Report: US, Iranian Teams Could Return to Islamabad for Peace Talks This Week

US Vice President JD Vance (L) is welcomed by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ahead of their meeting on Iran  amid the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad on April 11, 2026. (AFP)
US Vice President JD Vance (L) is welcomed by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ahead of their meeting on Iran amid the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad on April 11, 2026. (AFP)
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Report: US, Iranian Teams Could Return to Islamabad for Peace Talks This Week

US Vice President JD Vance (L) is welcomed by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ahead of their meeting on Iran  amid the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad on April 11, 2026. (AFP)
US Vice President JD Vance (L) is welcomed by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ahead of their meeting on Iran amid the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad on April 11, 2026. (AFP)

Negotiating teams from the US and Iran could return to Islamabad later this week, five sources said on Tuesday, days after the highest-level talks between the two countries in decades ended without a breakthrough.

A source involved in the talks said a date was not yet decided, but both countries could return as early as the end of this week.

"No firm ‌date has been ‌set, with the delegations keeping Friday through Sunday ‌open," ⁠a senior Iranian ⁠source said.

The weekend meeting in Pakistan's capital to resolve the conflict between the US and Iran, held four days after last Tuesday's ceasefire announcement, was the first direct encounter between US and Iranian officials in more than a decade, and the most senior engagement since Iran's 1979 revolution.

A proposal has been shared with both the US and ⁠Iran to resend their delegates to resume the ‌talks, the first source said.

Two Pakistani sources ‌with knowledge of the talks said Islamabad was communicating with the two sides ‌about the timing of the next round and the meeting would ‌likely take place on the weekend.

"We have reached out to Iran and we got a positive response that they will be open to a second round of talks," a senior Pakistani government official said.

Pakistan's foreign ministry, military and ‌prime minister's office did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. The White House also did ⁠not immediately respond ⁠to a request for comment.

US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf led their respective delegations in the last round of talks to work out a slew of issues, including the Strait of Hormuz, a major transit point for global energy supplies that Iran has effectively blocked but the US has vowed to reopen, as well as Iran's nuclear program and international sanctions on Tehran.

Vance told reporters after the talks ended that "we leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer."

"We'll see if the Iranians accept it."



Italian PM Says Suspends Defense Agreement with Israel

 Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks at the lower house of Parliament to report on her government’s actions and is expected to speak on the latest developments in Iran, in Rome, Italy, April 9, 2026. (Reuters)
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks at the lower house of Parliament to report on her government’s actions and is expected to speak on the latest developments in Iran, in Rome, Italy, April 9, 2026. (Reuters)
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Italian PM Says Suspends Defense Agreement with Israel

 Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks at the lower house of Parliament to report on her government’s actions and is expected to speak on the latest developments in Iran, in Rome, Italy, April 9, 2026. (Reuters)
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks at the lower house of Parliament to report on her government’s actions and is expected to speak on the latest developments in Iran, in Rome, Italy, April 9, 2026. (Reuters)

Italy has suspended its defense agreement with Israel, which involves the exchange of military equipment and technology research, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and diplomatic sources said Tuesday. 

"In view of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defense agreement with Israel," Meloni said on the sidelines of an event in Verona, according to Italian news agencies ANSA and AGI. 

An Italian diplomatic source confirmed to AFP that the agreement had been suspended, saying: "It would have been politically difficult to keep it going." 

Approved by Israel in 2006, the agreement is reviewed every five years. 

It calls for cooperation across defense industries, education and training of military personnel, research and development and information technology, among others. 

Tensions between the two countries have risen over the past week after the Italian government accused Israeli forces of firing warning shots at a convoy of Italian UN peacekeepers in Lebanon. 

Italy summoned Israel's ambassador in protest over the incident that damaged at least one vehicle but caused no injuries. 

On Monday, Israel summoned Italy's ambassador following comments by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani that condemned "unacceptable attacks" on Lebanese civilians by Israeli forces. 

Tajani, who is deputy prime minister, was in Beirut Monday for talks with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi. 

He later wrote on X that he was there to "convey Italy's solidarity following Israel's unacceptable attacks against the civilian population". 


France, UK to Host Hormuz Talks Friday

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during Ministerial Statement on the Middle East at the House of Commons in London, Britain, April 13, 2026. (House of Commons/Handout via Reuters)
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during Ministerial Statement on the Middle East at the House of Commons in London, Britain, April 13, 2026. (House of Commons/Handout via Reuters)
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France, UK to Host Hormuz Talks Friday

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during Ministerial Statement on the Middle East at the House of Commons in London, Britain, April 13, 2026. (House of Commons/Handout via Reuters)
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during Ministerial Statement on the Middle East at the House of Commons in London, Britain, April 13, 2026. (House of Commons/Handout via Reuters)

France and Britain will co-host a video conference Friday of countries ready to contribute to a "purely defensive mission" to secure the Strait of Hormuz, the French president's office said.

President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will co-chair the meeting to discuss a plan to "restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz when security conditions allow", it said on Tuesday.

A spokesman for the British prime minister's office said: "The summit will advance work towards a coordinated, independent, multinational plan to safeguard international shipping once the conflict ends."

US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February sparked a region-wide war and brought traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to a near standstill, blocking a key route for global oil and gas shipments.

Iran and the United States last week agreed to a two-week cessation of hostilities, but ceasefire talks between the warring sides in Pakistan over the weekend ended in failure.

US President Donald Trump responded by ordering his navy to carry out a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday.


School Shooting in Türkiye Leaves 16 Wounded, Attacker Dead

Police forensic officers inspect a scene near the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on April 7, 2026, following a shootout between gunmen and police. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
Police forensic officers inspect a scene near the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on April 7, 2026, following a shootout between gunmen and police. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
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School Shooting in Türkiye Leaves 16 Wounded, Attacker Dead

Police forensic officers inspect a scene near the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on April 7, 2026, following a shootout between gunmen and police. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
Police forensic officers inspect a scene near the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on April 7, 2026, following a shootout between gunmen and police. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)

An ex-student opened fire at his former high school Tuesday in Türkiye, where school shootings are rare, wounding 16 people including students before killing himself, officials said.

Special security forces were deployed to the school in southeastern Türkiye 's Sanliurfa province, where students were evacuated, the local governor, Hasan Sildak, told reporters.

Television footage showed ambulances standing by outside the school in the Siverek district as students fled the building in panic.

Sildak identified the attacker as a former student at the school, born in 2007.

"He took his own life when cornered by police," the governor said.

"We have evacuated the school and will carry out a thorough investigation into this tragic incident," he added.

Local media reported that most of the wounded were students.