US-Iran war as it happened: Iranian Speaker wants ceasefire in Lebanon before peace talks begin; Vance warns Iran not to ‘play’ US; Trump lashes out over Strait of Hormuz

A short time ago, a US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance arrived in the Pakistani capital for talks with Iranian officials in the coming hours.

The Iranian delegation arrived early Saturday in Islamabad, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf.

The streets of Pakistan’s normally bustling Islamabad were deserted as security forces sealed roads.

Authorities urged residents to stay inside, leading the city to appear under curfew.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s government set up a “state-of-the-art” media centre for local and foreign journalists, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said.

Harvest-ready rice fields are lying idle and farmers are considering skipping planting for the coming season, as spiking fuel and fertiliser costs hit one of the world’s biggest rice-growing regions.

Across South-East Asia, tens of millions of smallholders are struggling to find affordable crop nutrients as well as crucial diesel – raising concerns around food shortages.

In Thailand, some farmers are leaving the crop in the ground as it’s too expensive to harvest, while input costs have doubled or even tripled.

Rice is a staple for more than half of the world’s population, as well as a livelihood for many rural communities.

Some farmers are switching from rice to corn, which needs less water from diesel-fed irrigation machines.

Speaking on Al Jazeera, two former US diplomats shared their thoughts on the pressure points of US-Iran talks and whether a peace deal is likely.

Asked by the presenter about potential US concessions, former US ambassador to Kuwait and Iraq Douglas Alan Silliman said that depends on what Iran is willing to give up.

“I’m assuming that the United States will insist on some access to control and evacuation of the highly enriched uranium … I do not know how much they will insist on support for regional proxy forces, [or] how much they will insist on Iran’s inability to produce drones,” he said.

Silliman doubted “a complete deal” would be reached within the next two weeks, but hoped there would be “sufficient progress” and a willingness to extend talks with more detailed conversations.

Former ambassador and assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf said the crucial goal was deciding a road map to entirely re-open the Strait of Hormuz, with the nuclear issue “right behind it”.

Sticking with Chris Bowen’s press conference on fuel reserves, the energy minister also provided an update on the number of service stations with empty bowsers across the country. Here’s what he detailed in his update:

New South Wales – 88 stations without diesel, down nine from yesterday; 16 stations completely out of fuel.

Victoria – 30 stations without diesel, 17 without unleaded.

Queensland – 28 stations without diesel, 17 without unleaded.

South Australia – Nine stations without diesel, 10 without unleaded.

Energy Minister Chris Bowen has provided a weekly update on Australia’s fuel reserves, with diesel stocks up, and petrol and jet fuel stocks slightly down.

Addressing a media conference in Sydney this morning, Bowen said Australia’s reserves of diesel had reached 31 days of supply, up two days’ worth since last week. Petrol was down one day to 38 days of supply, while jet fuel was down two to 28 days’ worth of supply.

“With those reserve figures, I think it’s important to know that they are figures in reserve. It’s not the amount of fuel that we have, that’s a countdown. It is added to by the fuel that comes in, and of course it doesn’t count the fuel that’s in cars, and that’s in service stations right around Australia,” Bowen said.

“It’s designed to give that reassurance to Australians that in this very difficult international circumstance – which continues despite some progress, there’s still plenty of uncertainty internationally – that Australia is as well placed as we possibly could be.”