By Jason Lange

WASHINGTON, March 24 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's approval rating fell in recent days to its lowest point since he returned to the White House, hit by a surge in fuel prices and widespread disapproval of the war he launched on Iran, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

The four-day poll, which closed on Monday, showed 36% of Americans approve of Trump's job performance, down from 40% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted last week.

By Ariba Shahid, Saad Sayeed and Mubasher Bukhari

ISLAMABAD, March 24 (Reuters) - Pakistan's role as a possible host of talks aimed at ending the Iran war builds on its courtship of U.S. President Donald Trump and its reputation as a relatively neutral player with long-standing ties to neighbouring Iran's Islamic Republic.

If talks happen, it could raise Pakistan's global prominence to heights not reached since Pakistan helped mediate the secret diplomatic opening that led to U.S. President Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972.

DUBAI, March 24 (Reuters) - Iran named a former Revolutionary Guards commander and senior figure in the hardline political faction on Tuesday to replace the powerful head of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes last week.

Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr was appointed as Larijani's successor as secretary of the SNSC, the Iranian president's deputy of communications posted on X on Tuesday.

Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war:

- Gulf involvement -

Gulf countries said that they wanted to be involved in any talks between the United States and Iran.

"We emphasize the necessity of involving the GCC countries in any talks or agreements to resolve this crisis, in a way that contributes to strengthening their security and stability," Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Jasem AlBudaiwi said in a televised speech, adding that Iran had been asking vessels to pay sums of money to cross the Strait of Hormuz.

- 'Nothing from NATO' -

By Kate Abnett

BRUSSELS, March 24 (Reuters) - The European Commission will no longer submit a legal proposal to permanently ban Russian oil imports over Moscow's war in Ukraine on April 15 as previously planned, an updated EU legislative agenda showed on Tuesday.

An EU official, however, told Reuters the proposal had not been cancelled and would still be published though no longer by the mid-April date due to "current geopolitical developments".

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke on Tuesday of a "deep rift" with traditional ally the United States and said the US-Israeli war on Iran was a "breach of international law".

In unusually strong comments, the German head of state said that just as there was no going back from Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, "there will be no going back to before January 20, 2025", when US President Donald Trump entered the White House for a second time.

By Alexander Cornwell and Nazih Osseiran

TEL AVIV/BEIRUT, March 24 (Reuters) - Israel will occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River to create a "defensive buffer", Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday, spelling out for the first time Israel's intent to seize territory amounting to nearly a tenth of Lebanon.

At a meeting with the military chief of staff, Katz said Israeli forces would "control the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the Litani," a river that meets the Mediterranean about 30 km (20 miles) north of Israel's border.

March 24 (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone on Tuesday and discussed the situation in the Middle East, including the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, U.S. envoy to India Sergio Gor said in a post on X.

(Reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Editing by YP Rajesh)

March 24 (Reuters) - There is no direct Qatari mediation between the United States and Iran, but Doha supports all formal and informal diplomatic channels to end the war, Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump ​told reporters on Monday the U.S. ‌had held talks with Iran and that the two sides had "major ​points of agreement". Tehran said no ​negotiations had ​taken place.

WASHINGTON, March 24 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with Group of Seven foreign ministers in France on Friday for talks on Russia's war in Ukraine and the Middle East situation stemming from the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, the State Department said.

U.S. allies are dealing with the fallout from President Donald Trump's decision to bomb Iran late last month, which triggered strikes from Iran against its Gulf neighbors and against shipping that have stopped most transit through the Strait of Hormuz.