The latest developments in the Middle East war:
- Israeli soldier killed -
Israel's military said a soldier died during combat in southern Lebanon, where fighting has not stopped despite a temporary ceasefire.
It was the second death of a soldier announced by Israel since the start of a 10-day truce announced by the United States began on Friday -- part of wider efforts to bring a permanent end to the Middle East war.
April 18 (Reuters) - Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned an attack on members of the French contingent of the U.N. peacekeeping force UNIFIL on Saturday and ordered an immediate investigation into the incident, according to a post on X.
(Reporting by Enas Alashray; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
No date has been set for the next round of Iran–US peace talks brokered by Pakistan following the failure of an initial round, Iran's deputy foreign minister said on Saturday.
"Until we agree on the framework, we cannot set a date," Saeed Khatibzadeh told journalists on the sidelines of an annual diplomatic forum in Turkey's southern Antalya province.
"We hope that as soon as we can finalise that, then we can move on to the next step".
April 18 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a summit in Turkey's Antalya that the time has come for a conversation with the U.S. about how Washington sees future economic ties with Russia, but that differences remain between the two countries.
Lavrov also said that NATO is "not in the best state", but that Russia would not meddle in the alliance's internal affairs.
Russia has made renewed economic cooperation with the U.S. a core part of its pitch for a diplomatic detente with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
By Joshua McElwee
YAOUNDE, April 18 (Reuters) - Pope Leo sets off on Saturday for Angola, where he is expected to address exploitation of natural resources in the oil-rich country on the third leg of his four-nation Africa tour, during which he has taken on a new forceful speaking style.
Leo, who has been attacked repeatedly by President Donald Trump this week after the pope criticized the Iran war, will arrive from Cameroon, where on Thursday he said the world was "being ravaged by a handful of tyrants".
Commercial ships came under fire and threats from Iran's military as they tried to cross the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, security monitors said, as Iran closed the crucial trade route again following a brief reopening.
Iran reversed its pledge to reopen the strait to commercial traffic during a ceasefire in the Middle East war in protest at an ongoing US counter-blockade of the route, a crucial passage for commodity shipments.
ANTALYA, April 18 (Reuters) - Egypt is working closely with Pakistan on a framework aimed at securing a lasting peace between the U.S. and Iran, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Saturday.
He said Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were coordinating a broader regional effort focused on preventing renewed escalation and laying the groundwork for a post-war security arrangement, stressing the importance of protecting Gulf states and stabilising energy markets, supply chains and food security.
(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu, Editing by Ece Toksabay and)
Iran is not currently planning to attend talks with the United States, state media said, after President Donald Trump ordered US negotiators to travel to Pakistan on Monday, just days before a ceasefire in the Middle East expires.
The ongoing US blockade of Iranian ports has been a significant sticking point, an issue further complicated by an American destroyer on Sunday firing on and seizing an Iranian ship that tried to evade it.
ANTALYA, April 18 (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Saturday the Strait of Hormuz had yet to return to normal operations despite a ceasefire in the Iran war, and urged Tehran to allow global shipping to resume fully.
"We are at a critical diplomatic moment with a ceasefire now in place ... but we don't yet have normal passage through the strait", Cooper told Reuters on the sidelines of a diplomacy forum in Antalya.
April 18 (Reuters) - A convoy of tankers was seen departing the Gulf and transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, vessel-tracking data showed.
The group comprised four liquefied petroleum gas carriers and several oil product and chemical tankers, with more tankers following from the Gulf, according to MarineTraffic data.
(Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis in Oslo; Editing by William Mallard)
