Mediators push to extend U.S.-Iran ceasefire

Mediators push to extend U.S.-Iran ceasefire April 16, 20267:45 AM ET By  NPR Staff A woman walks past a large billboard referring to the Strait of Hormuz in Tehran's Vanak Square on April 15, 2026. AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption AFP via Getty Images Pakistan's foreign ministry said Thursday that the United States and Iran expected to host a second round of peace talks aimed at finding a permanent end to the nearly seven-week war in the Middle East, as a delegation of Pakistani mediators arrived in Tehran for talks with Iranian officials. National Security 3 things to know about naval blockades as U.S. begins patrols in the Strait of Hormuz Pakistani officials said Lebanon remained a part of the two-week ceasefire currently in place. "Peace in Lebanon is essential for peace talks," Tahir Andrabi, a spokesperson for Pakistan's foreign ministry told Reuters. Israel, however, continued operations in southern Lebanon Thursday, including an airstrike that destroyed the last bridge linking southern Lebanon to the rest of the country. The strikes resumed as President Trump announced that the two sides were "trying to get a little breathing room" between Israel and Lebanon" and that the leaders of the two countries were slated to speak on Thursday, for the first time in over three decades. Sponsor Message An Israeli official said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would speak with Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun Thursday, though Lebanon's presidency told NPR it did not have any information about such talks. Here are more updates from the region: U.S.-Iran talks | Israel-Lebanon talks | Iranian threats Lebanese displaced woman Mariam Zein sits with her son inside the classroom of a school transformed into a displaced reception center in the area of Dekwaneh, east of Beirut on April 15, 2026. Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Joseph Eid/AFP via Getty Images Pakistan army chief visits Tehran to revive talks Pakistan's army chief,...