Vice President JD Vance will lead a U.S. delegation to Pakistan for peace talks with Iran, the White House announced Wednesday. The initial negotiations are scheduled for Saturday. Iran's delegation is expected to be headed by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
The talks follow a temporary ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, which initially boosted world financial markets. However, fighting continues regionally, with Israel launching significant attacks on Lebanon and Iran targeting Gulf neighbors' oil facilities.
Despite the U.S.-Iran truce, Israel escalated its conflict with Iran-aligned Hezbollah in Lebanon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated Israel would continue strikes against Hezbollah, emphasizing that their objectives in the war with Iran were not fully met. Iran has warned it could withdraw from the ceasefire if attacks on Lebanon persist.
Lebanon reported 254 casualties from Israeli strikes on Wednesday. Following the ceasefire announcement, Brent crude prices saw a significant drop, and U.S. stocks rose.