In a post on Truth Social, he said that he won\u2019t be sending his envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to Islamabad in Pakistan for talks with Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n He wrote: \u201cI 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!\u201d<\/p>\n 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”.<\/p>\n It comes after Iran<\/a> insisted that no direct talks with Washington were scheduled to take place.<\/p>\n Iran<\/a>\u2019s foreign ministry spokesperson said that although <\/a>Abbas Araghchi had arrived in Pakistan<\/a>, \u201cno meeting is planned to take place between Iran<\/a> and the US\u201d, adding that \u201cIran’s observations would be conveyed to Pakistan\u201d.<\/p>\n Iran’s delegation has now left Islamabad after meeting Pakistani officials.<\/p>\n Meeting with head of Pakistan\u2019s armed forces, Asim Munir, Mr Araghchi said the pair discussed \u201cthe latest developments related to the ceasefire<\/a>” and Tehran<\/a>\u2019s \u201cviews and considerations\u201d. He expressed a willingness to continue mediation efforts.<\/p>\n <\/a>US intercepts sanctioned merchant vessel in Arabian Sea, Central Command says<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The ship, identified as Sevan, was among a 19-vessel \u201cshadow fleet\u201d allegedly transporting Iranian oil and gas products to foreign markets, according to the US military.<\/p>\n 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 \u201ccomplying with US military direction to turn back to Iran under escort,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n Officials said the so-called shadow fleet has been sanctioned by the US Treasury for moving billions of dollars\u2019 worth of Iranian energy exports \u2013 including propane and butane \u2013 to overseas buyers.<\/p>\n Since the blockade began, the US military says it has redirected 37 vessels attempting similar routes.<\/p>\n Shweta Sharma26 April 2026 06:30<\/p>\n <\/a>Iran to include US-Iran war in school textbooks<\/p>\n Iran plans to incorporate its recent conflict with the United States and Israel into school textbooks, the country\u2019s education minister has said.<\/p>\n Alireza Kazemi described it as the \u201cthird imposed war\u201d \u2013 a reference used by officials for the latest fighting, now under a ceasefire extended by Donald Trump.<\/p>\n \u201cWe 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,\u201d the minister said.<\/p>\n 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 \u201cthe martyrdom of the leader\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will present this history using all available capacities and pass it on to the new generation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Shweta Sharma26 April 2026 06:00<\/p>\n <\/a>Iran’s Araqchi expected to visit Pakistan again after Oman trip, Mehr reports<\/p>\n \u200bIranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi is \u2060expected to visit mediator Pakistan again \u2060after completing \u200bhis \u2060trip to Oman, \u2060before traveling \u200bto \u2060Russia, \u200cIran’s Mehr news agency reported on \u200cSaturday.<\/p>\n Araqchi earlier \u200cleft the Pakistani \u2060capital Islamabad without any sign of a breakthrough in peace talks \u200cwith Pakistani \u200bprime minister \u200cShehbaz \u2060Sharif and \u2060other senior officials \u200cover \u200bthe \u200cIran war.<\/p>\n Shweta Sharma26 April 2026 05:41<\/p>\n <\/a>Iran executes man over alleged role in anti-government protests<\/p>\n Iran has executed a man over his alleged role in anti-establishment protests in January, with authorities claiming he acted on behalf of Israel\u2019s intelligence agency, Mossad.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n State media portrayed him as a central figure in efforts to create \u201cfear and chaos\u201d, framing the case as part of what authorities describe as a wider campaign against foreign-backed activity.<\/p>\n The execution comes amid an ongoing crackdown following the January protests, with several people put to death in recent weeks on similar charges. <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Shweta Sharma26 April 2026 05:30<\/p>\n <\/a>Trump says White House dinner shooting incident won\u2019t deter him from Iran war<\/p>\n Donald Trump said he did not believe the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents\u2019 dinner was linked to Iran war.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n But stressed that the incident will not deter him from the war in Iran.<\/p>\n The president added that he believes the suspect was a “lone wolf,” and called him a “whack job.”<\/p>\n Shweta Sharma26 April 2026 05:08<\/p>\n <\/a>Iran’s president says Tehran will not force negotiations with US<\/p>\n After talks in Islamabad were cancelled for the second time, Iran\u2019s president Masoud Pezeshkian has said Tehran will not engage in \u201cforced negotiations\u201d with the US while under pressure and threats, according to state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.<\/p>\n 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 \u201chostile actions and operational pressures\u201d.<\/p>\n He added that the US must first remove \u201coperational obstacles, including the blockade\u201d affecting ships travelling to and from Iranian ports in order to create conditions for resolving disputes.<\/p>\n Sharif, in turn, said Islamabad would continue its \u201csincere and honest endeavours\u201d to promote regional peace and security, according to a statement from his office. <\/p>\n In a post on X, he also welcomed Iran\u2019s decision to send a high-level delegation led by foreign minister Abbas Araghchi to Islamabad for talks aimed at ending the conflict.<\/p>\n The Iranian delegation departed Islamabad on Saturday for further discussions in Oman. <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Shweta Sharma26 April 2026 05:00<\/p>\n <\/a>Israel directs military ‘vigorously attack Hezbollah targets’<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has ordered the military to \u201cvigorously attack Hezbollah targets\u201d in Lebanon, just two days after a ceasefire between the sides was extended by three weeks.<\/p>\n The directive was swiftly followed by fresh Israeli strikes, amid renewed cross-border exchanges that have underscored the fragility of the truce. <\/p>\n While the agreement has reduced the intensity of fighting, it has fallen short of a complete halt in hostilities.<\/p>\n The ceasefire extension was agreed on Thursday after talks between the countries\u2019 envoys in Washington, but violence has persisted. <\/p>\n On Saturday, Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed at least six people, according to Lebanese authorities.<\/p>\n Lebanon\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n The Israel Defense Forces said it had \u201celiminated\u201d three Hezbollah members travelling in a vehicle \u201cloaded with weapons\u201d, as well as another operative riding a motorcycle.<\/p>\n Shweta Sharma26 April 2026 04:30<\/p>\n <\/a>Trump and first lady rushed out of White House Correspondent’s dinner<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The armed man fired at a Secret Service agent, an FBI official told Reuters. <\/p>\n \u2060The agent was hit in an area covered by protective gear and not harmed, the official said.<\/p>\n 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.”<\/p>\n “Quite an evening in DC Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job,” Trump added.<\/p>\n Addressing a press conference, Trump said the suspect was “a very sick person”.<\/p>\n “We don’t want things like this to happen,” he said.<\/p>\n Shweta Sharma26 April 2026 03:56<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777181770_690_download.jpg\")
(AP)<\/p>\n