Germany's foreign minister said on Friday that representatives from the United States and Iran plan to meet shortly in Pakistan even as a group of US ships drew closer to the Middle East with some 2,500 Marines.
Also, at least 1,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne – trained to land in hostile territory to secure key territory and airfields – have been ordered to the region.
The US has been pushing Iran to start talks on a 15-point proposal for a ceasefire, but at the same time has ordered thousands more troops to the region, possibly in preparation for a military attempt to wrest the Strait of Hormuz from Iran's tight grip.
"Based on my information there have been indirect contacts, and preparations have been made to meet directly. That would be very soon in Pakistan, apparently," German foreign minister minister Johann Wadephul told Deutschlandfunk radio.
US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington has delivered a 15-point "action list" to Iran for a possible ceasefire, using Pakistan as an intermediary. The list includes restrictions on Iran's nuclear programme and re-opening the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has rejected the US offer and put forth its own five-point proposal, which includes reparations and recognition of its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
Pakistan has emerged as a key player in the efforts to mediate in the war. The New York Times reported on Thursday that Pakistan’s military chief Asim Munir Syed Asim Munir “has in recent weeks emerged as a central figure in behind-the-scenes diplomacy aimed at easing tensions between the United States and Iran”.
Earlier, Trump announced that he will pause attacks on Iran's energy plants for 10 days at Tehran's request and said talks with Iran were going "very well," although an Iranian official dismissed a US proposal for ending the conflict as "one-sided and unfair."
Israel attacks Iran; drones in UAE, Kuwait
Israel launched a wave of strikes on Iran early Friday ahead of a planned UN Security Council meeting to discuss attacks on Iranian civilian infrastructure.
Israel's attack on targets "in the heart of Tehran" came after Tel Aviv said it would be "intensifying" its strikes on Iranian weapons production facilities, but there was no immediate information on what was hit.
Smoke also rose over Beirut, although Israel did not immediately report hitting the Lebanese capital, while air raid sirens sounded in Israel as the military said it was working to intercept Iranian missiles.
Iran kept up its attacks on its Gulf Arab neighbours, with incoming drones and missiles reported in both Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
After Wall Street's worst day since the war began, Asian shares mostly fell Friday over growing doubts about the chances of de-escalation. Oil prices rose again, the Brent crude, the international standard, at $107 a barrel in morning trading, up more than 45 per cent since Israel and the US attacked Iran on February 28 to start the war.
UN to deliberate
The UN Security Council scheduled a closed consultation on Iran for Friday in New York, according to two UN diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity to the Associated Press because the meeting is not public.
They added that Russia had asked for the meeting on US-Israeli attacks on civilian infrastructure in the country and that the US, which holds the Security Council presidency, had scheduled it.