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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is greeted by Pakistani officials upon arrival at Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on April 24, 2026 [Handout: Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs via AP Photo]
By Lyndal Rowlands, Zaid Sabah, Yashraj Sharma, Mariamne Everett, Edna Mohamed, Federica Marsi and Alex Milan Durie
Published On 25 Apr 2026

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25 Apr 2026 - 23:59
 (23:59 GMT)

Our coverage continues

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Join us for all the latest developments, analyses and reactions, here.

25 Apr 2026 - 23:50
 (23:50 GMT)

Here’s what happened today

Here are the day’s main developments:

  • US President Donald Trump cancelled Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner’s trip to Pakistan for negotiations with Iran.
  • US Central Command said a Navy helicopter is escorting an intercepted ship affiliated with the Iranian “shadow fleet” back to Iran.
  • Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran will not enter into forced negotiations with the United States.
  • Iran’s Foreign Ministry said it is committed to “strengthening mutual trust” in the Gulf region, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s visit to Oman is the first to the region since the US launched its war on Iran.
  • Araghchi is reportedly expected ⁠to visit Pakistan ⁠again after completing his trip to Oman, before ‌travelling to Russia.
  • More than half a million Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have voted in local elections, but turnout was lower in a central Gaza town.
25 Apr 2026 - 23:45
 (23:45 GMT)

WATCH: Trump cancels Pakistan talks as uncertainty surrounds Iran negotiations

US President Donald Trump has cancelled plans to send a delegation to Pakistan, adding to uncertainty over potential talks with Iran.

Tehran insists that no formal meeting with US officials had been agreed to, despite earlier expectations that Islamabad could host negotiations. The move follows days of diplomatic activity involving multiple regional players.

For more on this story, watch our detailed video coverage below:

25 Apr 2026 - 23:30
 (23:30 GMT)

No end in sight to Gaza suffering as deadly Israeli attacks, blockade continue

A US-brokered “ceasefire” reached in October 2025 led to the release of the last remaining Israeli captives held by Hamas and halted major military operations.

But Israel still carries out regular strikes. Health officials in Gaza have reported more than 790 Palestinians killed by the Israeli army since last year’s deal, including about 225 children.

Israel says its withdrawal from the half of Gaza that its forces control, the return of hundreds of thousands who were displaced, the establishment of a new political authority, and desperately needed reconstruction all hinge on Hamas disarming.

That has left the vast majority of Gaza’s more than 2 million people confined to sprawling tent camps or the ruins of their homes, with no end in sight to their suffering.

A committee of Palestinian technocrats has been established to govern Gaza temporarily, but Israel has not allowed them to enter from Egypt.

25 Apr 2026 - 23:15
 (23:15 GMT)
Analysis

Trump ‘needs to get out of war and can’t figure out how’

An ex-official from the US says the fragile truce between Washington and Tehran will not result in a lasting peace, and a permanent end to the war needs to be achieved.

Ceasefires “don’t fix anything; they just stop things from getting worse”, said Michael Ratney, a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

“It’s part of an answer to an immediate political problem, which is [that Trump] needs to get out of war and can’t figure out how to do that.”

Trump told reporters ⁠in Florida that Trump had decided to call off the planned Pakistan visit by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner because the talks in Islamabad involved too much travel and expense, and Iran’s latest peace offer was not good enough for him.

25 Apr 2026 - 23:00
 (23:00 GMT)
Analysis

‘Ceasefires can seem comfortable, but lock in unsustainable patterns’

An analyst says Iran’s leaders, based on their statements on social media, seem to have concluded that they can withstand the blockade longer than Trump can bear soaring gas prices and an unpopular war, especially with US midterm elections later this year.

Jon Alterman, chair of global security and geostrategy at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Trump’s record shows that his instincts lean towards making headlines and announcing quick results.

“The most visible part of the fighting has stopped, but the less visible efforts are roaring ahead,” he said. “Ceasefires can seem comfortable, but lock in unsustainable patterns, with one side feeling it has lost the urgency to resolve the underlying conflict.”

25 Apr 2026 - 22:45
 (22:45 GMT)

Iran executes man over alleged ties to Mossad

Iran hanged a man over his alleged ties to Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency and his participation in antigovernment protests in January.

Erfan Kiani was the latest in a series of executions in Iran following the war and nationwide protests.

The Mizan news agency of Iran’s judiciary announced that Kiani was convicted of charges including attacks on security forces in the city of Isfahan in January. It claimed he was on a “mission for Mossad”, without offering evidence.

There have recently been multiple executions of alleged spies, as well as protesters and those affiliated with an Iranian exiled opposition group.

25 Apr 2026 - 22:35
 (22:35 GMT)

US Navy intercepts Iranian ‘shadow fleet’ vessel in Arabian Sea

US Central Command (CENTCOM) says a Navy helicopter is escorting an intercepted ship affiliated with the Iranian “shadow fleet” back to Iran.

“M/V Sevan was among 19 ‘shadow fleet’ vessels sanctioned by the US Department of Treasury for activities related to transporting billions of dollars worth of Iranian energy, oil and gas products, including propane and butane, to foreign markets,” CENTCOM said in a statement released on X.

“Sevan was intercepted in the Arabian Sea by a US Navy helicopter from guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney (DDG 91), and the merchant vessel is currently complying with US military direction to turn back to Iran under escort,” the statement added.

25 Apr 2026 - 22:25
 (22:25 GMT)

Iran says will not enter ‘forced negotiations’ under pressure or threats

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian tells Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that Tehran will not enter into forced negotiations, under pressure threats, or siege.

According to the IRNA news agency, Pezeshkian explained the obstacles hindering the diplomatic process.

He emphasised that, as long as the US’s hostile actions and operational pressures persist, the “reconstruction of trust and progress on the path of dialogue would face significant difficulty”.

25 Apr 2026 - 22:15
 (22:15 GMT)
Houthi

Air defence systems activated in Iran’s Kermanshah

The Mehr news agency reports that air defence systems are active in the sky over Kermanshah and its surrounding suburbs.

According to the agency, several instances of the activity were clearly heard across different parts of the city.

“Local sources claim this sound resulted from testing defence systems, but official sources have not yet announced confirmation of this matter,” it reported.

25 Apr 2026 - 22:00
 (22:00 GMT)

German leader calls US-Israel-Iran war ‘completely unnecessary’

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has described the US-Israel war on Iran as “completely unnecessary”.

Merz said the war was contributing to rising instability, affecting Europe, Asia and the US. He stressed that only a united Europe could respond effectively to the emerging challenges.

“We have spent two days meeting with the 27 heads of state and government of the European Union to discuss how to tackle major challenges that lie ahead, including the Iran conflict and this completely unnecessary war there, as well as many other challenges we face,” said the chancellor.

He added that Europe must adjust to shifting global conditions. “We must accept this new economic reality, however difficult it may be.”

25 Apr 2026 - 21:45
 (21:45 GMT)

Iran says committed to ‘strengthening mutual trust’ in region

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s visit to Oman is the first to the region since the US launched its war on Iran on February 28.

Tehran has launched continuous attacks on Gulf states since the onset of the conflict, straining already fraught relations across the region.

“Iran continues to place great importance on its relations with Persian Gulf states and remains committed to strengthening mutual trust and constructive cooperation,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said.

25 Apr 2026 - 21:30
 (21:30 GMT)
Analysis

It’s a matter of who blinks first

A former White House official says Washington and Tehran are involved in a high-stakes impasse.

Mark Pfeifle, a national security adviser to former US President George W Bush and founder of Off the Record Strategies, told Al Jazeera that “neither side wants to blink right now” and neither Iran nor the US wants to negotiate.

“They’re going to leave it still to be discussed at the water’s edge – at the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.

In the meantime, Pfeifle explained, the pressure has shifted to Iran and China, as oil trading is vital to both.

“China can survive for a time without Iranian oil,” he said, noting that Beijing gets 15 percent of its oil from Iran. “But Iran cannot survive that long without getting the money from the Chinese.”

This is where US President Donald Trump is trying to apply pressure on Iran’s leadership through the blockade, Pfeifle explained.

The aim is to “choke off the Iranian revenue stream as much as possible in the hopes that it “brings them to the negotiation table”.

25 Apr 2026 - 21:20
 (21:20 GMT)
Houthi

Framework for US-Iran negotiations ‘already on the table’

By Ali Hashem

Reporting from Tehran, Iran

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is now in Oman and he is supposed to go back to Pakistan. Members of his team are back in Tehran for consultation.

What we understand is there is a framework for negotiations already on the table.

Now, with respect to details, there is speculation that the framework is mainly on the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of the US blockade on Iran’s ports.

This is mainly what they are thinking of in case there is a possibility to get the Americans and the Iranians together to discuss ways to end the war. Later on, there will be further discussions that involve Iran’s nuclear programme.

25 Apr 2026 - 21:10
 (21:10 GMT)

Israeli forces raid polling station in Hebron area, assault 6 Palestinians

Six Palestinians have been injured after Israeli forces assaulted them during a raid on a polling station, according to the Wafa news agency.

The site was used for today’s local elections in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Hebron said that its teams treated six people for injuries caused by beatings by Israeli soldiers during an incursion into a polling centre in the Khirbet Khallat al-Miyya cluster of villages, south of Hebron.

 

25 Apr 2026 - 21:00
 (21:00 GMT)

US president left door open for diplomacy with Iran

By Manuel Rapalo

Reporting from Washington, US.

As Donald Trump is expected to attend the correspondents’ dinner tonight, what we’re paying attention to is whether he will speak again this evening and give us an update on whether those talks with Iran are going to resume.

What we’re likely to see over the course of the next few days is third-party intermediaries like Pakistan carrying a lot of the burden of passing the communications between Tehran and Washington.

One thing that’s important to underscore is that just because these talks have stalled, it doesn’t mean that the diplomatic window has closed. The US president has indicated that if Iran wants, they can call, and that means diplomacy still has a pulse.

25 Apr 2026 - 20:45
 (20:45 GMT)

Iran’s Araghchi expected to visit Pakistan again after Oman trip

Iranian ⁠Foreign ⁠Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected ⁠to visit mediator Pakistan ⁠again after completing his trip to Oman, before ‌traveling to Russia, Iran’s Mehr news agency reports.

Part of his delegation returned to Tehran, it added, “to consult and obtain the necessary instructions on issues related to ending the war, and is scheduled to rejoin Araghchi in Islamabad on Sunday night”.

Araghchi 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.

President Trump cancelled a trip by two US envoys to Pakistan on Saturday, dealing a new setback to ⁠peace prospects as Araghchi departed Islamabad after speaking only to Pakistani officials.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Sharif, right, meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, centre, in Islamabad on Saturday [Reuters]
25 Apr 2026 - 20:30
 (20:30 GMT)
Houthi

More than half a million Palestinians in occupied West Bank vote in local elections

More than half a million Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have voted in local elections, the Wafa News Agency reports.

It said a total of 512,510 voters cast their ballots, representing a turnout of 53.44 percent of those eligible to vote, a rate close to that recorded in the 2021 local elections, according to Fareed Taamallah, spokesperson for the Central Elections Commission – Palestine.

A local election was also held in the city of Deir el-Balah in central Gaza. More than 70,000 people were eligible to vote there, but turnout today was reportedly low.

Voting concluded at 7:00pm (16:00 GMT), according to Palestine’s Central Elections Commission, and counting began immediately at polling stations in the presence of candidates, observers, and journalists, with results to be announced on Sunday.

A Palestinian woman casts her ballot at a polling station during municipal elections in the village of al-Badhan, north of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank on April 25, 2026 [AFP]
25 Apr 2026 - 20:20
 (20:20 GMT)

More Israeli strikes reported in southern Lebanon

Israeli strikes have taken place across southern Lebanon, according to the National News Agency.

Israeli warplanes targeted the town of Khiam, in the Marjayoun district, and the town of Haddatha, Bint Jbeil district, the Lebanese state-run news agency said.

Artillery shelling was also reported on the outskirts of Maaliya and Hosh Sour, in the Tyre district.

25 Apr 2026 - 20:05
 (20:05 GMT)

‘She refused to stop’: The Lebanese journalist killed by Israel

Amal Khalil was a devoted journalist who also rescued animals while on the job in southern Lebanon.

She refused to stop her work even after receiving death threats from an Israeli phone number. On April 22, Israeli forces reportedly chased her into a building, then killed her in a “double-tap” air strike.