Hazel Oliva

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated, “our neighbors come first,” as he begins a journey to Pakistan, Oman, and Russia while seeking a lasting peace agreement between Tehran and Washington.

Araghchi will “work closely with our partners on bilateral issues and discuss regional developments,” he wrote on X on Friday.

Mediators in Islamabad have served as intermediaries for Tehran and Washington following the US-Israeli attack on Iran and the subsequent Iranian counterattacks that ignited regional conflict. Nevertheless, the conflicting sides did not initiate the second round of discussions in Islamabad this week, revealing crucial obstacles to a conclusive solution to the conflict.

On Friday morning, a US source and Iranian state media announced that a delegation from Tehran was anticipated to engage in discussions with Pakistani mediators, but not with US officials.

Authorities in Pakistan anticipate that Friday’s meeting might clear the path for another series of discussions with Washington.

The White House has not made any public statements regarding the discussions.

Xenix News reporting contributed by Nic Robertson and Sophia Saifi.

A vessel flagged by Curaçao and subjected to US sanctions passed through the congested Strait of Hormuz, as reported by an Iranian news outlet, while Tehran continues to exert control over the vital passage.

According to Iran’s semi-official outlet Mehr News, the Cuba supertanker “recently traversed the Strait of Hormuz” and docked east of Larak Island. The vessel has been included in the US sanctions list since 2024 for carrying Iranian oil cargoes to China, Mehr News reported.

The United States asserts that it has established a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, preventing vessels associated with Iran from passing through. “Nevertheless, as per reports, multiple Iranian vessels have thus far departed through the strait or arrived in the area via this waterway,” the agency noted.

Keep in mind: The speed of ships navigating the channel—where one-fifth of global crude oil supplies are transported—has slowed to almost a standstill following the US-Israeli assault on Iran, which triggered retaliation from Iran in the area. In the upcoming weeks, Tehran and Washington initiated reciprocal blockades on the waterway, with Iran striking non-aligned vessels while the US targeted ships departing from Iranian ports.

On Friday, the trade analytics firm Kpler reported that three additional ships passed through the strait.

The US Central Command reported on Thursday that since the White House imposed the blockade on April 13, the military has redirected at least 33 ships.

As of Monday, at least 26 vessels from the shadow fleet have crossed the US blockade line, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence, a maritime data company. On Wednesday, 10 tankers from the shadow fleet were approaching the Persian Gulf region, the company stated.

Nonetheless, the US has intercepted vessels connected to Iran outside the Persian Gulf — including a sanctioned tanker in the Indian Ocean this week.

This post has been revised with additional details.

The Kremlin located in Moscow, Russia, on May 19, 2019. Lorenzo Di Cola/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will include visits to key mediators Pakistan and Oman in his foreign tour, as well as travel to Russia, showcasing the longstanding partnership between the two nations.

Russia has consistently been a vital diplomatic partner for Iran during the conflict with the US.

The Kremlin has consistently suggested taking charge of Iran’s enriched uranium, recommending either storage or reprocessing within Russia.

  Although this could theoretically address some of the US’s primary requests in negotiations to conclude its conflict with Iran, Trump allegedly turned down Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposal, likely aiming to prevent Moscow – already a dominant player in nuclear energy – from obtaining further advantage.

Aside from uranium, Iran and Russia established a 20-year agreement in January 2025 that enhances their economic, military, and political alliance. Russia perceives US attacks on Iran as “unprovoked aggression,” yet importantly, the accord signed by Tehran and Moscow did not establish a mutual-defense agreement.

Today, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated he “greatly valued” Islamabad’s mediation efforts between Iran and the US during a call with his Pakistani counterpart Mohammad Ishaq Dar, expressing Moscow’s “willingness to assist.”

In March, Xenix News disclosed that Russia was supplying Iran with details regarding the positions and movements of American forces, vessels, and planes, based on several sources knowledgeable about US intelligence reports on the matter, marking the initial sign of Moscow’s intention to engage in the conflict.

Araghchi’s forthcoming visit to Moscow indicates that Tehran aims to engage with its allies in the Kremlin during the ongoing conflict.

President Donald Trump is dispatching his special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan to engage in discussions with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi this weekend, according to two officials from the administration speaking to Xenix News.

Officials stated that Vice President JD Vance is not planning to attend since Iran’s Speaker of Parliament, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, is also not participating. White House officials internally regard Ghalibaf as the leader of the Iran delegation and as Vance’s counterpart.

Officials stated that the vice president will be prepared to travel to Islamabad if discussions advance, and his staff members will be present in Pakistan participating in the negotiations.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz addresses the media following his discussion with his Greek counterpart in Athens on January 20. Aggelos Nakkas/AFP/Getty Images

Israel is prepared “to push Iran back to the dark ages,” Defense Minister Israel Katz remarked on Thursday. During a situation assessment at the Defense Ministry, Katz stated that the Israeli military is prepared to resume the conflict with Iran.

“The targets have been marked,” he stated.

Katz mentioned that Israel is “waiting for approval” from the United States to continue the conflict and “finish the eradication of the Khamenei dynasty and revert Iran to the dark ages.”

On Thursday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold a meeting with senior security officials to address matters concerning Israel and Lebanon, an Israeli source informed Xenix News.

A fresh round of direct discussions between the US and Iran appears doubtful as both parties intensify their rhetoric and actions. The US has taken control of ships it claims are transporting Iranian oil, while Iran has essentially shut down the Strait of Hormuz, with both nations displaying no willingness to retreat.

“This time, the assault will be distinct and lethal, delivering catastrophic hits to the most sensitive areas — in line with the severe damages the Iranian terror regime has already endured — hits that will rattle and undermine its core,” Katz stated.

Despite Israel’s assassination of numerous high-ranking Iranian leaders, the regime seems to have withstood the most significant attacks up to this point.

On Thursday, two dry bulk carriers navigated the Strait of Hormuz, as reported by the trade analytics firm Kpler.

Tema Express, one of the carriers, is operated by Hapag-Lloyd, marking the first verified transit of the strait by a ship from the German line since the conflict began, Rebecca Gerdes, a data analyst at Kpler, informed Xenix News.

Tema Express, sailing under Liberia’s flag, resurfaced off the coast of Oman after almost three weeks of being inactive, Gerdes stated.

The other vessel that navigated the strait – LB Energy – is under the flag of Panama.

Traffic through the strait has stayed low as carriers have been reluctant to navigate the waterway, mainly because of security issues.

Iran has imposed charges on vessels transiting the strait,https://xenixnews.com triggering global criticism.

Large groups of mourners assembled in Baisariyeh, southern Lebanon, today for the funeral of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil, who lost her life in an Israeli airstrike yesterday.

Grieving individuals display photos of journalist Amal Khalil at her memorial service. Aziz Taher/Reuters

Grieving individuals transport the casket of journalist Amal Khalil at her burial. Aziz Taher/Reuters

Flowers, a press vest and helmet decorated the surface of Amal Khalil’s coffin. Aziz

Journalist Amal Khalil, who lost her life in an airstrike in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, was able to contact her family and the Lebanese military for assistance prior to her death, as reported by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Khalil, an employee of Lebanon’s leftist, pro-Hezbollah Al Akhbar newspaper, was killed while performing her journalistic duties, while another journalist sustained severe injuries, as reported by Lebanon’s National News Agency. The assault led Lebanon’s prime minister to charge Israel with war crimes.

The two reporters sought refuge during a series of bombings in the town of Tayri in southern Lebanon when the structure they were inside was struck.

Khalil “remained trapped beneath the debris for seven hours,” CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah informed Xenix News on Thursday. Khalil was not instantly eliminated in the attack, she mentioned.

Khalil’s last communication occurred around 4 p.m. or 4:10 p.m. local time, during which she reached out to her family and contacted the Lebanese military. “According to reports, it was confirmed by the (Israel Defense Forces) that Amal was buried under the debris and was still alive,” Qudah stated.

Nonetheless, Qudah stated to Xenix News that the Red Cross was “impeded for seven hours, and when they arrived after seven hours, she had already passed away.” She mentioned that this kind of “hindrance to rescue operations could potentially be classified as a war crime.”

The Israeli military confirmed that two journalists were hurt due to the strike but stated it “does not aim at journalists and works to reduce harm to them while ensuring the safety and security of its forces.”

It maintained that it had not stopped teams from entering the area and stated that information regarding the incident was being evaluated. Xenix News is unable to independently confirm the accounts from either the Lebanese or Israeli sources.

Xenix News report by Charbel Mallo, Tamara Qiblawi, Sana Noor Haq, and Dana Karni.

Numerous oil spills can be seen from space following Iranian and US-Israeli attacks on oil facilities and vessels in the area, as experts caution about a looming environmental disaster. View additional content from Xenix News Antoinette Radford in the video above.

UN warns that over 30 million people will still fall into poverty even if the war in Iran ends tomorrow.

A market vendor offers vegetables in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on April 2. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has limited fuel availability, increased its price by one-third, and raised electricity rates after the Middle East conflict disrupted worldwide energy supplies. Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images

The United Nations has warned that over 30 million people globally will be pushed back into poverty even if the conflict in Iran were to cease tomorrow.

“Globally, 0.5 percent to 0.8 percent of GDP (is) being lost.” What implications does this hold for the most at-risk nations globally? “It signifies 32 million individuals being forced back into poverty,” Alexander De Croo, leader of the UN Development Program, informed Reuters.

“Remittances for the Asia-Pacific area reach 100 billion annually, which used to transfer directly from one family to another, but this is increasingly fading away these days,” he stated. “Even if the war were to end tomorrow, the consequences are already present and will drive over 30 million people back into poverty.”

De Croo, a past Belgian prime minister, stated that this was a result of the rise in energy costs and increasing food insecurity. In addition to oil shipments, large quantities of fertilizer usually travel through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has essentially closed off.

He cautioned that food shortages will reach their highest point in a few months.

“The season for planting is here now,” he stated. “By acting now without access to fertilizers, productivity will significantly decrease in September, October, and November… food insecurity will reach its highest point in a few months.”

President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the Oval Office of the White House on Saturday. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

President Donald Trump directed the U.S. Navy to take down any Iranian vessels laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz.

“I have commanded the United States Navy to fire upon and eliminate any boats, regardless of size (All of their naval vessels, 159 in total, are sunk in the ocean!), that are laying mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz.” “Trump stated in a social media post that there should be no doubt.”

Simultaneously, Trump stated that the United States is engaged in efforts to remove mines from the strait.

“Our mine ‘sweepers’ are currently clearing the Strait.” “I am consequently directing that the activity proceed, but at a threefold increased intensity!” Trump stated.

Last month, Trump stated that the US military would strike any vessels that were deploying mines. The problem has resurfaced as Trump discusses ways to manage shipping routes through the strait amid increasing global economic pressures.

US President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have continuously stated that Iran’s naval fleet, estimated at roughly 150 vessels, has been annihilated. However, Xenix News has earlier indicated that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) possesses resources like small vessels.