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Iran’s speaker says US negotiations have progressed but far from final deal

Islamaad: The crucial Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until the United States lifts its naval blockade on Iranian ports, Tehran said, as a top official warned that a final peace deal remained “far” off.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, said in a televised address that there has been “progress” in talks with Washington “but there are many gaps and some fundamental points remain.”

“We are still far from the final discussion,” said Ghalibaf, one of Tehran’s negotiators in the talks aimed at ending the war launched by Israel and the United States against the Islamic Republic.

A two-week ceasefire is set to end on Wednesday unless it is renewed.

US President Donald Trump said meanwhile that “very good conversations” were going on with Iran but warned Tehran against trying to “blackmail” the United States.

On Friday, Tehran had declared the Strait of Hormuz, which usually carries a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas, open after a ceasefire was agreed in Israel’s war with Iran’s ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.

This prompted elation in global markets and sent oil prices plunging, but with Trump insisting the blockade of Iranian ports would continue until a deal is struck to end the wider war, Tehran said it was shuttering the strait once more.

“If America does not lift the blockade, traffic in the Strait of Hormuz will definitely be limited,” Ghalibaf said.

Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has yet to be seen since taking power, said meanwhile in a written message that Iran’s navy “stands ready” to defeat the United States.

Trump, speaking to reporters at a White House event, accused Iran of getting “a little cute” with its recent moves and warned Tehran not to try to “blackmail” Washington with its flip-flopping on the Strait of Hormuz.

“We have very good conversations going on,” the president said, adding that the United States was “taking a tough stand.”

‘Targeted’

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned that any attempt to pass through the strait without permission “will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and the offending vessel will be targeted.”

A handful of oil and gas tankers crossed the strait early on Saturday during the brief reopening, tracking data showed, but others retreated and tracking platforms showed hardly any vessels crossing the waterway by the late afternoon.

A UK maritime security agency said the Revolutionary Guards fired at one tanker, while security intelligence firm Vanguard Tech reported the force had threatened to “destroy” an empty cruise ship that was fleeing the Gulf.

In a third incident, the UK agency said it received a report of a vessel “being hit by an unknown projectile which caused damage” to shipping containers but no fire.

The Indian foreign ministry said it had summoned the Iranian ambassador in New Delhi to lodge a protest over a “shooting incident” involving two Indian-flagged ships in the strait.

French UN peacekeeper killed

On the diplomatic front, Egypt, which has been involved in mediation efforts along with Pakistan, appeared optimistic on Saturday with Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty saying Cairo and Islamabad hoped to secure a final agreement “in the coming days.”

Two major sticking points in the talks have been Iran’s stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium and the future of the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump declared Friday that Iran had agreed to hand over its 440 or so kilograms of enriched uranium. “We’re going to get it by going in with Iran, with lots of excavators,” he said.

Iran’s foreign ministry has said the stockpile, thought to be buried deep under rubble from US bombing in last June’s 12-day war, was “not going to be transferred anywhere” and surrendering it “to the US has never been raised in negotiations.”

The Middle East war began on February 28 with a massive wave of US-Israeli surprise attacks on Iran, despite Washington and Tehran being engaged in negotiations at the time.

The conflict rapidly spread across the region, with Iran targeting neighbouring Gulf countries and Hezbollah dragging Lebanon into the conflict by launching rockets at Israel.

A French soldier was killed and three others wounded in an ambush on Saturday on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon that French President Emmanuel Macron blamed on Hezbollah, an accusation the group denied.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack in a statement and said an initial assessment by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) found it was carried out by Hezbollah.

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Water supply in parts of Karachi to remain suspended for two days: KWSC

KARACHI: The Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) on Friday announced that water supply in parts of the port city would remain suspended for two days starting Saturday due to work at the Dhabeji Pumping Station.

In a statement, a KWSC spokesperson said the supply would be temporarily suspended to connect a newly constructed line with the existing network at the Dhabeji Pumping Station.

As per the new schedule issued by the water distribution body, nine of the pumps at the station will remain shut for 48 hours, the spokesperson added.

Work at the pumping station will begin at 12 noon on April 25, the official said, adding that seven out of nine pumps will resume operations on April 27.

The remaining two pumps will be shut for another five days, the official added.

The spokesperson said that water supply to parts of Karachi would remain temporarily suspended during the period due to disruption from K2 and K3.

Water supply in North Karachi, Surjani, Scheme 33, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Saddar, Landhi, Korangi and Chanesar Town would remain suspended for 48 hours, the spokesperson added.

Hydrants in Nipa, Safoora and Sakhi Hassan will also remain closed due to maintenance, the spokesperson added.

Due to the closure, the city will face a shortage of about 250 million gallons of water per day, the official said, adding that Karachi is supplied with around 650 million gallons daily.

KWSC urged residents of the affected areas to use water efficiently during the work, the spokesperson added.

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Islamabad police issue updated traffic plan ahead of potential US-Iran talks

Islamabad: Traffic Police (ITP) has issued a special traffic plan for the federal capital, with complete closure of the Red Zone and extended Red Zone, along with suspension of traffic on Islamabad Expressway from Korral to Zero Point.

According to the advisory, traffic on the Srinagar Highway may also be stopped at different times due to security arrangements.

The advisory comes amid Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s expected arrival in Islamabad on Friday night, without providing details about who he was likely to meet.

Iranian state media reported that Araghchi will depart on Friday (today) for a tri-nation tour that includes visits to Islamabad, Muscat and Moscow.

“The purpose of this visit is to hold bilateral consultations and discuss current developments in the region, as well as the latest situation in the war imposed by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran,” the state news agency IRNA said.

Meanwhile, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will head to Pakistan on Saturday for a new round of talks with Iran on ending the war, the White House said.

“I can confirm Special Envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be off to Pakistan again tomorrow morning to engage in talks,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Friday.

Leavitt said that Vance remained ready to fly to Pakistan but will not for now. “Everyone will be on standby to fly to Pakistan if necessary,” she said.

Islamabad has been gearing up for an anticipated second round of talks between the United States and Iran. The talks would come more than two weeks after Vice President JD Vance held the first round of talks with Iranian representatives in Pakistan.

During the first round of talks in Pakistan, Vance said that Iran refused US demands on constraints on its contested nuclear programme.

In its advisory issued today, ICT Police said that entry of all types of heavy traffic into Islamabad will remain banned, while transporters have been advised to avoid travelling towards the capital.

Residents of G-5, G-6, G-7, F-6 and F-7 can use Margalla Road and 9th Avenue for travel to and from Rawalpindi. Traffic from Faisal Avenue towards Zero Point will be diverted to 9th Avenue.

In case of closure between Zero Point and Korral Chowk, commuters can use Srinagar Highway to 9th Avenue, then Stadium Road, Murree Road (Chandni Chowk) and Rawal Road to reach Korral.

Traffic from Park Road towards Club Road will be diverted to Tramri Chowk.

Commuters travelling from Bhara Kahu to Rawalpindi are advised to use Korang Road, Bani Gala and Lehtrar Road.

Traffic from Rawalpindi Saddar to Islamabad can use Colonel Sher Khan Road via Faqir Aipee Road or 9th Avenue.

Heavy traffic from Peshawar to Lahore will be diverted via Taxila Motorway, Chakri Interchange, Chak Beli Road and Rawat GT Road.

Similarly, heavy traffic from Lahore to Peshawar will use Rawat GT Road, Chak Beli Road, Chakri Interchange and Taxila via the motorway. The traffic plan will come into force from Saturday.

Citizens have been advised to follow alternate routes and cooperate with the traffic police.

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Pakistan urges UNSC to push India to restore Indus Waters Treaty a year after its suspension

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has urged the UN Security Council (UNSC) to address India’s suspension of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), warning of “grave” security, environmental, and humanitarian risks for 240 million people.

A letter from Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, addressed to Ambassador Jamal Fares Alrowaiei of Bahrain, which hold the 15-member Council’s presidency for the month of April, draws attention to India’s “illegal” decision to hold the IWT in abeyance one year after its suspension amid heightened political tensions with Pakistan.

The letter was handed over to the Security Council President by the Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, at UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday, according to a press release issued by the Pakistani Mission.

DPM/FM Dar urged the Security Council to take cognizance of the alarming situation and call on India to restore the full implementation of IWT, resume all Treaty-mandated cooperation and data-sharing without delay, desist from any form of water coercion, and comply fully with its international obligations in good faith.

In this regard, Ambassador Asim Ahmad also briefed the Security Council president on the “regurgitation of baseless allegations and propaganda by India at a time when Pakistan is engaged in serious mediation efforts to promote regional and international peace and security.”

The Pakistani envoy also underscored that the unresolved Jammu and Kashmir dispute – a longstanding item on the Security Council’s agenda – was the root cause of instability in South Asia that necessitated a just and lasting settlement in accordance with relevant Council’s resolutions and wishes of the Kashmiri people.

The 66-year-old treaty governs the distribution of waters from the Indus river system, allocating the western rivers, Indus, Jhelum and Chenab, primarily to Pakistan, which depends on them for most of its agriculture. The agreement has long been seen as one of the most durable arrangements between the two countries, surviving wars and decades of hostility.

However, India announced on Apr. 23, 2025 it was holding the treaty in abeyance. The move came as India, without producing any evidence, accused Pakistan of being behind a militant attack in Indian-Occupied Kashmir. Pakistan categorically denied any involvement it in the attack, which led to a brief but intense military conflict between the two countries in May 2025.