Iran's state-run news agency IRNA says Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will begin a round trip to Islamabad, Muscat, and Moscow on Friday.

Pakistani government sources told the BBC earlier today that Araghchi is expected in Islamabad tonight.

However, there has been no formal confirmation by the Iranians or Americans.

IRNA reports that the purpose of Araghchi's trip is to hold bilateral consultations and discuss current developments in the region, as well as the latest situation regarding the war with the US and Israel.

Ali Bahreini, the Iranian ambassador to the UN in Geneva, says the US must ends its blockade on Iranian ports if negotiations are to continue between them.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's World at One programme, he says the blockade is a "significant breach" of the ceasefire, and when they re-enter negotiations, they needs a "realistic approach from the United States by recognising Iran's rights and Iran's reasonable demands".

He adds that they are not looking to negotiate in order to give a chance to the "other side to prepare more to attack Iran".

Donald Trump has previously said US troops are ready to begin operations again if ordered.

Bahreini also rejects suggestions there is division among Iran's senior leaders on how to proceed. He says instead, the problem is the US, which "is full of contradiction" and division.

Pete Hegseth strikes a defiant tonepublished at 13:42 BST 24 April

13:42 BST 24 April

Daniel Bush
Washington correspondent

Image source, Reuters

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth insisted on Friday that the US is not in a hurry to make a deal with Iran, striking a defiant tone at a press conference where he warned that the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz was “growing and going global”.

Hegseth said the US wasn’t “anxious” to make a deal, echoing President Donald Trump’s comment on Thursday that he didn’t feel pressure to reach an agreement to end the war.

“We have all the time in the world and we’re not anxious for a deal,” Hegseth said at a press briefing at the Pentagon. He said of Iran the “ball is in their court” to make a deal centred on abandoning the regime’s nuclear programme.

The remarks underscored a shift in rhetoric from the administration after Trump extended the ceasefire earlier this week without specifying how long it would last. In the early days of the conflict Trump said it would take four to six weeks.

But the war is approaching the two-month mark without any sign Iran wants to give up its nuclear ambitions. And now it’s even less clear how long the US thinks the conflict will last.

Image source, Reuters

Gen Caine hands back to Hegseth for questions.

He is first asked about the threat of mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

Hegseth says transit through the strait is occurring but is "much more limited" than people would like, and with more risk. That is because Iran is doing "irresponsible things", he says.

He says any laying of mines will be dealt with, calling it a "violation of the ceasefire".

After answering a couple more questions, Hegseth brings the briefing to a close. We'll bring you a round-up of his latest comments and analysis shortly.

Caine continues, and moves onto global operations - he earlier said the military has been ordered to conduct "maritime interdiction operations" against sanctioned and dark fleet vessels globally.

He says on 20 April, US forces interdicted the ship Tifani, which was transporting Iranian-sanctioned oil. Forces then "assumed control of the ship" on 21 April after boarding it.

He says they then took the Majestic X ship on 22 April - he describes it as a "very large crewed tanker".

The ships and crews remain in US custody, he adds, and says they will continue to conduct these missions in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

"The joint force remains on ensuring the Iranian regime cannot harm our interest, or those of our allies," he adds.

Iran has attacked five merchant vessels, he adds, seizing two of them, as they attempted to transit the strait. They were ships Iran had cleared to proceed, Caine says.

He ends his update by paying tribute to victims of the Beirut bombing in April 1983, which saw the US embassy there blow up, killing 63 people, including 17 Americans.

Image source, Reuters

Hegseth hands over to Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Dan Caine, who starts by saying the joint force remains "postured and prepared" to recommence action in Iran if the ceasefire ends.

Caine gives an update on the US blockade on Iran's ports. He says they are closely tracking vessels of interest heading to or moving from Iran.

He says that, as of this morning, 34 ships met the blockade and turned around. One ship did not, he adds, the ship Touska which was interdicted. He says the crew ignored warnings over a six-hour period and US forces took escalation measures, including firing warning shots, before disabling fire was authorised, targeting its engine room, disabling it.

The vessel was then seized by special forces, with the ship and crew "safe in US custody", Caine says.

Defence Secretary Hegseth says two vessels that Iran shot at and seized in the Strait of Hormuz in recent days were "random ships" and not US or Israeli vessels.

"Anyone with a speed boat, a gun and the wrong intentions can do that," he says.

Hegseth adds that the US has "all the time in the world" and is not anxious for a deal.

Meanwhile, he says, Iran "knows that they still have an open window to choose wisely", and only have to "abandon a nuclear weapon in meaningful and verifiable ways".

Trump has authorised the US Navy to destroy any Iranian fast boats that attempt to put mines in the water, or disrupt passage through the strait.

"We will shoot to destroy, no hesitation," he says.

Image source, Getty Images

Hegseth says the US Navy is enforcing the blockade "without hesitation or apology".

This includes "every ship that the US believes meets our criteria", he says - either Iranian ships or ships to and from Iranian ports. Thirty-four have been turned around in total as of this morning, he says.

Non-Iranian vessels are allowed to transit, and many have, including overnight, he adds.

The US seized two Iranian dark fleet ships in the Indo-Pacific region this week, he adds, saying: "We will seize more."

No one sails from the Strait of Hormuz without US permission, Hegseth adds.

Pete Hegseth begins by stating they have achieved a "decisive military result in just weeks" in Iran, comparing it to years-long wars like in Vietnam and Iraq.

"Ultimately Iran will not have a nuclear weapon," he states, calling their mission a "gift to the world".

The mission continues in the new phase, he says, stating that Iran has a chance to "make a good deal, a wise deal".

Hegseth references the US navy "ironclad" blockade they have imposed on Iranian ports, which he says "grows more powerful by the day".

Image source, Getty Images

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is now delivering an update on the war in Iran from the Pentagon.

He's joined by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine. You can click watch live at the top of this page, and we'll bring you text updates here.

Tom Bateman
US State Department correspondent

I’m in the Pentagon press briefing room waiting for Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Dan Caine.

The focus is likely to be on the US naval blockade Trump claims is building his leverage by stopping Iranian oil exports and costing the country $500m a day, a claim we can’t independently confirm.

The big news overnight, as far as Washington’s allies in Europe are concerned, is the Reuters story that the US could review its recognition of UK sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and threaten to suspend Spain’s Nato membership, according to an internal Pentagon email.

It was said to be discussing options to punish allies Trump said didn’t help him attack Iran. Let’s see if that crops up.

And a reminder: these briefings are a pre-written statement by the two men, followed by a few questions where Hegseth usually heavily favours calling on news outlets that signed up last year to new Pentagon conditions to remain in the resident press corps.

Nearly all major US and international news outlets, including the BBC, declined to sign the conditions seeing them as infringing journalistic independence. A judge has ruled the Pentagon’s conditions unconstitutional.

Carrie Davies
BBC Pakistan correspondent

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected in Islamabad tonight, Pakistani government sources have told the BBC.

There has been no formal confirmation by the Iranians or Americans.

It comes hours after Araghchi spoke to Pakistan's deputy prime minister and army chief to discuss "issues related to the ceasefire" - he did not specify whether he meant the US-Iran ceasefire or the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire.

Image source, Reuters

The UN's peacekeeping force in Lebanon, Unifil, says an Indonesian soldier injured during Israeli strikes last month has died in hospital.

Corporal Rico Pramudia was critically injured "following a projectile explosion in his base in Adchit Al Qusayr on the night of 29 March," Unifil adds in a statement on Friday.

At the time of the strike, the UN called on all actors in the conflict to "uphold their obligations under international law and to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property at all times".

A total of six peacekeepers have been killed in the war.

Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad has said the group has the right to respond to Israeli attacks on Lebanese targets, according to news agencies Reuters and AFP.

Fayyad says the ceasefire extension is "meaningless" in light of Israel's continued "hostile acts", Reuters reports, citing a statement made today.

The ceasefire extension announced by Donald Trump yesterday requires Lebanon to take "meaningful steps" to prevent Hezbollah attacking Israeli targets - but there are questions about how this will work.

Both the IDF and Hezbollah have already accused each other of ceasefire violations.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has confirmed that it carried out strikes in southern Lebanon this morning, after they were reported by Lebanese media.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency earlier said Israel struck the town of Touline and the Kherbet Selem area at dawn, describing "warplanes" and "artillery shelling".

In a post on X, the IDF says it has struck "Hezbollah military structures" in these areas, "in response to the rockets launched by Hezbollah toward Shtula yesterday".

An earlier IDF post on X says it intercepted several projectiles launched from Lebanon overnight, with sirens sounding in the Shtula area. Hezbollah said on Telegram it had carried out this attack.

Hezbollah and Israel have both accused each other of ceasefire violations.

Image source, EPA

A three-week extension to the truce with Israel has been welcomed by leaders in Lebanon, with one MP saying it will allow people to "get going with their lives".

As part of the ceasefire agreement, Beirut must take "meaningful steps" to prevent the Iran-backed Hezbollah group from attacking Israel, though both Hezbollah and Israel's military have accused each other of violations of the truce.

And the chances of a long-term peace are still hugely affected by Israel's demand for the disarmament of Hezbollah, which as our correspondent writes, is an intractable obstacle for Lebanon's government to achieve.

In Iran, high-level discussions have been taking place with senior Pakistani officials, who have acted as mediators in the peace negotiations with the United States. Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, is being kept in a state of readiness amid the possibility of further meetings there between the US and Iran.

Away from the Middle East, the European Union is holding a summit with leaders from Egypt, Syria and Lebanon.

Speaking before the meeting, the bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that the world could end up with a more dangerous Iran if talks did not produce as strong an agreement as the 2015 Iran nuclear deal President Trump withdrew from during his first term.

Carrie Davies
Pakistan correspondent, in Islamabad

Image source, Reuters

It’s the sixth day of road closures in Islamabad and there is no news on when they may lift.

The Pakistani capital has been preparing to host talks between the US and Iran, but neither side has yet committed to a second round.

Heavy goods vehicles are being stopped from entering the city, slowing deliveries of fresh produce.

“Vegetables and fruits are going bad awaiting approval to enter the city,” says Agha Siraj, president of the Fruit and Vegetable Trader Welfare Association.

A visit to the local markets shows that the prices have also dramatically increased as supply dwindles.

After complaints that fuel deliveries couldn’t get into the city, leading to some petrol stations running dry, Islamabad’s top civil servant Irfan Nawaz Memon says that shipments have been allowed, but not at full scale. Fresh dairy supplies have also been affected.

Islamabad High Court, inside the diplomatic area, has seen cases suspended as lawyers are unable to reach hearings. The exact number is unknown but predicted to be in the hundreds looking at the cause lists.

All of this raises questions about how long Islamabad can be kept in a permanent state of readiness for talks between the US and Iran.

Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem

Image source, Getty Images

In Israel, there is not the same deep division as in Lebanon over the idea of bilateral diplomatic engagement. But there is plenty of scepticism about whether it will bear fruit.

Just before President Trump announced that the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire was being extended, Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets at residents of a Northern Israel border town. No injuries were reported.

Israelis living in the north say that they are still living with danger and uncertainty, putting their normal lives on hold.

“We have serious doubts about the ceasefire,” says Ofir Yehezkeli, former deputy mayor of Kiryat Shmona.

“We will not be willing to normalise sporadic attacks,” he says.

Nissan Zeavi lives in Kfar Giladi and says there is “great concern among residents that this is merely a PR exercise, while Hezbollah is arming itself, reorganising and continuing its ambition to take control of Lebanon and harm Israel.”

“No one here is looking for war,” comments Liat Cohen Raviv, who lives in Metulla, close to Israel’s border with Lebanon.

“But if the ceasefire isn’t accompanied by a real change in the security reality - a genuine removal of the threat and the possibility of normal civilian life - then it is not a solution. It’s a delay.”

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Iran's foreign minister has discussed the conflict with senior Pakistani officials, as Pakistan stays prepared to host further peace talks between the US and Iran.

Abbas Araghchi says in a statement on Telegram that he has held talks with Ishaq Dar, Pakistan's deputy prime minister and foreign minister, and Pakistani army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.

He says they spoke about "regional developments and issues related to the ceasefire".

Araghchi does not specify whether he's talking about the US-Iran ceasefire, the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, or both.

Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, is being kept in a state of readiness amid the possibility of further meetings there between the US and Iran.

Stopping war is priority, but Lebanese government can't disarm Hezbollahpublished at 10:05 BST 24 April

10:05 BST 24 April

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent in Lebanon

The priority for Lebanon’s government was to stop the bloodshed caused by Israeli air strikes across the country, which has happened with the ceasefire that came into force a week ago and has now been extended for three weeks.

But many Lebanese people feel it is a deal that has not completely stopped the war.

The text allows Israel to continue to attack Lebanon due to perceived security threats. There have been frequent air strikes which the Israeli military says are in response to alleged violations by Hezbollah, the militia and political party that is financed and armed by Iran.

Hezbollah, now, has been firing rockets and drones at Israeli troops in Lebanon and northern Israel, saying they are in retaliation to those attacks.

Image source, Reuters

Meanwhile, Israeli troops continue to occupy around 5% of the country’s south, and there is no timeline for their withdrawal, with Israeli officials saying they aim to create a so-called security buffer zone.

This has raised fears that invading forces could remain there indefinitely, and that residents may not be able to return. Images show that the Israeli military has destroyed almost everything there, as they did with parts of Gaza.

President Trump’s personal involvement means Lebanon is being given a level of attention from the White House not seen in many years. He has expressed interest in striking a permanent deal between Lebanon and Israel.

But for that to happen, one of the key obstacles is a decision about Hezbollah’s arsenal. The government here cannot deliver the group’s disarmament, which is supported by most in Lebanon, and has ruled out the use of force, warning of the possibility of violence.

Hezbollah, for now, has refused to discuss the future of its weapons.

And it is still not clear how this issue will be dealt with before other important topics are discussed.