Leavitt: Trump is sending negotiators back to Pakistan for Iran talksYour support helps us to tell the story
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Donald Trump cancelled the US negotiators’ trip to Pakistan for Iran talks, claiming it was too far to travel.
In a post on Truth Social, he said that he won’t be sending his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to Islamabad in Pakistan for talks with Iran.
He wrote: “I just cancelled the trip of my representatives going to Islamabad, Pakistan, to meet with the Iranians. Too much time wasted on traveling, too much work!”
Speaking to reporters in Florida before flying to Washington, he explained nothing has changed in recent days, and the US delegation was not going to travel that far “without a plan”.
It comes after Iran insisted that no direct talks with Washington were scheduled to take place.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said that although Abbas Araghchi had arrived in Pakistan, “no meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the US”, adding that “Iran’s observations would be conveyed to Pakistan”.
Iran’s delegation has now left Islamabad after meeting Pakistani officials.
Meeting with head of Pakistan’s armed forces, Asim Munir, Mr Araghchi said the pair discussed “the latest developments related to the ceasefire” and Tehran’s “views and considerations”. He expressed a willingness to continue mediation efforts.
US intercepts sanctioned merchant vessel in Arabian Sea, Central Command says
The US Central Command said it intercepted a merchant vessel attempting to breach the blockade of Iran, in what it described as part of ongoing efforts to curb illicit energy shipments.
The ship, identified as Sevan, was among a 19-vessel “shadow fleet” allegedly transporting Iranian oil and gas products to foreign markets, according to the US military.
Central Command said the vessel was intercepted in the Arabian Sea by a US Navy helicopter operating from the guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney. The ship is now “complying with US military direction to turn back to Iran under escort,” it added.
Officials said the so-called shadow fleet has been sanctioned by the US Treasury for moving billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian energy exports – including propane and butane – to overseas buyers.
Since the blockade began, the US military says it has redirected 37 vessels attempting similar routes.
Shweta Sharma26 April 2026 06:30
Iran to include US-Iran war in school textbooks
Iran plans to incorporate its recent conflict with the United States and Israel into school textbooks, the country’s education minister has said.
Alireza Kazemi described it as the “third imposed war” – a reference used by officials for the latest fighting, now under a ceasefire extended by Donald Trump.
“We will try to ensure that the memory of the martyrs and the strength of the Islamic Republic in the third imposed war are properly reflected in our textbooks,” the minister said.
He added that a dedicated working group has been set up to integrate accounts of the conflict into the curriculum, including what he described as narratives from the war and “the martyrdom of the leader”.
“We will present this history using all available capacities and pass it on to the new generation,” he said.
Last year, authorities introduced new curriculum materials portraying an earlier confrontation with Israel as a national success, aimed at reinforcing unity, patriotism and deterrence among students.
Shweta Sharma26 April 2026 06:00
Iran’s Araqchi expected to visit Pakistan again after Oman trip, Mehr reports
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi is expected to visit mediator Pakistan again after completing his trip to Oman, before traveling to Russia, Iran’s Mehr news agency reported on Saturday.
Araqchi earlier left the Pakistani capital Islamabad without any sign of a breakthrough in peace talks with Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and other senior officials over the Iran war.
Shweta Sharma26 April 2026 05:41
Iran executes man over alleged role in anti-government protests
Iran has executed a man over his alleged role in anti-establishment protests in January, with authorities claiming he acted on behalf of Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad.
Judiciary-linked media identified the man as Erfan Kiani, saying his death sentence had been upheld by the Supreme Court before being carried out early on Saturday.
Officials said Kiani led a group in the central city of Isfahan accused of damaging public and private property, setting fires, using Molotov cocktails, blocking roads and attacking security forces during the unrest.
State media portrayed him as a central figure in efforts to create “fear and chaos”, framing the case as part of what authorities describe as a wider campaign against foreign-backed activity.
The execution comes amid an ongoing crackdown following the January protests, with several people put to death in recent weeks on similar charges.
Earlier this month, two men were executed after being accused of attempting to storm a military site and seize weapons, while another man was killed over allegations he set fire to a mosque during the unrest.
Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have repeatedly raised concerns over the use of capital punishment in protest-related cases, saying defendants are often convicted in unfair trials.
Shweta Sharma26 April 2026 05:30
Trump says White House dinner shooting incident won’t deter him from Iran war
Donald Trump said he did not believe the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ dinner was linked to Iran war.
When asked whether the shooting was linked to the ongoing war in Iran, he said he did not believe that was the case, but investigators are still gathering information.
(AP)
But stressed that the incident will not deter him from the war in Iran.
The president added that he believes the suspect was a “lone wolf,” and called him a “whack job.”
Shweta Sharma26 April 2026 05:08
Iran’s president says Tehran will not force negotiations with US
After talks in Islamabad were cancelled for the second time, Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian has said Tehran will not engage in “forced negotiations” with the US while under pressure and threats, according to state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.
In a phone call with pakistani mrime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pezeshkian said US actions were eroding trust and making dialogue increasingly difficult. Progress, he warned, would remain elusive unless Washington halts what he described as “hostile actions and operational pressures”.
He added that the US must first remove “operational obstacles, including the blockade” affecting ships travelling to and from Iranian ports in order to create conditions for resolving disputes.
Sharif, in turn, said Islamabad would continue its “sincere and honest endeavours” to promote regional peace and security, according to a statement from his office.
In a post on X, he also welcomed Iran’s decision to send a high-level delegation led by foreign minister Abbas Araghchi to Islamabad for talks aimed at ending the conflict.
The Iranian delegation departed Islamabad on Saturday for further discussions in Oman.
Meanwhile, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had been expected to visit the Pakistani capital, but Donald Trump cancelled the trip at the last minute.
Shweta Sharma26 April 2026 05:00
Israel directs military ‘vigorously attack Hezbollah targets’
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has ordered the military to “vigorously attack Hezbollah targets” in Lebanon, just two days after a ceasefire between the sides was extended by three weeks.
The directive was swiftly followed by fresh Israeli strikes, amid renewed cross-border exchanges that have underscored the fragility of the truce.
While the agreement has reduced the intensity of fighting, it has fallen short of a complete halt in hostilities.
The ceasefire extension was agreed on Thursday after talks between the countries’ envoys in Washington, but violence has persisted.
On Saturday, Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed at least six people, according to Lebanese authorities.
Lebanon’s health ministry said four people were killed when a truck and a motorbike were targeted in the town of Yohmor al-Shaqeef in Nabatieh district, Agence France-Presse reported. In a separate attack on Safad al-Battikh in Bint Jbeil district, two more people were killed and 17 injured.
The Israel Defense Forces said it had “eliminated” three Hezbollah members travelling in a vehicle “loaded with weapons”, as well as another operative riding a motorcycle.
Shweta Sharma26 April 2026 04:30
Trump and first lady rushed out of White House Correspondent’s dinner
US president Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were rushed out of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner by Secret Service agents on Saturday night after a man armed with a shotgun tried to breach security, officials said.
The armed man fired at a Secret Service agent, an FBI official told Reuters.
The agent was hit in an area covered by protective gear and not harmed, the official said.
All federal officials, including Trump, were safe. About an hour after Trump was rushed from the event, he posted on Truth Social that a “shooter had been apprehended.”
“Quite an evening in DC Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job,” Trump added.
Addressing a press conference, Trump said the suspect was “a very sick person”.
“We don’t want things like this to happen,” he said.
Shweta Sharma26 April 2026 03:56
Trump to talk to King about Iran and Nato rift at ‘high stakes’ US state visit
Donald Trump has revealed he plans to talk to King Charles about the Iran war and strained relations with Nato during the monarch’s “high stakes” state visit.
The US president also plans to raise the UK digital services tax with the royal during the four-day visit next week. The president has threatened to impose tariffs on Britain if Sir Keir Starmer does not drop the tax, which targets several major tech firms.
“I’m going to talk about everything,” Donald Trump said during a phone interview with Reuters. “I’m going to talk about it. He’s a friend of mine, and he’s a great guy.”
Rebecca Whittaker26 April 2026 03:00
Tucker Carlson admits he doesn’t ‘hate’ Trump, but feels ‘betrayed’ by the president’s policies
Tucker Carlson says he doesn’t hate his former close friend, President Donald Trump, but feels “betrayed” by the administration’s recent military actions in the Middle East.
Carlson, the former Fox News host and one of the most influential conservative media voices in America, was once closely aligned with Trump and even served as an informal adviser.
Now, Carlson has become one of Trump’s most vocal conservative critics, especially over the president’s foreign policy and military actions in the Middle East.
Rebecca Whittaker26 April 2026 02:00