Diplomacy to end Iran war ramps up as Trump touts Israel-Lebanon talks

U.S. Naval forces will now board sanctioned ships "and vessels suspected of carrying contraband," regardless of their location in the waters around Iran, Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) said Thursday, after a number of U.S.-sanctioned ships were tracked entering the Strait of Hormuz despite the ongoing blockade of Iranian ports.

In an update published Thursday, first shared by the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Center, NAVCENT said all Iranian vessels, vessels with active sanctions, and those suspected of carrying contraband will be subject to interdiction, search and seizure regardless of their location in the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea. 

The list of contraband includes petroleum, oil and lubricants that the Navy says are key to Iran's military operations and sustaining its war-time economy. 

It came after CBS News tracked two Iran-flagged container ships and multiple tankers under active U.S. Treasury sanctions transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday. The ships were visible on open-source tracking websites. Data from the tracking website MarineTraffic.com showed at least one sanctioned crude oil tanker that made the journey had previously called at Iranian ports. 

Any ships calling at Iranian ports can be stopped under the terms of the U.S. blockade, but the Pentagon has said American forces will not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports. 

The U.S. Navy said Wednesday that it had turned back 10 Iranian-flagged oil tankers attempting to evade the blockade.  

Thursday's update means some ships that entered the Persian Gulf after the blockade began on Monday could now be stopped and searched by U.S. forces if they attempt to exit the strait again. One sanctioned crude oil tanker that entered the Gulf Wednesday has since turned off its transponder multiple times near Iran's Kish Island, possibly indicating it intends to call at an Iranian port.

Ships can turn off their AIS transponders, or even broadcast false locations to conceal their true whereabouts.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived Thursday in Qatar as part of a regional visit aimed at discussions on the ongoing U.S.-Iran peace process and efforts to promote stability in the Middle East. 

According to a statement from the prime minister's office, Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi received Sharif upon his arrival in Doha on Thursday. Sharif is scheduled to meet Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi greets Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif upon Sharif's arrival at Doha International Airport, in Doha, Qatar, April 16, 2026. Pakistan's Prime Minister's Office/Handout/REUTERS

From Qatar, Sharif will travel to Turkey before returning home on Saturday.

Sharif's visit to countries including Saudi Arabia, where he was earlier Thursday, and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir's trip to Iran this week are part of "collective efforts" aimed at promoting regional peace and de-escalation, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

"Pakistan is being recognized for its constructive diplomatic engagement in supporting de-escalation, ceasefire efforts and a broader pursuit of stability between the United States and Iran," ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi said.

Pakistan has encouraged dialogue, facilitated message exchanges and helped create a peaceful space for meaningful negotiations such as the recent talks between the U.S. and Iran, Andrabi said.

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun stressed the importance of a ceasefire with Israel in a conversation with British Minister of State for Middle East Affairs Hamish Nicholas Falconer, the office of the Lebanese Presidency said in a social media post Thursday.

President Trump has said the leaders of Israel and Lebanon will speak Thursday, though Lebanon has not confirmed that the talks will take place.

Aoun said a ceasefire would be a natural starting point for direct talks between Israel and Lebanon, stressing that negotiations would be conducted by "the Lebanese authority alone," the implication being that members of Hezbollah, an Iran-allied U.S. and Israeli-designated terrorist organization that has been exchanging fire with Israel across Lebanon's southern border, would not be involved.

Aoun said Lebanon was eager to stop the violence, and an "essential step" to consolidating a ceasefire with Israel would be the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the south of Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army all the way down to the two country's shared border.

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Nabatieh, Lebanon, April 16, 2026. Stringer/REUTERS

The U.K. offered Lebanon nearly 28 million dollars worth of humanitarian assistance to support the hundreds of thousands of Lebanese people who have been displaced from their homes due to the conflict with Israel, the office of the Lebanese presidency said.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a visit to the Kingdom Wednesday, briefing him on Pakistan's efforts to ease U.S.-Iran tensions and assuring him of Islamabad's "full support," his office said before dawn Thursday.

Wednesday's meeting lasted more than two hours, and Sharif was accompanied by Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

The statement said the crown prince praised what it described as the constructive role played by Sharif and Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, in the peace process.

Sharif dispatched Munir to Tehran for talks with Iranian leaders.

Pakistan has long maintained close ties with Saudi Arabia while also keeping relations with Iran.

President Trump says leaders of Israel and Lebanon will speak Thursday, as Washington pushes to ease hostilities after the rivals' first direct talks in decades on Tuesday.

"Trying to get a little breathing room between Israel and Lebanon," Mr. Trump said late Wednesday on his Truth Social platform, apparently referring to the meeting held in Washington the day before - the first direct negotiations between senior officials from the two countries since 1993 — and to Thursday's planned discussion.

He didn't identify Thursday's participants or give details but said, "It has been a long time since the two leaders have spoken, like 34 years. It will happen tomorrow. Nice!"

Israeli Army Radio, also known as GLZ Radio, said Thursday that, "Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel confirmed in an interview that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will speak with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun."

GLZ quoted Gamliel as saying, "I hope that this move will ultimately lead to prosperity and flourishing for Lebanon as a country. This is a move that was conceived over time."

A senior Trump administration official said earlier that the president would "welcome" an end to hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, but stressed that any such outcome isn't part of talks between Washington and Tehran.

Iran disagrees strongly, and called Israel's ongoing attacks in Lebanon a violation of the ongoing two-week ceasefire between Tehran and Washington. The ceasefire has held, however, after Israel scaled back its strikes in Lebanon's capital and other areas away from the south of the country, where it continues to occupy ground.

Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war on March 2 after the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah attacked Israel.

Since then, Israeli strikes have killed more than 2,000 people in Lebanon, health officials there say, and displaced more than one million in that nation, and Israeli ground forces have invaded Lebanon's south.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart that reopening the Strait of Hormuz was a unanimous demand from the international community.

Wang Yi told Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a phone call late Wednesday that Iran's sovereignty, security, and legitimate rights should be respected as a littoral state of the Strait of Hormuz, but freedom of navigation and safety through the strait should be ensured.

"Working to resume normal passage of the strait is a unanimous call from the international community," Wang was quoted as saying in a government statement.

Wang noted that the current situation had reached a critical juncture between war and peace, and also said that the window of peace was opening.

Earlier Wednesday, President Trump said that China had agreed not to send weapons to Iran. China has long been a supporter of Iran's ballistic missile program.  

Mr. Trump's trip to China, originally scheduled for early April, was delayed to mid-May because of the Iran War.