Iran resumed commercial flights from Tehran's international airport on Saturday for the first time since the conflict with the United States and Israel began approximately two months ago. State-run television reported that flights departed from Imam Khomeini International Airport bound for Istanbul, Muscat, and Medina. Flightradar24 data showed at least three Istanbul-bound flights took off on Saturday morning. Iran partially reopened its airspace earlier this month amid a ceasefire with the US that halted fighting between the two nations.
Diplomatic Efforts in Pakistan
US envoys are expected to travel to Pakistan on Saturday in a renewed bid to salvage ceasefire talks with Tehran, even as Iran ruled out direct negotiations with US representatives. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad and met twice with Pakistan's top military and political leaders. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry stated that the Iranian delegation will hold talks with senior leadership, while US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are anticipated to arrive, though no specific time has been announced.
Ceasefire Extension and Indirect Talks
President Donald Trump announced an indefinite extension of the ceasefire with Iran earlier this week, honoring Islamabad's request for more diplomatic time. The White House confirmed that Witkoff and Kushner would meet with Araghchi, but Iran's ministry stated any talks would be indirect, with Pakistani officials conveying messages between the sides. Previous indirect talks in Geneva on February 27 over Iran's nuclear program ended without a deal, and the next day Israel and the US began the war against Iran.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that the president sent Witkoff and Kushner to Pakistan “to hear the Iranians out,” noting progress from the Iranian side in recent days without providing details.
Economic Fallout and Jones Act Waiver
Separately, the White House announced a 90-day extension of the Jones Act waiver, easing non-American vessels to transport oil and natural gas. This follows a 60-day waiver in March to stabilize energy prices after the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which a fifth of the world's oil passes in peacetime. Iran has maintained a stranglehold on the strait, attacking three ships earlier this week, while the US maintains a blockade on Iranian ports and Trump ordered the military to “shoot and kill” small boats potentially placing mines.
Brent crude oil prices retreated on the news, fluctuating between $103 and $107 per barrel, still nearly 50% higher than on February 28 when the war began. The squeeze on shipments through the strait has disrupted global maritime trade, including through the Panama Canal.
Casualties and Regional Tensions
Since the war began, at least 3,375 people have been killed in Iran and over 2,490 in Lebanon, where new fighting erupted between Israel and Hezbollah two days after the war started. Additionally, 23 people were killed in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 US service members across the region have died. The UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL reported that an Indonesian peacekeeper died from wounds sustained in an attack on March 29, raising the toll to six peacekeepers killed since the war erupted.
Lebanon Ceasefire Extension
The situation in Lebanon remains tense after Trump announced a three-week extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, though Hezbollah has not participated in the US-brokered diplomacy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed “a process to achieve a historic peace between Israel and Lebanon.” The Israeli army ordered residents of the southern Lebanese village of Deir Aames to evacuate, accusing Hezbollah of using the village to launch attacks. Israel's military said it downed a drone over Lebanon after a surface-to-air missile launch by Hezbollah, while the militant group claimed it shot down an Israeli drone over Tyre.
