring wounds, sources say
Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is still recovering from severe facial and leg injuries suffered in the airstrike that killed his father at the beginning of the war, three people close to his inner circle told Reuters.
Khamenei’s face was disfigured in the attack on the supreme leader’s compound in central Tehran and he suffered a significant injury to one or both legs, all three sources said.
The 56-year-old is nonetheless recovering from his wounds and remains mentally sharp, according to the people, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. He is taking part in meetings with senior officials via audio conferencing and is engaged in decision-making on major issues including the war and negotiations with Washington, two of them said.
11/04/2026 – 07:54US intelligence indicates China preparing weapons shipment to Iran, CNN reports
US intelligence indicates China is preparing to deliver new air defence systems to Iran within the next few weeks, CNN reported late on Friday, citing three people familiar with recent intelligence assessments.
11/04/2026 – 07:36US envoys Witkoff and Kushner arrive in Pakistan’s Islamabad for talks with Iran
11/04/2026 – 07:24Vance heads to Pakistan for talks with Iranian officials aimed at ending fighting
A US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance is headed to Pakistan for talks with Iranian officials aimed at shoring up a shaky ceasefire and paving the way for a permanent end to the fighting. It marks the first such meeting since the war began more than a month ago.
The ceasefire brokered by Pakistan still faces hurdles in the talks beginning Saturday, as Israel and Hezbollah militants have been trading fire along the border of southern Lebanon and Iran has set conditions before negotiations can begin.