Mike Baker

Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.

It's Monday, the 20th of April.

Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin.

I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage.

All right, let's get briefed.

First up, uncertainty surrounding supposedly planned U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan, as the Iranian regime sends mixed signals on whether it will even show up.

Plus, new details are emerging about the seized Iranian cargo ship and what it may have been carrying.

I'll have the details.

Later in the show, a French peacekeeper killed in a targeted ambush in southern Lebanon, raising new questions about the existing fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese government.

The key here being, Hezbollah is not part of that ceasefire.

But first, today's afternoon spotlight.

There are new questions this afternoon about whether the US and Iran are actually headed toward another round of negotiations.

Now, the talks are reportedly expected to take place in Islamabad, Pakistan, and officials there are working behind the scenes to bring both sides together.

And there are some signs of optimism.

Well, they're faint.

You can barely see them.

But in the right light, and if you squint and look just carefully, you might see a sign of optimism.

Iranian President Massoud Pazeshkian said the war, quote, benefits nobody, while officials speaking privately say Tehran is at least open to participating in new discussions.

Although, frankly, nobody's really sure if Massoud Pazeshkian, the Iranian president, is currently wielding much authority.

The country's foreign ministry says there are no current plans for another round of negotiations.