Iran war live: Araghchi to travel to Islamabad amid US talks deadlock

Iran war live: Araghchi to travel to Islamabad amid US talks deadlock

Al Jazeera-April24th2026

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will visit Islamabad, Pakistan, tonight for “consultations”, followed by Muscat, Oman, and Moscow, Russia.
The visit comes amid deadlocked talks between the US and Iran, with questions persisting for days on whether Iran would agree to participate in further negotiations.
US Secretaty of Defense Pete Hegseth says that Iran still has an “open window” to make a deal and “abandon a nuclear weapon in meaningful and verifiable ways”.
US President Donald Trump says he hopes to host Israeli and Lebanese leaders “in the near future”, after announcing a three-week extension to the fragile ceasefire in Lebanon, which was due to expire on Sunday.
A third US aircraft carrier has arrived in the Middle East. The USS George HW Bush joined the USS Gerald R Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln in a massive build-up of naval firepower.
Visit our live tracker for the latest casualty figures from across the region.

‘Big gap’ remains between Tehran and Washington as Iran seeks support in Moscow

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has begun what he described as a “timely tour” of Islamabad, Muscat and Moscow, signalling intensified diplomatic efforts amid the ongoing tensions.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Mohamad Elmasry, a professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, said the Moscow leg could prove particularly significant.

He suggested Tehran may be seeking backing from Russia, especially at the United Nations.

“The Iranians may be leaning on Russia for support. One of those Iranian demands in that list of 10 [demands by Iran] was a UN Security Council resolution that would guarantee … no future aggression against Iran.”

Elmasry added that military cooperation could also be on the table.

“There have also been reports of possible intelligence sharing … and weapons systems … being sent from Russia to Iran.”

Despite the diplomacy, he said major gaps remain.

“It doesn’t look right now like either side is willing to give a significant compromise.”

Visits by Iran’s Araghchi to Russia and Oman may help peace talks

By Ali Hashem

Reporting from Tehran, Iran

We’ve heard from a senior Iranian source saying Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s visit to Islamabad is to discuss bilateral relations with the Pakistani side.

As far as we understand, there are no US-Iran talks planned as for now and there’s no intention to do so until the precondition is met, which is the lifting of the US naval blockade.

But this visit could be an opportunity for Araghchi to discuss regional developments.

We’re hearing the Russians will be offering ideas to put an end to this deadlock. The historic relations between Iran and Oman might also create favourable circumstances for discussions on a deal to end the war.