Crisis en el Medio Oriente en vivo: Irán amenaza con bloquear el transporte más allá del estrecho de Hormuz si continúa el bloqueo naval de EE. UU.

Donald Trump has suggested that another round of peace talks “could be happening over the next two days†in Pakistan.

But in Islamabad there is little sign of that, writes Shah Meer Baloch, and in fact the prime minister and head of the army are away on a foreign trip:

Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, accompanied by a high-level delegation, including army chief Asim Munir, departed for a four-day official visit to Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, leaving the chances of Iran-US second round of talks on Thursday or Friday in Islamabad dim.

Pakistan's foreign ministry said that Sharif was undertaking an official visit to the three countries to discuss ending the war from 15 to 18 April.

The development makes it very difficult for Iran and US talks to be held on Thursday, official sources said.

Iranian and Pakistani sources said that the talks would take place soon but there was very little hope of them being held in a day or two. The sources did not confirm any dates or venues although the Iranian sources said that they preferred the talks to held in Islamabad.

“We don't have confirmation about the venue of talks yet. Islamabad is one of the venues under discussion so far,†said one official Iranian source.

Donald Trump said he wrote a letter to Chinese president Xi Jinping telling him not to supply weapons to Iran.

In an interview with Fox News, Trump said he had heard and seen reports “all over the place†that Beijing was sending weapons to Tehran.

“I wrote him a letter asking him not to do that. And he wrote me a letter saying that essentially, he's not doing that,†Trump said, adding that Xi was “somebody I get along with very wellâ€.

Donald Trump's interview with Fox News is being broadcast, in which he is being asked about the Iran war and its impact on the US economy.

The US president said the war would slow economic growth, saying: “There's going to be a hit, but it's going to recover.â€

But he added that gas prices are “coming down very soon and very bigâ€, saying he believed they will be “much lower†before the midterm elections.

The US is reportedly sending thousands of additional soldiers to the Middle East in an attempt to pressure Iran into a deal to end the war, according to the Washington Post.

Citing US officials, the newspaper reported that about 6,000 troops aboard the aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush and several other warships could move into the region, while 4,200 others could join them towards the end of the month. The move would coincide with the two-week ceasefire ending on 22 April.

The Pentagon is also considering additional strikes against Iran or ground operations on Iranian soil, according to the officials, including missions to extract Iranian nuclear material, land marines on coastal areas to protect the strait of Hormuz and seize Kharg Island, a small Iranian outpost used as the country's main oil export terminal.

The US has not publicly commented on the report.

The Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said his country is not seeking war but dialogue, as he warned any attempt by the US to impose its will or force Tehran to surrender “is doomed to failureâ€.

In comments carried by the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), he said:

Iran is not seeking war or instability and has always emphasised dialogue and constructive engagement with various countries. However, any attempt to impose one's will or force the country to surrender is doomed to failure, and the Iranian nation will never accept such an approach.

China said it welcomes “all efforts conducive to a ceasefire and the cessation of hostilities†following reports that a second round of negotiations could take place in Pakistan.

Speaking at a press briefing today, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, praised Pakistan for its “role in facilitating a temporary ceasefire between the US and Iran and playing a fair and balanced mediating roleâ€.

Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said Iran has an “inalienable right†to enrich uranium for civilian purposes.

Whether Iran, in its negotiations with the US, chooses to “pause or insist on reserving this rightâ€, Russia will “support any approach based on the principle of the universality of the right to enrichmentâ€, Lavrov said at a press conference after an official visit to China, according to the Russian state-owned Tass news agency.

The Israeli military has issued another order forcing people to flee their homes south of the Zahrani river in southern Lebanon.

“The airstrikes are ongoing as the Israel Defense Forces operate with significant force in the area,†said Avichay Adraee, the Israeli military's Arabic language spokesperson.

The UN said Israel has issued warnings and displacement orders covering approximately 14% of Lebanon, including the whole region south of the Zahrani river, most of Beirut's southern suburbs and parts of the Bekaa region. They affect more than 100 towns and villages and have caused the displacement of more than a million people.

The Israeli military has continued its strikes on southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah said it launched rockets at several areas in northern Israel.

Lebanon's official National News Agency reported five people were killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit the southern Lebanese town of Ansariyah, while civil defence teams and paramedics recovered four bodies after an Israeli raid in the Qadmus area.

The news agency also reported two people were killed in drone strikes on two vehicles on the Tyre-Beirut coastal highway, near the towns of Saadiyat and Jiyeh south of the Lebanese capital. The strikes were reportedly the closest to Beirut in a week, after a series of Israel attacks on the Lebanese capital on 8 April killed more than 350 people.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Hezbollah group said it targeted several areas in northern Israel with rocket barrages this morning, including Metula, Kfar Giladi and Kiryat Shmona, according to reports by the Hezbollah-owned al-Manar TV.

The attacks come hours after Lebanon and Israel's ambassadors to the US held their first direct talks in decades in Washington. They agreed to hold further direct negotiations, although Hezbollah has strongly rejected the talks.

The Sky News interview is one of several Donald Trump has given in the past 24 hours, in which he has indicated the war with Iran may be nearing an end.

When asked by Sky whether a deal could happen before King Charles visits the US at the end of the month, Trump said: “It's possible. Very possible. They're beaten up pretty bad.â€

In an interview with Fox News, which is scheduled to air later this morning, the US president said the Iran war was “close to over, yeah, I mean I view it as very close to overâ€. In a short preview of the interview posted on social media last night, Trump said: “If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them [Iran] 20 years to rebuild that country. And we're not finished.

“We'll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly.â€

The clip came hours after he told the New York Post that another round of peace talks “could be happening over the next two days†in Pakistan.

Trump has previously suggested that the war was ending. In his address to the nation on 1 April, Trump said the war was “nearing completion†and could end in “two or three weeksâ€.

Donald Trump said he had given the UK a “good trade deal†and warned that the deal could “always be changedâ€.

When asked by Sky News for his thoughts on the special relationship, Trump replied: “With who?â€

After Sky clarified it meant with the UK, the US president replied: “It's the relationship where: when we asked them for help, they were not there. When we needed them, they were not there. When we didn't need them, they were not there. And they still aren't there.â€

He added: “It's been better, but it's sad. And we gave them a good trade deal, better than I had to, which can always be changed.â€