Kim Vennell

On the U.S.

side, it'll be Vice President J.D.

Vance leading the delegation.

Reuters correspondent Humira Pamuk has been traveling with Vance and thinks she knows why he's been tapped for the role.

But there are two key sticking points at the heart of the talks.

For one, Tehran has still not opened the Strait of Hormuz.

And secondly, Israel has continued its campaign against Hezbollah.

Humera says that the U.S.

has likely pressured Israel to seek direct talks with Lebanon in an effort to save the ceasefire.

If you want to hear how the markets have responded this week to all of the progress and the instability, head over to our sister podcast, Morning Bid, available wherever you get your podcasts.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Washington yesterday, after meeting with President Trump, hoping to defuse a crisis between NATO and its biggest partner.

Trump threatened to leave the alliance, claiming allies weren't doing enough to support the war in Iran.

Britain, for one, says it's working on coordinating a military and diplomatic plan to reopen and safeguard the Strait of Hormuz.

France says about 15 countries are planning to help restore traffic.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a 32-hour ceasefire to observe Orthodox Easter, and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Kyiv will abide by the measure.

A spokesperson for Russia said the ceasefire was not linked to the wider US-led efforts to end the conflict.

Last year, Putin announced a 30-hour ceasefire over the Orthodox Easter holiday, but each side accused the other of violating the terms.

Inside Iran, even if the truce halts, there's little hope for rapid recovery.

The already struggling economy has been battered by weeks of war.

And as reporter Angus McDowell explains, that could be a big problem for Iran's new leadership to solve.