US envoys head to Pakistan as Iran military warns of 'piracy'

US President Donald Trump is sending envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Pakistan on Saturday to continue ceasefire talks with Iran, the White House said Friday. The pair will meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who arrived in Islamabad late Friday for bilateral consultations amid a fragile ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran that began earlier this month. However, Iranian officials have made clear that no direct negotiations with American representatives are planned during this visit, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmael Baqaei stating that Pakistani officials would instead convey messages between the delegations. Vice President JD Vance will not be traveling, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying he remains "deeply involved" and on standby to fly to Pakistan if necessary. Iran's military issued a stark warning Saturday, saying it would respond if the United States maintained its naval blockade of Iranian ports, calling the action "banditry" and "piracy." The statement from the military's central command Khatam Al-Anbiya said Iran was ready and determined to inflict "more severe damage" in case of new aggression. This warning comes as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent ruled out renewing waivers for Iranian oil and confirmed that the US has frozen $344 million in cryptocurrency assets linked to Iran. Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian urged citizens to reduce electricity usage after US and Israeli strikes damaged the country's energy infrastructure, asking citizens to turn on only two lights at home instead of ten. Meanwhile, Pakistan's capital Islamabad appeared to be in a near-lockdown Saturday as checkpoints, road closures and helicopter patrols became routine sights ahead of the high-level diplomatic visits. Commercial flights resumed Saturday at Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport for the first time since the war began about two months ago, with flights to Istanbul, Muscat and Medina. Separately, Lebanon's Health Ministry reported that Israeli airstrikes killed four people in the southern Lebanese village of Yohmor on Saturday, despite a 10-day ceasefire in place since April 17 that has been repeatedly violated by both sides. Trump said Thursday that Lebanon and Israel agreed to extend the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah by three weeks. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius also announced plans to deploy minesweeper ships to the Mediterranean, which could later be transferred to the Strait of Hormuz once a parliamentary mandate is approved.