Diplomatic efforts to revive ceasefire discussions involving Iran are set to continue this weekend, with envoys from the United States expected to arrive in Pakistan.
However, Tehran has ruled out holding direct talks with American officials.
The renewed push comes as an open-ended ceasefire has halted most fighting, though global economic consequences are intensifying due to disruptions in energy transport following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The White House confirmed that President Donald Trump is dispatching Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to meet Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Shortly after Araghchi arrived in Islamabad, Iran’s foreign ministry clarified that any engagement would remain indirect, with Pakistani officials acting as intermediaries between the two sides.
Araghchi and the two Trump envoys previously held several hours of indirect negotiations in Geneva on February 27 concerning Iran’s nuclear programme, but those talks ended without agreement. A day later, Israel and the United States launched military operations against Iran.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that the president had instructed Witkoff and Kushner to travel to Pakistan “to hear the Iranians out.”
“We’ve certainly seen some progress from the Iranian side in the last couple of days,” Leavitt said, though she provided no additional details on the nature of the communications.
Meanwhile, US War Secretary Pete Hegseth criticised European engagement on Friday, urging European nations to take a more active role regarding the crisis around the Strait of Hormuz.
“We are not counting on Europe, but they need the Strait of Hormuz much more than we do, and they might want to start doing less talking and having less fancy conferences in Europe and get in a boat,” Hegseth said.
“This is much more their fight than ours.”
He further dismissed recent European discussions on the crisis, calling them unproductive and suggesting that allies were only “talking about talking and maybe doing something eventually when things are done.”
Hegseth said the United States would welcome more decisive European action, arguing that Europe has been more economically affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz than the US.
“It’s a wake-up call for countries around the world. Either you have capabilities, or you don’t,” he added.
The security situation in the region remains volatile, particularly in Lebanon, where tensions continue despite recent ceasefire announcements.
On Thursday, President Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to extend a ceasefire with Hezbollah by three weeks, though the group has not formally participated in the US-brokered arrangement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed developments in a video statement, describing them as part of “a process to achieve a historic peace between Israel and Lebanon”.
Earlier, the Israeli military ordered residents of the southern Lebanese village of Deir Aames to evacuate, alleging the area was being used by Hezbollah for attacks against Israel.
The Israeli army also reported shooting down a drone over Lebanon after Hezbollah launched a surface-to-air missile, while the militant group claimed it had downed an Israeli drone near the southern city of Tyre using similar weaponry.
[4/25, 9:22 AM] Gextino: EU moves to diversify Middle East energy routes amid Iran crisis
The ongoing Iran conflict and resulting disruption to global energy flows have pushed the European Union to explore alternative energy transport routes in the Middle East, as soaring oil and gas prices strain member states and expose vulnerabilities linked to the Strait of Hormuz.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc is now prepared to deepen cooperation with Gulf nations to develop new energy corridors that would reduce dependence on conflict-prone transit points.
“The events of the past month have taught us a hard lesson,” von der Leyen told reporters after an informal summit of EU leaders in Cyprus. “Our security is not just related, it is intrinsically linked. A threat to a merchant vessel in the Strait of Hormuz is a threat to a factory, for example, in Belgium.”
She stressed that the EU is also considering strengthening maritime security cooperation and expanding its naval presence, including drawing lessons from its Red Sea operations, while prioritising investment in energy infrastructure across the Gulf region.
“We are also ready to team up with the Gulf countries to diversify export infrastructure away from solely the bottleneck of the Hormuz Strait,” she said, adding that the bloc is prepared to help repair energy facilities damaged during the war.
The Strait of Hormuz typically carries around one-fifth of global oil and gas supplies, but the conflict has significantly disrupted flows, contributing to a sharp rise in energy costs worldwide.
Early Friday trading reflected the strain, with Brent crude rising 98 cents to $100.33 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate increased 81 cents to $96.66.
Von der Leyen also revealed that the EU’s energy expenditure has surged dramatically, stating that the 27-member bloc has spent an additional €25 billion over the past 43 days due to the price spike.
Although no specific projects were confirmed, she referenced the proposed India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor as a possible model for future infrastructure cooperation. Discussions are expected to continue at an upcoming EU-Gulf Cooperation Council summit later this year.
The rotating presidency of the EU is currently held by Cyprus, which has been actively promoting stronger ties between Europe and Middle Eastern partners. Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides hosted several regional leaders at the summit, including Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah, and GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi.
“We know that Europe needs Syria as much as Syria needs Europe,” al-Sharaa said, while Aoun called for EU assistance in rebuilding Lebanon after years of conflict.
European Council President António Costa praised Lebanon’s efforts to curb Hezbollah, describing the group as “an existential threat,” and pledged support for regional stabilisation efforts.
Costa added that “the European Union is not part of the conflict, but we will be part of this solution.”
Human rights organisations criticised EU leaders for not taking a stronger stance against Israel’s military actions in the region.
Meanwhile, several European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, ruled out easing sanctions on Iran, insisting that restrictions would remain until issues such as its missile programme and regional activities are addressed.
“It’s too early to talk about relief of any kind of sanctions,” Costa said.
Cyprus itself has already experienced spillover effects from the conflict, after a drone launched from Lebanon struck a British military base on the island earlier in the war. In response, several European countries deployed naval assets with anti-drone capabilities to the region.
The incident has renewed attention on EU treaty provisions for mutual defence among member states. Christodoulides said leaders had agreed to begin developing a structured response mechanism, arguing that “ad hoc arrangements” are insufficient for future crises.
