Newshour

US and Iranian officials are continuing with their direct talks with Pakistan in Islamabad on bringing an end to conflict in the Middle East. The US Central Command says two American navy ships have sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, in the first such move since the war with Iran began. President Trump had earlier said Washington had started clearing mines from the waterway, a claim denied by Tehran.
Also in the programme: Hungary prepares to go to the polls; and how British exceptionalism led the Cambridge five who spied to despise the people they betrayed.
(Photo: Vice President JD Vance walks up a flight of stairs to meet with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for talks about Iran, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Islamabad. CREDIT: Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS)

US and Iranian officials are meeting the Pakistani prime minister separately to discuss extending the two-week ceasefire between their two countries. Iranian TV, however, says talks could be cancelled if Tehran’s conditions are not met. We hear the latest from the BBC’s Chief International correspondent.
Also on the programme: A look ahead at tomorrow’s elections in Hungary where Prime Minister Viktor Orban could fall from power after 16 years; and a successful splashdown in the Pacific Ocean for the returning Artemis II astronauts.
(Photo: US Vice President JD Vance waves after arriving for talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad, Pakistan, Saturday 11th April 2026. Credit: Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS)

Iran has set pre-conditions for the start of negotiations with the United States including a ceasefire in Lebanon. President Trump insisted that Iran had only one card to play in the negotiations - its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. Also on the programme: the four astronauts on board the Artemis mission are preparing to return to Earth. We speak to someone who went before them and we hear from a 13-year-old girl in Beirut who witnessed an Israeli strike on the city.
(Wreckage after Israel launched a blitz of air strikes on Lebanon on Wednesday CREDIT: AFP via Getty Images)

Pakistan has said it is confident that talks between Iran and the United States will begin on Saturday in Islamabad as planned, despite both sides complaining of ceasefire violations.

Also on the programme: Melania Trump makes a rare statement to reporters, denying she had a relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; and Hip-hop pioneer, Afrika Bambaataa, dies aged 68.

(Photo: Pakistani security officials stand guard at a checkpoint as security has been intensified ahead of the visit of US and Iranian delegations in Islamabad, Pakistan on April 9, 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

The Israeli prime minister says he's ready for direct negotiations with Lebanon, as Iran says the continuing Israeli attacks on Lebanon violate Iran's ceasefire with the US. We hear the latest from Israel, Lebanon and the US.
Also in the programme: the UK says three Russian submarines have conducted a "covert" operation over Britain's vital underwater cables and pipelines; and as the crew of the Integrity spacecraft on the Artemis II mission around the Moon hurtle back towards Earth, we hear from the wife of the Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
(IMAGE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, in Jerusalem, March 19, 2026. CREDIT: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY/File Photo)