Iran has denied a US claim that two US Nay destroyers have sailed through the Strait of Hormuz.

"The claim by the CENTCOM commander regarding American vessels approaching and entering the Strait of Hormuz is firmly denied," Iran's Fars news agency is reporting a spokesperson for the armed forces headquarters as saying.

"The initiative for the passage of any vessel lies with the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

Earlier today, Centcom posted a message on X saying US forces had begun "setting conditions for clearing mines in the Strait of Hormuz" and that two vessels "transited the Strait of Hormuz... as part of a broader mission to ensure the strait is fully clear of sea mines".

Image source, Prime Minister of Israel's Office

While talks in Pakistan have been taking place tonight Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given a statement saying he has given his "approval" for peace talks with Lebanon.

He says Lebanon has reached out several times in he past month to begin direct talks.

"I have given my approval, but on two conditions: we want the dismantling of Hezbollah's weapons, and we want a real peace agreement that will last for generations," Netanyahu says, according to a translation by AFP news agency.

The countries' ambassadors to the US have agreed to meet in Washington next week as they look to seek an announcement on a ceasefire, the Lebanese presidency announced on Friday.

Lebanon’s deputy prime minister tells the BBC that for talks to be “meaningful” Israel should stop its strikes on his country.

The ambassadors to the US from Israel and Lebanon are due to meet in Washington DC on Tuesday.

Dr Tarek Mitri, speaking to Victoria Derbyshire for Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg says: “I am not using the word conditional, but I think for those meetings to be meaningful, we’ve got to see some sort of cessation of hostilities, no matter if provisional.”

He adds: “How could you engage in meaningful discussions, preparing true negotiations to talk about all issues, how can you do that while tens and hundreds of people are being killed or injured?

“You’ve got to put a stop to this, to put this on hold, to be able to have a constructive conversation, but we are going to the meeting on Tuesday that will be held at the State Department.”

Lyse Doucet
Chief international correspondent in Islamabad

After nearly a half century of hostility including two wars in two years, Iran and America are sitting for face-to-face for talks - for hours. And they’re not done yet.

The meeting between technical experts goes on too.

It’s a significant breakthrough – only possible because of the high level of both delegations, their authority to negotiate, and what seems to be a commitment by both Washington and Tehran to talk.

Iran came to Islamabad emphasising its deep distrust of diplomacy – its discussions last year and this year with the US were both shattered by war.

That’s why it insisted it would only deal with a more senior US official, and in particular the Vice President JD Vance who is seen as the strongest opponent of costly military engagements in President Donald Trump’s team.

In 2015, when Iran and world powers reached a successful nuclear deal, it took 18 months of breakthroughs and breakdowns; Trump is known to prefer quick successes.

Today is just a start. But with the risk of another dangerous escalation in an already dangerous war, even a start matters.

The BBC understands talks are continuing late into the night in Islamabad, where it is approaching midnight.

The trilateral negotiations involving the US, Iran and Pakistani mediators have already been under way for several hours.

Image source, Getty Images

French President Emmanuel Macron says he has urged his Iranian counterpart to "seize the opportunity" to "pave the way for a lasting deescalation".

Macron says in a post on X he spoke to Masoud Pezeshkian and pushed for an an agreement providing regional security guarantees, with all countries involved.

He says that he pressed the need for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and also stressed the importance of a ceasefire, including in Lebanon.

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent in Beirut

Outside the Lebanese prime minister’s office in central Beirut, Hezbollah supporters gathered to protest against the prospect of direct talks with Israel, an offer by the Lebanese government to try to put an end to the war and pave the way for, many hope, lasting peace.

The crowd chanted revolutionary slogans, carried Hezbollah’s yellow flag, the flag of Iran - the group’s main supporter - and pictures of the late Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

Sara, who was waving a Lebanese flag, told me: “I'm proud to be here because Hezbollah, it's the only resistance against these evil ones, this [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, one who is stealing our country, killing our people.”

Followers see Hezbollah, who they call “the resistance”, as the only force able to protect them against Israel, which they say is intent on seizing Lebanese land.

Israel says Hezbollah is a threat and that it aims to create a so-called security buffer zone along the border to protect its northern communities. In Lebanon, there are fears that this could lead to an occupation of parts of the country.

Opponents blame Hezbollah for dragging Lebanon into conflicts, want the group to be disarmed, and support negotiating with Israel. Lebanon has demanded a ceasefire before any talks, but Israel says the war will continue.

Ahead of today's trilateral talks, US and Iranian delegations also separately met with Pakistani representatives.

Here are some images from earlier today:

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Lebanon's health ministry says the country's death toll since it became involved in the conflict has now passed 2,000.

The National News Agency reports that according to the ministry's health emergency operations centre 2,020 people have died and 6,436 people have been wounded since 2 March.

The update comes after the ministry said an Israeli raid on the town of Tuffahta in southern Lebanon left eight people dead and nine injured, including five in critical condition.

The US Central Command says two US Navy guided-missile destroyers have transited the Strait of Hormuz today.

It says this is to ensure the waterway is clear of sea mines laid by Iran, in a statement on X. It names the two destroyers as USS Frank E Petersen and USS Michael Murphy.

Centcom commander, Admiral Brad Cooper, says in a statement on X: "Today, we began the process of establishing a new passage and we will share this safe pathway with the maritime industry soon to encourage the free flow of commerce."

Caitlin Doherty
Live editor

It's just turned 21:40 in Islamabad, where trilateral talks are being held between the US and Iran with host mediators Pakistan.

While we wait to hear if any progress in the negotiations has been made, here's what you need to know:

• Pakistani sources and the White House confirmed face-to-face talks have been taking place between the US, Iran and Pakistan
• It comes after delegations met separately with the Pakistani prime minister. He said he was hoping both sides would "engage constructively"
• We haven't heard much from the closed negotiations in Islamabad, and our correspondent on the ground says information is limited - watch her full report
• Meanwhile, Donald Trump says - in a series of Truth Social posts - that Iran is "losing big" in the conflict, and claims the Strait of Hormuz "will soon be opened"

• Israel has said it has struck more than 200 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in the last day, while Beirut's health ministry says six people have been killed in raids in the south of the country, with five others injured

Carrie Davies
Pakistan correspondent, in Islamabad

The white building just behind me is the Serena Hotel, where US Vice President JD Vance and Pakistani Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif met earlier.

This is the closest we can get, because the security here in Islamabad is exceptionally tight.

We're in the area that has been been designated for the media, and there are journalists from all over the world here.

Despite being so close to the talks the amount of information we're getting is quite limited, with small bits and pieces from releases and announcements, often from Pakistani sources, to tell us what's going on.

Watch the full report below:

Marc Ashdown
Business correspondent

US President Donald Trump has hailed US oil as the "best and sweetest" in the world and says "empty ships are rushing to the US to load up" - what can we make of these claims?

It is correct that America is the world’s top oil producer, generating between 13 and 21 million barrels per day according to the statistics expert Enerdata.

Russia and Saudi Arabia are the next two largest producers, with between 19 and 22 million barrels per day between them.

The claim that the US has "more oil than the next two largest oil economies combined" is stretching the truth.

What about the claim that it is "higher quality"? Again, it is true that American shale oil is lighter than that produced elsewhere, making it ideal for refining into gasoline and diesel. So it is highly desirable, but that’s widely known already.

The president’s earlier post appears to be a "come and get it" message to the world.

The US already exports around four million barrels of crude a day, about a quarter of what it produces – the UK incidentally imports about 20% of its daily requirement from America.

And the US does also sit on strategic reserves of an estimated 400 million barrels, enough to keep the country going for 19 days in the event of a crisis at current consumption levels.

So it is debateable how much of that the president would really be willing to export.

Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump has posted on Truth Social again while high-level talks between US and Iranian delegations in Islamabad are going on.

He repeats his assertion that the US has destroyed Iran's military, "including their entire Navy and Air Force, and everything else".

He asserts "the Strait of Hormuz will soon be open" and repeats what he said in previous posts that empty oil tankers are on their way to the US to "load up".

Under the conditional two-week ceasefire with Iran, Trump said he had agreed to "suspend the bombing" if Tehran agrees to reopen the strait.

Tehran had effectively blocked the waterway after the US and Israel launched strikes on the country on 28 February.

It is one of the world's busiest oil shipping channels, which about 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) usually passes through.

Away from the peace talks in Islamabad, Kuwait says there have been no "threats or risks affecting the airspace" in the past 24 hours, according to its Center for Government Communication.

This comes after Iran and the US agreed to a conditional two-week ceasefire.

On Wednesday morning, Kuwait reported Iranian attacks damaged power and desalination plants as well as oil facilities.

Image source, Getty Images

A senior White House official confirms face-to-face trilateral talks between US and Iranian delegations with Pakistan are under way. Pakistan government sources earlier said the same to the BBC.

The official provides more detail on who is in the room for the US. They say the core delegation, as we've been reporting, is made up of Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

According to the senior official, the broader US delegation includes national security adviser Andrew Baker, and Asian affairs adviser Michael Vance.

US experts on various subject areas are also present in Islamabad, according to the official, with other experts supporting from Washington DC.

Face-to-face talks are significant, but what success will look like depends on who you askpublished at 15:51 BST

15:51 BST

Azadeh Moshiri
South Asia correspondent, in Islamabad

Earlier, we mentioned how significant the day has been so far.

But now that sources have told us face-to-face trilateral talks are taking place, that's a historic event that Pakistan has mediated.

These are the highest level face-to-face talks between the US and Iran since the Islamic revolution in 1979.

It also hints at how these talks are going.

Amid Pakistan's shuffling between rooms, it seems the Americans and Iranians have seen points in their respective proposals they think they can make progress on.

What success will look like depends on who you ask.

This war has sent global oil prices soaring, caused extensive damage to energy infrastructure in the Middle East, and thousands of people have been killed.

Many would breathe a sigh of relief if an extended ceasefire and an eventual peace agreement is delivered.

Iranians who have lived through years of sanctions may hope there will be respite for the economy. But some of the Iranians I've spoken to inside the country, even those who have fled their homes in fear, are afraid of an Iran led by the regime's new leaders, who they say are more hardline than before.

The memory of a brutal crackdown in January, with thousands killed, is still fresh.

Image source, Reuters

As direct talks between US and Iran take place in Islamabad with Pakistan, Israel says it is continuing strikes on targets in Lebanon.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has struck more than 200 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in the past 24 hours.

In a statement, it says its air force is carrying out further attacks and supporting ground forces operating in southern Lebanon. The IDF also says it is targeting launchers to prevent attacks on Israel.

Lebanon's health ministry says six people have been killed in raids in southern Lebanon, with five others injured.

Meanwhile, Israel has warned of an aircraft intrusion in the Upper Galilee region in the north of the country. It's not clear who launched the attack.

Pakistan government sources have told the BBC that trilateral direct talks between the US and Iran, with Pakistan, are now under way.

Earlier, we reported the talks were being held indirectly, through Pakistani mediators.

In a separate post on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump has also said that he is "watching fertilizer prices CLOSELY during our FIGHT FOR FREEDOM in Iran".

He adds: "The United States will not accept PRICE GOUGING from the fertilizer monopoly!"

• For context: According to the United Nations, around a third of the world's fertilisers - such as urea, potash, ammonia and phosphates - normally pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Data from the World Trade Organization, shows that, since the conflict began, outbound shipments of fertiliser-related products through the waterway have collapsed - read more here from BBC Verify