Lebanon tensions cloud path to Iran-US talks

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Iran's state news agency IRNA says Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi will travel to Tehran on Saturday for talks with senior Iranian officials.

Al Arabiya had reported earlier that Naqvi will visit Iran and meet with senior officials to "follow up" the progress of the negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is uniquely positioned to benefit from any economic gains generated by sanctions relief, Reuters reported citing for senior Iranian sources.

The report says renewed oil exports and foreign investment could bring a windfall for the guards if negotiations between Washington and Tehran succeed.

For years, the Guards expanded their influence under sanctions, building a vast commercial network spanning energy, construction, shipping, telecommunications, ports and other strategic sectors of the economy.

The southern shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz is open "day or night," the UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) said on Friday, as it lowered its threat assessment for the strategic waterway from "substantial" to "moderate."

In its latest advisory, UKMTO said vessels could continue using the route, which runs close to Oman, but warned mariners of the possible presence of mines and ongoing naval clearance operations.

"Mariners should be advised of the existence of mines and expect naval presence as clearance operations continue," the advisory said.

A message attributed to Iran’s Supreme Leader suggesting he had reservations about the agreement with the United States has sparked a fierce debate in Tehran, with hardliners and moderates offering sharply different interpretations of its meaning and implications.

Supporters of the government presented it as a roadmap for the next phase of diplomacy, while critics argued it showed the leader’s preferred approach had been sidelined during negotiations.

Hardline media outlets and political figures offered a starkly different reading, arguing that the message showed the leader’s views had not been fully reflected in the negotiation process.

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Pakistan's Interior Minister is expected to visit Tehran to follow up on the progress of negotiations between Iran and the United States, according to unnamed Arab sources cited by Al Arabiya.

Pakistan has played a central mediating role in efforts to secure and advance the US-Iran memorandum of understanding and the negotiations that followed.

The memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran is exposing divisions among Democrats, with some lawmakers criticizing the agreement as a concession to Tehran while others argue the priority should be avoiding a return to war.

Sen. John Hickenlooper denounced the deal in a post on X.

"People have faced increased costs in the US for months because of this war," he wrote. "Iran gets money back. Americans do not. It's despicable."

But Sen. Chris Van Hollen argued that Democrats should frame the conflict itself as a strategic mistake and resist calls for renewed military action.

"The war has been a blunder," Van Hollen said. "There is no good way out of a bad war."

"When you're in a hole, stop digging," he added.

Molavi Abdolhamid, Iran's most prominent Sunni cleric, welcomed the memorandum signed between Tehran and Washington, saying it could benefit ordinary Iranians if widespread corruption allowed.

Speaking during Friday prayers in Zahedan, the Sunni Friday prayer leader said the agreement was in the interests of the Iranian nation.

"If financial corruption is not eliminated, there is a risk that released assets will also be wasted and the people of Iran will not benefit from them," he warned.

US President Donald Trump is defending the newly signed US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding as a diplomatic victory, insisting Iran has been weakened by months of conflict and entered negotiations out of desperation.

But some Iran experts argue the agreement risks delivering significant concessions to Tehran while leaving key disputes unresolved.

David Schenker, former US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, told Eye for Iran he was surprised by the scope of benefits Iran could receive under the agreement.

"I don't feel good about it," Schenker said.

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White House envoy Steve Witkoff is traveling to Switzerland, where the first round of negotiations on a potential US-Iran nuclear agreement is expected to take place, according to Axios reporter Barak Ravid.

Citing a US official, Ravid reported that President Donald Trump's envoy Jared Kushner is already in Switzerland ahead of the anticipated talks.

The presence of two senior Trump envoys in Switzerland is likely to fuel expectations that negotiations could begin soon, although neither side has publicly announced a date for the opening round.