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Iran has said that the Strait of Hormuz is “impossible” to reopen due to what it calls ceasefire violations by the US and Israel.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament and lead negotiator, wrote on X: “A complete ceasefire only makes sense if it is not violated by the maritime blockade and the hostage-taking of the world’s economy…. reopening the Strait of Hormuz is impossible with such a flagrant breach of the ceasefire.”
On Wednesday, US Navy secretary John Phelan left the Trump administration, marking another high-level departure in US security leadership amid the ongoing war with Iran. A Pentagon spokesman said the department is “grateful to Secretary Phelan for his service to the Department and the United States Navy” without providing a reason for the departure.
His exit follows recent shake-ups, including the firing of the US army’s chief of staff, the resignation of a top counterterrorism official, and other dismissals of senior generals by Pete Hegseth.
Earlier, the White House said the US blockade of Iran’s ports was “incredibly effective” at choking Iran’s economy and pressurising it into joining peace talks.
Trump has said fresh talks with Tehran could begin within two days, despite Iranian officials demanding an end to the blockade of its ports as a condition for negotiations to restart.
US treasury secretary claims Gulf ‘allies’ seeking currency swaps amid Iran war crisis
Treasury secretary Scott Bessent said that “many” US allies in the Persian Gulf have sought financial support in the form of currency swap lines due to economic strain caused by the Iran war.
He said: “Many of our Gulf allies have requested swap lines. Swap lines, whether it’s from the Federal Reserve or the Treasury, are to maintain order in the dollar funding markets and to prevent the sale of the US assets in a disorderly way.”
“The swap line would both benefit the UAE and the US, and as I said, numerous other countries, including some of our Asian allies [who] have also requested them,” he said, without specifying which other countries.
Maroosha Muzaffar23 April 2026 07:10
IRGC releases footage of two ships it seized for trying to cross Hormuz ‘covertly’
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps released footage claiming it seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz for alleged maritime violations. IRGC accused the vessels of “attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz covertly”.
The vessels were identified as the MSC Francesca and Epaminondas, and the incident marks the first such seizure since the war began in late February.
At the same time, the US played down the escalation. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Donald Trump did not view the incident as a ceasefire violation “because these were not US ships, these were not Israeli ships. These were two international vessels”.
Maroosha Muzaffar23 April 2026 06:55
6 months needed to clear sea mines in Strait of Hormuz
US officials have reportedly indicated it could take up to six months to clear sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
The estimate was reportedly shared by Pentagon officials during a classified briefing to lawmakers at a House Armed Services Committee meeting on Tuesday.
According to an AP report, the briefing left lawmakers with “more questions than answers” as key concerns – ranging from the cost of the war and its strategic objectives to details about an early attack on a school in Iran that killed around 165 people, mostly young girls – remained unresolved.
Maroosha Muzaffar23 April 2026 06:50
US navy chief leaves Trump administration
US navy secretary John Phelan has left the Trump administration, marking another high-level departure in US security leadership amid the ongoing war with Iran.
A Pentagon spokesman said the department is “grateful to Secretary Phelan for his service to the Department and the United States Navy”.
File. John Phelan (C) speaks after Donald Trump announced the Navy’s ‘Golden Fleet’, at Mar-a-lago in Palm Beach, Florida, US, 22 December 2025 (Reuters)
Phelan was appointed by Donald Trump in late 2024 and had limited prior military experience.
His departure comes as a significant portion of the US navy remains deployed in the Middle East due to the ongoing war.
Hung Cao will step in as acting secretary.
Maroosha Muzaffar23 April 2026 06:30
Lebanon expected to seek one-month extension of ceasefire with Israel in fresh talks
Lebanon is expected to seek a one-month extension of its ceasefire with Israel during fresh talks in Washington, as the current truce nears its Sunday deadline.
The negotiations, only the second direct engagement between the two sides in decades, come amid ongoing tensions, with Israel saying it has no “serious disagreements” with Lebanon and urging cooperation against the Iran-backed Hezbollah, which is not part of the talks.
The meeting will be led by Marco Rubio, bringing together Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter and Lebanese ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad, alongside US envoys.
Men look upon the casket of a Hezbollah fighter that was killed by an Israeli strike last week while it is lowered into a grave during a funeral on 22 April 2026 in Tyre, Lebanon (Getty)
An unnamed Lebanese official told AFP news agency that, besides a month-long extension of the truce, Lebanon will also request “an end of Israel’s bombing and destruction in the areas where it is present, and a commitment to the ceasefire”.
Maroosha Muzaffar23 April 2026 06:29
White House has not set a deadline for Iran to reach a deal
The Donald Trump administration has not set a firm deadline for Iran to reach a deal, according to Karoline Leavitt.
She said: “He [Trump] is maintaining and is generously offering a bit of flexibility to a regime who has been completely tarnished,” while describing internal divisions in Iran.
“This is a battle between the pragmatists and the hardliners in Iran right now, and the president wants a unified response.”
Leavitt added that no fixed timeline has been imposed, saying: “Ultimately, the timeline will be dictated by the commander-in-chief and the president of the United States.”
She added that “Operation Economic Fury” was continuing with what she called an “effective and successful” naval blockade and claimed that the US is “completely strangling” Iran’s economy.
Maroosha Muzaffar23 April 2026 06:10
Erdogan warns Iran war is ‘starting to weaken Europe’
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that the US-Israeli war against Iran is “starting to weaken Europe” in remarks to his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Speaking on Wednesday, Erdogan said: “The war in our region is likewise starting to weaken Europe, and if we do not address this situation with an approach that prioritises peace, the damage caused by the conflict will be far greater.”
A man rides a motorbike past an anti-US mural on a building, amid a ceasefire between US and Iran, in Tehran, Iran, 22 April 2026 (Reuters)
He added that the country was working to end the Russia-Ukraine war through negotiations – just as it is doing in the Iran conflict – with the goal of achieving a lasting peace.
Maroosha Muzaffar23 April 2026 05:50
Tehran residents on edge despite ceasefire extension
In Tehran, despite Donald Trump’s extension of the ceasefire deadline, people remain tense and uncertain.
According to Sky News, the streets were quieter than usual, with fewer people outside, as many fear the war could restart at any moment. Some had even left the city before the extension was announced.
Despite heavy US-Israeli bombing earlier, authorities have cleared visible damage and are working quickly to repair affected areas.
A local shop owner told the outlet: “Are we back in limbo again? What’s stopping them? It feels like they want war again.”
Maroosha Muzaffar23 April 2026 05:30
Iranian president accuses US of ‘hypocritical rhetoric’
Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on X that the US was showing the world “its endless hypocritical rhetoric and contradiction between claims and actions”.
He wrote on X: “The Islamic Republic of Iran has welcomed dialogue and agreement and continues to do so. Breach of commitments, blockade and threats are main obstacles to genuine negotiations.”
His comments came after the US refused to lift its blockade of Iranian ports.
The White House has also accused Iran of acting “like a bunch of pirates” after its Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy fired on three ships and captured two of them as they tried to go through the Strait of Hormuz.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said that the US blockade of Iran’s ports was incredibly effective at choking Iran’s economy.
Maroosha Muzaffar23 April 2026 05:10
Iran says ‘impossible’ to open Strait of Hormuz given ‘flagrant’ ceasefire violations by US and Israel
The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed, with Iran saying it is “impossible” to reopen it due to what it calls ceasefire violations by the US and Israel.
Iranian forces have seized two ships and are enforcing their own blockade, while the US is also maintaining a separate blockade.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament and lead negotiator, wrote on X: “A complete ceasefire only makes sense if it is not violated by the maritime blockade and the hostage-taking of the world’s economy, and if the Zionist warmongering across all fronts is halted; reopening the Strait of Hormuz is impossible with such a flagrant breach of the ceasefire.
“They did not achieve their goals through military aggression, nor will they through bullying. The only way forward is to recognise the rights of the Iranian nation.”
Maroosha Muzaffar23 April 2026 04:50