US-Iran war news updates: Netanyahu hid cancer treatment as war raged, Trump sends US delegation to Pakistan for Iran peace talks

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Pakistan ahead of the arrival of US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said on Friday that Witkoff and Kushner would meet Iran’s foreign minister in Islamabad.

“We’re hopeful that it will be a productive conversation and hopefully move the ball forward to a deal,” she said.

However, Iran has poured cold water on the suggestion the parties will meet directly.

Posting on X, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, “No meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the US”, and Iran’s observations will instead be “conveyed to Pakistan”, acting as an intermediary.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Friday morning (Washington time) that US forces would maintain a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz “for as long as it takes”, The New York Times reported.

The day before, a senior Iranian official declared on social media that its fighters had been hiding in sea caves in the strait to “devastate the aggressors”.

Both the United States and Iran have sought to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz since they agreed to a ceasefire. Iran says only ships that have permission from the country’s Revolutionary Guard will be allowed to pass. The US Navy says it is intercepting all ships coming from or travelling to Iranian ports.

In short, it is impossible to know who controls this vital shipping route at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. What’s certain is that the fate of the strait has become a critical issue not only for a resolution to the Iran-US conflict but also for the world economy.

Iranian forces said they seized two cargo ships near the strait on Wednesday, while the US military said Friday that it had stopped and turned around 34 vessels since it started blockading Iran’s ports.

Cancer patients in the UK are being left without vital drugs as medicine prices rise because of the Iran war, the London Telegraph reports.

Vital drugs used to treat cancer, as well as those used to manage symptoms, have been hit by a supply crisis, the paper says, while the prices of other key medicines used by millions of Britons have soared since the conflict began due to disruption to air freight routes and higher fuel costs.

Pharmacists warn that existing cancer drug shortages could worsen because of the war, while blood pressure drugs, steroids and other medicines used by cancer patients are also affected.

Research from 400 pharmacies across Britain by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), shared with the Telegraph, showed that all have experienced price increases in commonly prescribed medicines.

Good afternoon and thank you for reading our live coverage of the war in the Middle East.

If you are just joining us, here’s what you need to know:

• US President Donald Trump said earlier this month that the war in Iran would end “very soon”. This week, he had a different message: “Don’t rush me,” he said on Thursday (Washington time). Our North America correspondent, Michael Koziol, says it’s a message aimed primarily at Tehran. Read more here.
• US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who is President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, will head to Pakistan for talks on Iran this weekend, the White House said.
• However, it appears the two sides will not meet directly. Posting on X, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, “No meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the US”, and Iran’s observations will instead be “conveyed to Pakistan”, acting as an intermediary.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he hid recent treatment for prostate cancer amid fears it would be used to undermine him in Iranian propaganda.
• The Trump administration announced sanctions on Friday on an independent Chinese oil refinery and 19 oil tankers and their owners. It said the targets of the sanctions serve as “critical lifelines for Iran’s oil exports”.
• Aircraft across the globe are coming under strain from volatile fuel prices stemming from the Iran war, The New York Times reports.

Aircraft across the globe are coming under strain from volatile fuel prices stemming from the Iran war, The New York Times reports, particularly in Europe, where aviation fuel could run low by mid-May.

European airlines, including Lufthansa and KLM have already cut flights, and others could follow, while carriers everywhere are increasingly passing costs on to passengers by raising airfares, charging more for baggage and adding on fuel surcharges.

“There is a level of uncertainty here that we have not seen since COVID when it comes to travel,” said Katy Nastro, a travel expert at Going.com told the Times. “This will be a challenging year for the average traveller hoping to take an affordable summer vacation.”

Jet fuel prices have soared by more than 70 per cent since the war began, according to the Platts Jet Fuel Price Index. American carriers are expecting to spend billions more on fuel this year. At least one carrier, Spirit Airlines, already in bankruptcy, has asked the government for a bailout.

Analysts warn, too, that the situation could take months to stabilise even if the war ends soon.

“It won’t happen overnight,” said Rob Britton, adjunct professor of crisis management at Georgetown University. “It’s a total, total mess.”

Several Australian flags instead of British flags were mistakenly placed near the White House ahead of King Charles’ US visit, although the error was quickly corrected, a District of Columbia official has said.

Fifteen Australian flags were briefly included among more than 230 flags put on display to welcome the King when he arrives in the US capital on Monday. They were later replaced with the Union Jack, the official said.

The state visit, to mark the ‌250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence from British rule, is widely seen as the most high-profile trip of the King’s reign so far.

The trip will aim to shore up what is called the “special relationship” between the allies, which has sunk to its lowest point in 70 years amid strains over the war in Iran.

Reuters