War in the Middle East: latest developments

The latest developments in the Middle East war:

Hezbollah strikes 

Hezbollah said it targeted 13 northern Israeli towns with rockets shortly after the start of Lebanese-Israeli talks in Washington.

US turns back ships 

The US military said it stopped six ships from sailing out of Iranian ports during the first 24 hours of a naval blockade against the Islamic Republic.

Earlier, maritime tracking data indicated that at least two ships sailing from Iranian ports passed through the Strait of Hormuz despite the blockade.

They were among at least four Iran-linked vessels that used the route after Washington's blockade came into effect at 1400 GMT on Monday, according to maritime data provider Kpler.

 Trump hints at new talks

US President Donald Trump told the New York Post on Tuesday that a second round of Iran talks could happen in Pakistan "over the next two days," after a first round ended at the weekend without a deal.

"You should stay there, really, because something could be happening over the next two days, and we're more inclined to go there," Trump was quoted as saying in a phone interview with a Post reporter in Islamabad.

Earlier senior Pakistani sources told AFP that Pakistan was working to bring Iran and the United States together for a second round of talks, with one source saying negotiators were working to extend the countries' current two-week ceasefire "to allow for additional time".

Seize' the opportunity

Foreign ministers from 17 countries urged Israel and Lebanon to seize the opportunity.

Britain's foreign ministry posted the ministers' joint statement saying "direct negotiations can pave the way to bring lasting security for Lebanon and Israel as well as the region".

Israel-Lebanon talks

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for Israel and Lebanon to seize a "historic opportunity" for peace as the first direct talks in decades between the two countries got underway in Washington.

Ahead of the taks, Israel said it was open to peace with Lebanon, but that Hezbollah remained the "problem" blocking an agreement on ending fighting.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said in a statement: "I hope that the meeting in Washington... will mark the beginning of the end of the suffering of the Lebanese people in general, and those in the south in particular."

The United States is pressing for a halt to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, fearing it could derail the two-week ceasefire in Washington's war with Iran.

Trump 'shocked' at Meloni's war stance

US President Donald Trump criticised Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a political ally, in an interview published on Tuesday for her unwillingness to help in the Iran war.

"I'm shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong," he told Italian daily Corriere della Sera.

Stocks rise, oil slips 

Stock markets climbed and oil prices retreated on rekindled hopes for a deal to end the Middle East war and reopen the key Strait of Hormuz.

Wall Street's main indices rose as trading got underway, and European equity markets were higher in afternoon trading.

The main international oil contracts fell back to levels just below $100 a barrel.

 Journalist detained  

Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, an American-Kuwaiti journalist, has been detained for weeks and charged in Kuwait, the Committee to Protect Journalists said.

Hundreds of people have been arrested across the Gulf as states seek to limit the spread of footage documenting the effects of Iran's attacks.

 Red Cross sends aid

The international Red Cross and Red Crescent said a shipment of medical supplies and other aid crossed the border into Iran on Sunday, its first delivery since the start of the war.

IMF cuts region's forecast  

The International Monetary Fund sharply reduced its 2026 growth forecast for the Middle East and North Africa to 1.1 percent as war chokes Gulf oil and gas exports. It had previously expected 3.9-percent regional growth this year.

Iran, Iraq and Qatar will be particularly hard-hit, the IMF's World Economic Outlook warned. Growth should rebound next year, as long as energy production and transport are "normalised" over the next few months, the IMF predicted.