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President Donald Trump said the U.S. forcibly seized an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel that tried to get astir a naval blockade adjacent the Strait of Hormuz connected Sunday, the archetypal specified interception since the blockade of Iranian ports began past week. He said a U.S. Navy guided rocket destroyer successful the Gulf of Oman “stopped them close successful their tracks by blowing a spread successful the engineroom” and that U.S. Marines had custody of the vessel, named Touska, and were “seeing what’s connected board!”
There was nary contiguous Iran comment. The quality threw into question Trump’s earlier announcement that U.S. negotiators would caput to Pakistan connected Monday for different circular of talks with Iran. That had raised hopes of extending a fragile ceasefire acceptable to expire by Wednesday, but Iran has not confirmed it would attend.
The escalating standoff threatened to deepen the vigor situation roiling the planetary system and propulsion the 2 countries toward renewed warring that has killed astatine slightest 3,000 radical successful Iran, astir 2,300 successful Lebanon, 23 civilians and 15 soldiers successful Israel, and much than a twelve successful Gulf Arab states. Thirteen U.S. work members person besides been killed.
Here is the latest:
Iran’s president calls US blockade actions provocative and illegal
The Iranian judiciary’s Mizan quality bureau has reported connected President Masoud Pezeshkian’s telephone speech with Pakistan’s premier curate earlier today. The study says Pezeshkian alleged bullying and unreasonable behaviour by the United States during negotiations and the ceasefire.
The study says Pezeshkian warned that the U.S. actions and threatening rhetoric person led to accrued suspicion among Iranian officials astir the seriousness of the United States and the anticipation that it volition repetition erstwhile patterns and “betray diplomacy.”
The study did not accidental whether Iran’s president commented connected a 2nd circular of talks successful Pakistan, oregon connected Trump’s announcement that U.S. forces had seized an Iranian-flagged ship.
French shipping institution says 1 of its ships was targeted
CMA CGM said Sunday that 1 of its vessels was the people of informing shots. Trump said Iran had fired connected French and British ships successful the Strait of Hormuz.
The International Maritime Organization confirmed that a French-flagged vas was involved. The IMO, which regulates planetary shipping, said determination person been 24 incidents successful the Strait of Hormuz and crossed the Middle East since March 1. The latest, connected April 18, progressive the CMA CGM Everglade, a instrumentality vessel sailing nether French flag. The IMO said it was damaged northbound of Kumzar, Oman, though nary contamination oregon injuries were reported.
Trump said Sunday connected his societal media platform, Truth Social, that Iran had “fired bullets” successful the Strait of Hormuz, adding that “many of them were aimed astatine a French vessel and a freighter from the United Kingdom.”
Trump said the US forcibly seized an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel Sunday that tried to get astir its naval blockade
Trump, successful a station connected societal media, said the vessel was warned by a U.S. Navy guided rocket destroyer successful the Gulf of Oman to halt but it did not.
“Our Navy vessel stopped them close successful their tracks by blowing a spread successful the motor room,” Trump wrote.
He said U.S. Marines had custody of the cargo ship, named Touska, and were “seeing what’s connected board!”
The seizure escalates a back-and-forth with Iran implicit postulation successful the strait and comes arsenic the U.S. was preparing for a 2nd circular of in-person talks with Iran arsenic a fragile ceasefire runs retired successful days.
US vigor caput describes extending waiver connected Russian lipid sanctions arsenic ‘pragmatic’
The determination announced Friday astatine the Treasury Department came days aft Secretary Scott Bessent had ruled retired specified a move, and Senate Democrats led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York called it “shameful.”
“Putin has been 1 of the biggest beneficiaries of President Trump’s warfare against Iran, arsenic Russia saw lipid revenues astir treble successful March,” the Democrats’ connection said. “Enough is enough.”
But Chris Wright said the Trump administration’s reasoning was to guarantee that India and different Asian countries person lipid that would person different gone to China. He noted that India exports gasoline, diesel and pitchy substance to Europe, wherever radical are besides acrophobic astir substance prices.
“These are abbreviated term, pragmatic decisions to let lipid that was already flowing to travel a antithetic direction, and they’re temporary,” Wright said connected “Fox News Sunday.”
Pakistan and Iran aren’t confirming Round 2 of US-Iran talks
Six hours person passed since U.S. President Donald Trump said negotiators would caput to Pakistan connected Monday for much talks with Iran, but neither Iran nor big Pakistan person confirmed it.
Pakistan has kept up the diplomacy today, with its premier curate holding a 45-minute telephone with Iran’s president and Pakistan’s overseas curate speaking with his Iranian counterpart.
But portion authorities person begun tightening information successful Islamabad, the lone subordinate that has openly committed to different circular of talks is the Trump administration.
British subject says concern successful Hormuz ‘critical’
The British subject has declared the concern successful the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf to beryllium “critical,” its highest hazard level.
The military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center, UKMTO, cited “a precocious level of enactment by naval forces successful the region.”
It said determination is simply a “risk of onslaught oregon miscalculation” successful the waterway.
The Iranian navy reimposed choky restrictions connected transit done the strait arsenic the U.S. subject implements a blockade connected Iranian ports and waters. The UKMTO besides cited aggregate attacks connected Saturday by Iranian forces connected vessels passing done the strait.
Israel reveals caller ‘forward defence line’ successful confederate Lebanon aft ceasefire
The Israeli subject says it has established the enactment and released a representation showing troops operating southbound of it.
The deployment has been described elsewhere arsenic a “Yellow Line.” It says 5 divisions are moving to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure. The enactment was not mentioned successful ceasefire presumption published by the United States.
The representation shows dozens of villages wrong the zone, stretching respective kilometers into Lebanon, whose residents would apt beryllium prevented from returning.
There was nary contiguous remark from Lebanese officials, but the determination is apt to rise concerns successful Lebanon astir the scope and duration of Israel’s presence.
Pope Leo XIV sees a ‘sign of hope’ for bid successful the Middle East
Celebrating Mass earlier an estimated 100,000 radical extracurricular the superior of Angola connected Sunday, Leo praised the cease-fire successful Lebanon betwixt Israel and Hezbollah arsenic a “sign of hope” that helium prayed would bring bid permanently to the Middle East.
Leo mentioned the struggle arsenic helium called connected Angolans to denounce the exploitation of their mineral-rich onshore and people, who inactive carnivore the scars of a brutal, post-independence civilian war. “We privation to physique a state wherever aged divisions are flooded erstwhile and for all, wherever hatred and unit disappear, and wherever the scourge of corruption is healed by a caller civilization of justness and sharing,” Leo said.
The American pope is connected an African odyssey that volition instrumentality him to an epicenter of the African enslaved commercialized with a past emblematic of the Catholic Church’s relation successful forcing quality bondage, and what immoderate scholars accidental is the Holy See’s continued refusal to afloat admit it and atone for it.
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Israeli occurrence kills 1 Palestinian successful cardinal Gaza, wellness authoritative says
The onslaught connected a radical of radical successful cardinal Gaza besides wounded 3 others, according to a wellness authoritative astatine Awda hospital, wherever the casualties arrived.
The Israeli subject said it was looking into the incident.
Palestinians successful Gaza person reported that Israeli strikes person intensified implicit the past fewer days crossed the enclave. Since a fragile ceasefire woody was reached successful October, deadly Israeli strikes person been a near-daily menace successful Gaza, and much than 775 Palestinians person been killed since then, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
UK constabulary investigating if Iranian proxies are liable for arson attacks connected Jewish sites
The Metropolitan Police unit says counterterror officers are probing fires astatine synagogues and different Jewish targets, arsenic good arsenic an onslaught connected a Persian-language media enactment captious of Iran’s government. No 1 has been injured successful the blazes, the latest of which caused insignificant harm to a northbound London synagogue connected Saturday night.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans said Sunday that the attacks had been claimed online by a radical calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia.
Israel’s authorities has described the group, whose sanction means the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right, arsenic precocious founded with suspected links to “an Iranian proxy” that has besides claimed work for synagogue attacks successful Belgium and the Netherlands.
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What’s happening with ships successful the Persian Gulf
Vessels trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz person reversed course, according to the MarineTraffic shipping tracker.
The Iranian navy has reimposed choky restrictions connected transit done the strait portion the U.S. blockades Iran’s ports and waters. The standoff has near hundreds of vessels waiting successful some directions for clearance done the waterway wherever a 5th of the world’s lipid supplies usually passes.
Kpler, a maritime information firm, said 19 vessels had passed done the strait connected Friday aft Iran and the U.S. announced the reopening of the strait precocious past week arsenic portion of knowing betwixt the 2 governments.
But connected Saturday, U.S. Central Command said it had sent 23 ships backmost to Iran since its blockade began, and astatine slightest 3 vessels were attacked by Iran Saturday portion attempting to transverse the strait, bringing shipping to a standstill again and further straining the planetary vigor market.
US vigor caput says talks with Iranians implicit Strait of Hormuz are ‘going well’
Chris Wright said the United States “is not excessively acold distant from a deal.”
“There are negotiations with the Iranians going on, contempt what you perceive successful the chatter successful public, I deliberation those are really going well,” Wright said connected “Fox News Sunday.”
Wright said Trump is “a originative negotiator” who uses “pressure successful antithetic ways, uses uncertainty successful antithetic ways.”
“I deliberation we’ll person a bully extremity of this conflict,” Wright predicted, adding that restarting shipping “will instrumentality clip but astir apt not excessively overmuch time” erstwhile the strait is reopened.
Waltz calls imaginable strikes connected powerfulness plants and bridges ‘an escalatory ladder’
Trump is renewing his menace to “knock out” each Iranian powerfulness works and span if Tehran doesn’t hold to U.S. presumption for ending the war.
Some experts successful subject instrumentality person said targeting civilian infrastructure tin beryllium a warfare crime, an contented that could crook connected whether the powerfulness plants are morganatic subject targets, whether the attacks are proportional compared with what Iran has done and whether civilian casualties are minimized.
When the warfare crimes question was posed to Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz said “that would beryllium an escalatory ladder.”
Iran and its proxies “have a agelong past of really deliberately hiding subject infrastructure successful hospitals, schools, neighborhoods and … and different civilian assets. … They person nary crushed to basal on,” Waltz told ABC’s “This Week.”
“It’s perfectly acceptable successful the rules of onshore warfare,” Waltz added, noting that Iran has utilized drones and missiles to onslaught hotels, resorts and homes crossed the Gulf.
“So this is conscionable a ridiculous argument,” helium said.
Iranian authoritative says US blockade amounts to warfare crime
Iran’s overseas ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Sunday that the U.S. blockade of Iran’s ports and coastline is an enactment of aggression that violates the shaky Pakistani-mediated ceasefire betwixt the 2 countries.
By “deliberately inflicting corporate punishment connected the Iranian population, it amounts to warfare transgression and crimes against humanity,” Baghaei said connected societal media.
Baghaei’s comments came aft Iran’s renewed threats connected shipping, successful effect to the U.S. blockade, afloat reclosed the strategical Strait of Hormuz.
Bahrain to reappraisal citizenship for those deemed menace to its security
Bahrain’s king has ordered a reappraisal of citizenship of those deemed a menace to the land kingdom.
The determination has travel amid an intensified crackdown connected dissent during the warfare successful the Middle East.
According to the state-run Bahrain News Agency, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa ordered the authorities to instantly instrumentality measures against “those who person betrayed the federation oregon undermined its information and stability,” including stripping Bahraini citizenship from those “who don’t merit it.”
“The concern is inactive delicate,” the king was quoted arsenic saying.
Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, has been 1 of the hardest deed by Iranian rocket and drone attacks during the U.S.-Israeli warfare against Iran.
Authorities successful the tiny Shiite-majority island, which is ruled by a Sunni monarchy, person detained galore radical implicit the people of the war.
Spain’s person wants the EU to extremity statement with Israel
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wants the 27-nation European Union to teardrop up its long-standing Association Agreement with Israel.
The agreement, successful unit since 2000, sets retired the ineligible and organization model wrong which the bloc and Israel behaviour commercialized and cooperation.
“We person thing against the radical of Israel; rather the contrary,” Sánchez said successful a station connected X connected Sunday. “But a Government that violates planetary instrumentality and, therefore, the principles and values of the EU cannot beryllium our partner.”
Spain volition contiguous a ceremonial connection astatine an EU overseas ministers’ gathering connected Tuesday to extremity the statement with Israel, helium said.
Sánchez has been a vocal professional of the determination by the U.S. and Israel to onslaught Iran, drafting crisp nationalist disapproval from Trump.
Residents of hard-hit Israeli borderline municipality protestation ceasefire extracurricular US Embassy
About 150 residents from Kiryat Shmona, located adjacent Israel’s bluish borderline with Lebanon, traveled to Jerusalem connected Sunday to show against the ceasefire with Hezbollah.
The 10-day ceasefire announced by Trump began Friday. It is meant to enactment up a broader ceasefire betwixt the U.S. and Iran.
Residents of bluish Israel, whose communities were taxable to round-the-clock barrages of Hezbollah rockets, person reacted angrily to the truce. They accidental Hezbollah remains a menace and has not been disarmed.
“It’s clip to region this menace from implicit the heads of the bluish residents,” said Kiryat Shmona’s mayor, Avichai Stern.
One of the protesters, Einat Dardari, said she’s “very disappointed” that the Israeli subject was forced to halt its violative against Hezbollah. “We privation security, I privation information astatine home, I privation information for my children,” she said.
Iran rebuilds its stockpile of missiles and drones, commandant says
A elder Iranian subject authoritative said Sunday that Iran has begun rebuilding its stockpile of weapons and munitions arsenic the two-week ceasefire nears to expire, authorities media reported.
Brig. Gen. Seyed Majid Mousavi, commandant of the Revolutionary Guard’s Aerospace Force, said they person repaired missiles and drone launchers during the ceasefire which started connected April 8, according to Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting.
“Our velocity successful updating and refilling rocket and drone motorboat platforms is adjacent greater than earlier the war,” helium said.
The broadcaster aired a two-minute video paired with uplifting music, showing missiles and drones successful warehouses arsenic good arsenic mobile launches of missiles.
The United States and Israel accidental they person degraded Iran’s subject capabilities implicit the people of the astir six-week war.
Turkish overseas curate says Israel’s ‘fundamentalist government’ is simply a planetary problem
Hakan Fidan was asked whether Turkey could regenerate Iran arsenic Israel’s main adversary, a question raised successful some Turkish and Israeli media successful caller weeks.
“This is simply a fundamentalist government. They are a occupation for the full world. This is not conscionable a occupation for Turkey,” Fidan told a quality league astatine the adjacent of a three-day diplomacy forum successful confederate Turkey.
Turkish officials person described Israel’s subject operations successful Gaza, Iran, Lebanon and Syria arsenic an “expansionist” menace to planetary stability. Fidan said stopping this menace is intelligibly connected the planetary community’s agenda. He besides described the defence agreements signed betwixt Israel, Greece and Cyprus successful December past twelvemonth arsenic a “military confederation against the Muslim countries successful the region.”
Trump said US negotiators volition beryllium successful Pakistan connected Monday for talks with Iran
Vice President JD Vance and envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner volition beryllium traveling to Islamabad for the 2nd circular of in-person talks, according to the White House.
Trump successful his societal media station Sunday accused Iran of violating the ceasefire statement by firing bullets Saturday successful the Strait of Hormuz, and threatened to destruct civilian infrastructure successful Iran if it does not instrumentality the woody the U.S. is offering.
“If they don’t, the United States is going to sound retired each azygous Power Plant, and each azygous Bridge, successful Iran,” Trump wrote.
Argentina’s President Javier Milei is successful Israel
The far-right South American person landed connected Sunday for a three-day visit, gathering Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and visiting the Western Wall of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.
Milei is scheduled to motion caller binational accords with Israel and person a Presidential Medal from Israeli President Isaac Herzog celebrating his committedness to warring anti-semitism, Herzog’s bureau said. It is astatine slightest Milei’s 3rd sojourn to the Western Wall.
He has backed the United States and Israel’s determination to motorboat a warfare connected Iran. Earlier this period Argentina expelled Iran’s ambassador from Buenos Aires.
Milei is among a tiny cohort of right-leaning leaders who person deepened ties with Netanyahu’s authorities adjacent arsenic Israel faces diplomatic isolation implicit wartime conduct, including successful Gaza and Lebanon. Some of Argentina’s South American neighbors person chopped diplomatic ties oregon withdrawn their ambassadors,
Preparations prime up successful Islamabad up of imaginable ceasefire talks
Pakistani authorities person begun tightening information successful the capital, Islamabad, up of a imaginable 2nd circular of ceasefire talks betwixt the U.S. and Iran.
Authorities connected Sunday deployed troops astatine roadside checkpoints, closed tourer sites and ordered large hotels to cancel bookings and support facilities available.
Islamabad’s streets are mostly deserted, arsenic residents stayed location to debar roadworthy closures seen earlier this period during the archetypal circular of talks.
While determination were nary ceremonial announcements, Pakistani officials said arrangements are successful spot for talks successful the coming days.
A determination authoritative progressive successful the mediation efforts said mediators were finalizing the preparations. He said U.S. beforehand information teams are already connected the ground. The officials spoke connected information of anonymity to sermon the preparations.
Pakistan has led mediation efforts to extremity the war. Its subject main visited Tehran past week, portion Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with determination leaders successful Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.
Israel says it killed Hezbollah commandant conscionable earlier ceasefire
The Israeli service says it carried retired a bid of strikes that killed much than 150 Hezbollah fighters.
Among those killed was Ali Rida Abbas, which it said was Hezbollah’s commandant successful Bint Jbeil. The confederate Lebanese municipality and its surroundings were the tract of aggravated clashes betwixt Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants successful the days starring up to the ceasefire.
Israel gave nary grounds to enactment its claims, and Hezbollah didn't instantly corroborate the decease of its commander.
The ceasefire took effect aboriginal Friday.
Iran wants ‘lasting peace,’ main negotiator says
Iran’s main negotiator says his state wants “a lasting bid truthful that warfare is not repeated again.”
Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf made the comments successful a televised interrogation precocious Saturday, a fewer days earlier a ceasefire deadline is acceptable to expire, according to Iranian authorities media.
“What is cardinal for america is distrust of the United States,” helium said. “At the aforesaid time, we person bully intentions and question a lasting bid — 1 that prevents the recurrence of war.”
He said that the Islamabad negotiations didn’t code the mistrust, but that the U.S. and Iranian negotiators “reached a much realistic knowing of 1 another.”
He said that the 2 sides achieved advancement successful the Islamabad talks, but disagreement remained connected immoderate cardinal issues, including the atomic programme and the Strait of Hormuz.
“The gaps stay wide and immoderate cardinal issues are inactive unresolved,” helium said.
He didn’t elaborate with further details.
Lebanon's service reopens immoderate roads successful the south
The Lebanese service said successful a connection Sunday that it reopened the Khardali roadworthy that links the confederate metropolis of Nabatiyeh with the municipality of Marjayoun.
The service said that it besides reopened the roadworthy that links the larboard metropolis of Tyre with the colony of Bourj Rahhal. The service is besides moving connected reopening different roads, including a span connected the Litani River successful the colony of Tayr Filsay.
During Israel’s penetration of confederate Lebanon implicit the past respective weeks, Israel’s aerial unit has destroyed respective bridges connected the river.
After a 10-day ceasefire was declared arsenic of midnight Thursday, the Lebanese service and the Litani Authority person been moving connected putting up impermanent bridges to regenerate the destroyed ones.
Iran negotiator says strait volition stay closed
Iran’s parliamentary Speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf says the Strait of Hormuz volition stay closed arsenic agelong arsenic the U.S. imposes a naval blockade connected Iran.
“It is intolerable for others to walk done the Strait of Hormuz portion we cannot,” helium said successful televised comments aired by Iranian semiofficial media precocious Saturday.
Qalibaf, who is Iran’s main negotiator with the United States, said that the strait is present nether Iran’s control, linking the choke point’s reopening to the U.S. lifting of its blockade.
“If the U.S. does not assistance the blockade, postulation successful the Strait of Hormuz volition decidedly beryllium restricted,” helium said.
He said that the ceasefire was connected verge of illness erstwhile the U.S. attempted to mine-clear the strait.
He said Iran viewed the U.S. effort arsenic a usurpation of the ceasefire.
“The concern escalated to the constituent of struggle but the force retreated,” helium said.
Another Israeli worker dies successful combat
Israel’s subject says different worker died successful combat successful confederate Lebanon, the 2nd decease announced successful nether 12 hours.
It brought the full fig of soldiers killed successful Lebanon to 15, and was the 2nd worker killed successful combat since the ceasefire.
The subject said that different worker was severely wounded, on with 4 moderately wounded and 4 somewhat injured.
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