Trump Sends Vance-Led Team to Pakistan as Iran Occupies Hormuz

Trump announced Vance will lead a US negotiating team to Pakistan for peace talks with Iran.

Vance may not attend due to safety, security concerns.

Al Jazeera

The talks come on the heels of a fragile two-week ceasefire brokered through Pakistani mediation.

Both sides claimed victory from the ceasefire which included a partial reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian state media re-closed the Strait of Hormuz despite the ceasefire.

The ceasefire's geographical scope was unclear regarding Lebanon.

Al Jazeera

Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed between 180 and 260 people in a single day.

Contradictory claims raised questions about whether the ceasefire would hold.

Vance had been the administration's biggest skeptic of the Iran war.

“Islamabad, Pakistan – Standing before reporters at the White House, US President Donald Trump was asked whether a ceasefire with Iran was within reach”

Al Jazeera

Security concerns created tension around his participation.

Leavitt defended Trump's apocalyptic rhetoric as part of a negotiating strategy.

The diplomatic push represented a pivot from the administration's prior emphasis on military effort.

Congressional Democrats demanded emergency briefings on the constitutional basis for the war.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll found only 27% of Americans approved of the strikes.

Al-Masry Al-Youm

The Atlantic Council called the campaign a high-risk gamble with unclear objectives.

The war devastated Iran's infrastructure and left more than 1,200 children dead.

Israel continued to strike Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.

Al-Monitor

Up to 180,000 people were displaced across Lebanon.

Iran made clear the war would not be over until the entire 10-point plan was finalized.