WASHINGTON, April 14 (Reuters) - The Lebanese government made it clear during U.S.-brokered talks with Israel that they no longer want to be "occupied" by Hezbollah and that there were conversations about long-term vision for clearly delineated border, Israel's ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter told reporters on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Simon Lewis, Humeyra Pamuk and Ryan Patrick Jones, Editing by Bhargav Acharya)

By Kate Abnett

BRUSSELS, April 14 (Reuters) - The European Union plans to reduce electricity taxes and expand clean technologies faster to cut consumers' exposure to soaring oil and gas prices, as part of its plan to offsetthe Iran war's energy impact, a draft document showed.

Europe's ​heavy reliance on oil and gas imports has left it exposed to spiralling prices ⁠since the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global oil and gas shipping route, was effectively closed and Tehran ​started attacking energy infrastructure in the Middle East.

April 14 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday the indication the United Nations had was that it was highly probable talks to end the Iran war will restart.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Iran talks could resume in Pakistan over the next two days, according to an interview with the New York Post.

Asked what the United Nations knew about such prospects, Guterres told reporters at the U.N., "The indication we have is that it is highly probable that these talks will restart."

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni received a sharp rebuke from US President Donald Trump and suspended a defence agreement with Israel on Tuesday, signalling a shift in her foreign relations.

The far-right prime minister was the only European leader to attend Trump's inauguration in 2025 and has sought to position herself as a bridge between Europe and his administration.

While ties with Israel were already becoming strained over the Gaza war, the relationship with Washington has been increasingly tense since US-Israeli strikes on Iran set off the Middle East war.

By Philip Blenkinsop

BRUSSELS, April 14 (Reuters) - Fertiliser shortages due to the Iran war are a pressing concern for developing countries and gains from rising oil and gas prices for developing world producers are likely to be short-lived, the head of the United Nations trade agency said on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON, April 14 (Reuters) - No ships have made it past a U.S. naval blockade of Iran's ports and coastal areas, and six merchant ships have followed orders to turn back, the U.S. military said on Tuesday, providing the first details on a day-old effort ordered by President Donald Trump after peace talks between the U.S. and Iran broke down.

The U.S. military has said that the blockade, which started on Monday, would only apply to ships going to or from Iran, including all Iranian ports on the Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

WASHINGTON, April 14 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Iran talks could resume in Pakistan over the next two days, according to an interview with the New York Post.

"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.

Trump said Pakistan's Army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, was doing a "great job" on the talks.

"He's fantastic, and therefore it's more likely that we go back there," Trump said.

The United States and Israel may have obstructed the path towards a future Iran-built nuclear bomb by severely damaging the Islamic republic's nuclear and ballistic capabilities in recent attacks.

But they have not succeeded in seizing its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, key to any future negotiations between Washington and Tehran, experts and diplomatic sources told AFP.

Direct talks between Israel and Lebanon concluded in Washington on Tuesday, with Israel's envoy hailing a "wonderful exchange" and saying the two countries are "on the same side" in opposing Iran-backed Hezbollah.

"We enjoyed it together. We had a wonderful exchange of over two hours," Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter told reporters following the talks.

"We discovered today that we're on the same side," he said, adding: "We are both united in liberating Lebanon from (an) occupation power dominated by Iran called Hezbollah."

ROME, April 14 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump told an Italian newspaper on Tuesday he was "shocked" by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and had expected her to be more courageous, delivering a blunt public rebuke to one of his closest European allies.

Meloni had been a vociferous supporter of Trump, but she has criticised his decision to go to war with Iran, and on Monday, denounced his weekend criticism of Pope Leo as "unacceptable".