Live updates: Push for US-Iran talks gains momentum as White House expresses optimism for deal - CNN

The end to a ceasefire between the US and Iran is looming as more peace talks could happen as soon as this weekend, President Donald Trump said Thursday.

It comes on the heels of an agreement between Israel and Lebanon to pause fighting, which has been a contentious point in the shaky US-Iran ceasefire. The Israel-Lebanon ceasefire agreement is set to take effect at 5 p.m. ET.

Here’s what we heard today from the US president:

Trump said he may not need to extend the ceasefire with Iran, which expires next week, even as he threatened to resume fighting. He added Iran is eager to make a deal and said Tehran has agreed to things it hadn’t two months ago.

Another round of in-person negotiations with the Iranians could occur over the weekend, Trump said. The president said he’d consider traveling to Pakistan to sign a deal if the US and Iran reach an agreement.

Trump said he has invited the leaders of Israel and Lebanon to the White House for peace talks, shortly after he announced the temporary 10-day truce. That meeting, which would be the first in 44 years, could happen “over the next week or two,” Trump said.

Trump praised the US blockade on Iranian ports, calling it “ amazing ” and asserting it has effectively halted much of Iran’s economic activity.

On gas prices, Trump said they are “ not very high ” and suggested that once a deal is reached, prices would go lower than pre-war levels.

What we know about the ceasefire in Lebanon:

The speaker of the Lebanese Parliament warned residents of the south not to return to their villages yet. Separately, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli military will not withdraw from its positions in southern Lebanon during the ceasefire.

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah will abide by the truce — if Israel ceases its attacks, a leading Hezbollah official told CNN.

The 10-day ceasefire could be extended, and Israel reserves the right “to take all necessary measures in self-defense ” during the truce, according to the US State Department, which issued a memorandum of understanding of the terms of the agreement.

The agreement came together starting with a meeting Secretary of State Marco Rubio held with ambassadors from Israel and Lebanon on Tuesday. On Wednesday evening, Trump held a phone call with Netanyahu and then directed Rubio to call Lebanon President Joseph Aoun.

Looking ahead, Lebanon must be included if a “comprehensive ceasefire” between Iran and the US is to be negotiated, the speaker of the Iranian Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told Pakistani mediators.

CNN’s Adam Cancryn, Kit Maher, Zeena Saifi, Hira Humayun, Alejandra Jaramillo, Dana Karni, Tal Shalev, Jennifer Hansler, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Kristen Holmes and Maureen Chowdhury contributed reporting to this post.