Iran's imposition of a toll for ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz looks set to be a key point of contention at talks opening in Pakistan Friday.

When the United States and Israel launched their attack on Iran on February 28, Iran responded by blocking passage through the key Strait to all but a handful of vessels.

While Iran agreed to reopen the thoroughfare during the two-week truce with the United States, it has also spoken of a toll system to fund reconstruction following punishing US-Israeli attacks.

By Patricia Zengerle and Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON, April 9 (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Republicans on Thursday blocked a Democratic effort to end U.S. attacks on Iran, as Donald Trump's party continued to prevent efforts to rein in the Republican president's war powers.

Representative Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican, presided over an abbreviated "pro forma" House session, ending it before a group of Democrats could seek to pass by unanimous consent the resolution, which would have called for an end to the U.S. military operation.

By William James

LONDON, April 9 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday said the Iran war must become a turning point for Britain after two decades of crises, and he promised to strengthen the country's economy and military to cope with a more "volatile and dangerous" world.

On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire in the six-week-old Iran conflict, but there is no sign yet of Tehran lifting its near-total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which has caused the worst disruption to energy supplies in history.

Democrats are clashing this week over the influence of pro-Israel lobbying on American politics and the US ally's military actions in the Middle East at a key strategy gathering ahead of November's midterm elections.

Attendees at the three-day Democratic National Committee (DNC) conference in New Orleans on Thursday began weighing resolutions to recognize a Palestinian state, restrict military aid to Israel and denounce the "growing influence" of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

BEIRUT, April 9 (Reuters) - Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad said on Thursday that the group rejected direct negotiations with Israel and that the Lebanese government should demand a ceasefire as a precondition before any further steps are taken.

Fayyad's statement came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had instructed his cabinet to begin direct talks with Lebanon. Fayyad said the Lebanese government's position should also prioritize the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanese territory and the return of displaced people to their homes.

By Saad Sayeed and Ariba Shahid

ISLAMABAD, April 9 (Reuters) - Pakistan is under huge pressure to pull off what some diplomats regard as mission impossible: broker a peace deal between Iran and the United States to stabilize the world economy while safeguarding delegates already arguing over a fragile truce.

Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif engaged in weeks of diplomacy to halt a war that could deepen instability along Pakistan's western border with Iran and Afghanistan, with which it has recently exchanged fire.

April 9 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' personal envoy Jean Arnault met Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi in Tehran on Thursday as part of U.N. efforts to bring about an end to the Iran war, the U.N. said.

Arnault also met representatives of the Iranian Red Crescent and visited some civilian sites damaged in recent air strikes, including a university and an apartment block that had been destroyed, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a regular briefing in New York.

By Patricia Zengerle and Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON, April 9 (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Republicans on Thursday blocked a Democratic effort to end U.S. attacks on Iran, as Donald Trump's party continued to prevent efforts to rein in the Republican president's war powers.

Representative Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican, presided over an abbreviated "pro forma" House session, ending it before a group of Democrats could seek to pass the resolution via unanimous consent.

Thousands of Iranians rallied Thursday in a tribute to former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, killed on the first day of the war with the United States and Israel, expressing criticism of talks expected in Pakistan this week.

Holding portraits of their deceased leader and waving the national flags of the Islamic republic, supporters of Khamenei took part in rallies across the country after he died in the US-Israeli attack on February 28.

The 40-day mourning period following a death is an important rite of passage for Muslims.

BEIRUT, April 9 (Reuters) - Lebanon has spent the last 24 hours advocating for a temporary ceasefire to allow for broader talks with Israel, a senior Lebanese official told Reuters, saying it would be a "separate track but the same model" as a fragile truce brokered by Pakistan between the U.S. and Iran.

The official said no date or location had been set yet but Lebanon needed the U.S. as a mediator and guarantor of any agreement.