SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Negotiations between the U.S. and Iran are in question today. Iran's foreign minister was in Pakistan but left a short while ago without meeting with U.S. officials. That according to Iranian state media. According to Fox News, President Trump has told one of their reporters he was canceling the U.S. delegation's planned trip to Islamabad today, and all of this occurs as a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon was extended, which Iran had demanded in order for those talks to take place. We're joined now by NPR's Kat Lonsdorf in Beirut. Kat, thanks for being with us.
KAT LONSDORF, BYLINE: Hey, Scott.
SIMON: Let's begin with the peace talks that have not been so in Islamabad. We just heard moments ago, negotiations have been canceled for today.
LONSDORF: Right.
SIMON: In any case, that would have been second round of talks. We're at two months of war now. Where does that leave these potential negotiations?
LONSDORF: Yeah. I mean, so it was supposed to be special envoy Steve Wykoff and President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner going, but Trump just told Fox News that he is going to cancel that trip, as you said. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, was just in Islamabad, but he left earlier today. You know, Iranian officials had made it clear that they only planned to meet with Pakistani officials, which they did today, not with the U.S. This is all happening after Trump unilaterally extended the temporary ceasefire with Iran earlier this week, hours before it was set to expire, without indicating a new expiration date. But Iran has dismissed that extension as, quote, "meaningless," saying that the continued U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports is in violation of the deal.
SIMON: Standstill between the U.S. and Iran in and around the Strait of Hormuz has been at the center of the back-and-forth, hasn't it?
LONSDORF: Right, and neither side seems to be budging on that. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said yesterday that the U.S. will maintain its blockade around the strait for, quote, "as long as it takes." The U.S. says it's intercepting any ships coming to or from Iranian ports, more than 30 so far. That's as Iran has maintained its military control of the strait itself, keeping most commercial ships from passing through. So basically, most ships are stuck. There was hope that these talks in Pakistan might unlock that situation, but that doesn't seem to be likely now.
SIMON: President Trump recently announced a three-week extension of the ceasefire where you are in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah. Where does that fit into the potential of any talks?
LONSDORF: Yeah. I mean, Hezbollah here in Lebanon is back by Iran and largely answers to that state. Iran had said that it wouldn't engage in further talks with the U.S. unless a ceasefire here was in place. So it was crucial that this ceasefire get extended in order for the U.S.-Iranian talks in Pakistan to keep moving forward. Now it's unclear where that stands as well.
SIMON: Kat, you've recently reported from the south of Lebanon, where most of the fighting has taken place. What did you see?
LONSDORF: Yeah. So, you know, it is relatively calmer in the south of Lebanon now, but life is definitely not back to normal there for most people. The Israeli military is still occupying a large swath of Lebanese land along the border, including dozens of villages and towns. Many people still can't return home. And, you know, it's important to point out that while, diplomatically, the ceasefire agreement is still in place here, both Israel and Hezbollah are still acknowledging attacks almost daily. Israel has been carrying out airstrikes against what it says are Hezbollah targets. After that, you know, Hezbollah has been firing rockets into northern Israel, all of which have been intercepted recently. You know, many of the people I talked to in the south told me that they're worried that if talks between the U.S. and Iran fall apart, you know, completely, the war here in Lebanon will almost certainly reignite in full.
SIMON: NPR's Kat Lonsdorf in Beirut. Kat, thanks so much.
LONSDORF: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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