US Iran war LIVE updates: No Iranian delegation has departed for Pakistan for US peace talks yet, says state media
US Iran war LIVE updates: The White House on Tuesday clarified that US Vice President JD Vance has not yet left for Iran, and that he is currently attending additional policy meetings, Reuters news agency reported. This comes even as Pakistan’s information minister Attaullah Tarar said that Iran has provided no formal confirmation on attending the talks with US in Islamabad….Read More
Two regional officials had earlier told the Associated Press that US and Iran have signalled their willingness to hold a new round of the ceasefire talks in Islamabad. According to the report, Pakistan-led mediators received confirmation that top US and Iran negotiators will land in Islamabad early Wednesday.
The talks are taking place days before the ceasefire deadline expires at 23.50 GMT on Tuesday (5.20 am IST on Wednesday). The prospect of talks comes as ships remain unable to transit the critical waterway amid threats from Iran and a US blockade on vessels heading to and from Iranian ports.
Pakistan confident Iran will attend US talks
Pakistan is confident it can get Iran to attend talks with the United States, a senior Pakistani government official told Reuters on Monday. “We have received a positive signal from Iran. Things are fluid but we are trying that they should be here when we start the talks tomorrow or a day after,” a source told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
US to host new Israel-Lebanon talks
The State Department will hold new talks on Thursday between Israel and Lebanon, a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity, after a previous meeting saw the start of a tense ceasefire.
“We will continue to facilitate direct, good-faith discussions between the two governments,” the official said.
Hormuz blockade stays until deal: Trump
President Donald Trump said the United States would not lift its blockade of Iranian ports until Tehran had agreed a peace deal to end the war.
“THE BLOCKADE, which we will not take off until there is a ‘DEAL,’ is absolutely destroying Iran,” Trump said on social media. “They are losing $500 Million Dollars a day, an unsustainable number, even in the short run.”
Curbs on Iran oil come ‘with a price’, says Tehran
Iranian vice president Mohammad Reza Aref said that global fuel prices could stabilise only if economic and military pressures on Iranian oil exports were stopped.
“One cannot restrict Iran’s oil exports while expecting free security for others,” Aref wrote in a post on X. “The choice is clear: either a free oil market for all, or the risk of significant costs for everyone,” he added.
Oil prices on Sunday surged in early trading amid a standoff between Iran and the US.
Ceasefire deadline to end tomorrow
The ceasefire deadline between US and Iran will end on April 22. Speaking to PBS News, Trump said that if no breakthrough is reached, “then lots of bombs start going off.” Meanwhile, the Speaker of Iran’s Parliament has signalled a potential shift in Tehran’s strategy, stating that the country is “prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield.”
Follow all the updates here:
Apr 21, 2026 10:11:48 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Israeli military says sirens in northern Israel were false identification
US Iran war LIVE updates: The Israeli military on Tuesday said sirens in northern Israel were determined to be a false identification.
Sirens were sounded in Kfar Yovel and Maayan Baruch in northern Israel, near the Lebanese border.
Apr 21, 2026 9:59:48 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Pak says Iran-US ceasefire ends at 2350 GMT (5.20 am IST)
US Iran war LIVE updates: Pakistan has said that the two-week ceasefire between US and Iran will end at 23.50 GMT on Tuesday (5.20 am IST on Wednesday).
“Ceasefire ends at 4:50 am PST, 22 April,” Pakistan information minister Attaullah Tarar posted on X, referring to Pakistan Standard Time.
Apr 21, 2026 9:48:20 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Vance has not yet departed for Iran, says White House
US Iran war LIVE updates: The White House on Tuesday clarified that US Vice President JD Vance has not yet left for Iran, and that he is currently attending additional policy meetings, Reuters news agency reported.
This comes even as Pakistan’s information minister Attaullah Tarar said that Iran has provided no formal confirmation on attending the talks with US in Islamabad.
Apr 21, 2026 9:03:53 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran executes eighth man over January protests
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran has executed a man convicted of helping to set fire to a major mosque in Tehran during protests in January, AFP cited the Iranian judiciary as saying.
Amir Ali Mirjafari was accused of setting fire to the Gholhak Grand Mosque and also working with the Israeli espionage agency Mossad, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported. Mirjafari was the eight person to be executed over the January protests.
Apr 21, 2026 8:43:09 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Trump says US in a ‘very, very strong negotiating position’
US Iran war LIVE updates: Ahead of the negotiations in Islamabad, US President Donald Trump said America was in a “very, very strong negotiating position.”
“We’re going to end up with a great deal. I think they have no choice…” Trump told broadcaster CNBC. While the US delegation, led by Vice President JD Vance, is yet to leave for Islamabad, Iran has not given any formal confirmation regarding its attendance.
Apr 21, 2026 8:33:35 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Decision from Iran on attending talks before ceasefire deadline is critical, says Pak
US Iran war LIVE updates: Pakistan’s information minister Attaullah Tarar said that the decision from Iran on its attendance for the talks in Islamabad before the ceasefire deadline is critical.
Tarar said that Pakistan as a mediator is in constant touch with the Iranians and pursuing the path of diplomacy and dialogue, Reuters news agency reported.
Apr 21, 2026 8:29:46 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran yet to formally confirm its attendance for Islamabad peace talks, says Pakistan
US Iran war LIVE updates: Pakistan’s information minister Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday said formal confirmation from the Iranian side on their attendance for the peace talks in Islamabad was awaited.
However, Tarar said that Pakistan had made sincere efforts to convince the Iranian leadership to participate in the second round of talks with the US, and efforts to that end will continue, Reuters news agency reported.
Apr 21, 2026 8:07:51 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Latest on Strait of Hormuz crisis
US Iran war LIVE updates: The shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained largely halted on Tuesday, with only three ships having passed the waterway in the past 24 hours, Reuters news agency reported citing shipping data.
Among the ships which passed was thre Ean Spir products tanker and the Lian Star cargo ship, which had no known flag or known ownership, and the Meda liquefied petroleum gas tanker, which had called at a UAE port in the Gulf.
Apr 21, 2026 8:04:01 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Pakistan urges US, Iran to extend ceasefire
US Iran war LIVE updates: Islamabad has urged the United States and Iran to extend their two-week ceasefire which ends on April 22, Reuters news agency cited Pakistan’s foreign ministry as saying.
Pakistan foreign minister Ishaq Dar, in a meeting with US Chargé d’Affaires in Pakistan, Natalie A. Baker, reiterated the need for dialogue between both sides.
Apr 21, 2026 7:56:12 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: US forces board previously sanctioned oil tanker in Indian Ocean, says Pentagon
US Iran war LIVE updates: US forces have boarded an oil tanker previously sanctioned for smuggling Iranian crude oil in Asia, the Department of Defense said on Tuesday.
The Pentagon, in a social media post, said US forces “conducted a right-of-visit maritime interdiction” and boarded the M/T Tifani “without incident.” Ship-tracking data showed the Tifani was carrying oil in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday between Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
Apr 21, 2026 7:52:50 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Trump urges Iran to free eight women he says are facing execution
US Iran war LIVE updates: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Iran could boost the chances of success in peace talks with the United States by freeing eight women he says are facing execution.
“I would greatly appreciate the release of these women…Would be a great start to our negotiations!” the US President said in a post on Truth Social. The post came after a pro-Israel youth activist in the United States, Eyal Yakoby, re-posted a claim on X that eight women faced death by hanging. The claim, which did not provide any names but posted photographs, could not be verified.
Apr 21, 2026 7:19:44 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Trump says Iran will ‘soon be in negotiations’ with US
“To the Iranian leaders, who will soon be in negotiations with my representatives: I would greatly appreciate the release of these women,” the US president wrote in a social media post in response to unverified news alleging that Iran is planning to hang eight women.
“I am sure that they will respect the fact that you did so. Please do them no harm! Would be a great start to our negotiations!!!”
Apr 21, 2026 6:58:19 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Trump says administration is weighing a currency swap with UAE
US President Donald Trump has said that his administration is weighing a currency swap with UAE to help bolster finances of Mideast ally rattled by war.
Apr 21, 2026 6:49:06 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran foreign ministry condemns arrests in UAE as ‘baseless’
Iran foreign ministry has condemned arrests in UAE as ‘baseless’. UAE had said that it busted a ‘terror cell’ linked to Iran.
Apr 21, 2026 6:18:35 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: ‘Ready to go militarily,’ says Trump on Iran
US Iran war LIVE updates: US President Donald Trump threatened Iran on Tuesday, saying America was “ready to go militarily,” Reuters news agency reported.
Apr 21, 2026 6:16:28 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Trump says he does not want to extend ceasefire with Iran
US Iran war LIVE updates: US President Donald Trump told CNBC in an interview on Tuesday that he did not want to extend a ceasefire with Iran.
He said that he believed that US was in a strong negotiating position and would be able to get what he called a great deal. “I don’t want to do that. We don’t have that much time,” Trump said on extending the ceasefire.
Apr 21, 2026 5:05:34 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: US, Iran negotiators to arrive in Islamabad early Wednesday for talks, say officials
US Iran war LIVE updates: Pakistan-led mediators have received confirmation that top US and Iran negotiators will land in Islamabad early Wednesday for negotiations, Associated Press reported citing officials.
Two regional officials told AP that US and Iran have signalled their willingness to hold a new round of the ceasefire talks in Islamabad.
Apr 21, 2026 5:01:40 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Qatar says it is in contact with all parties, Gulf countries ahead of Islamabad talks
US Iran war LIVE updates: With the uncertainty around the talks in Islamabad still prevailing, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said the country is in contact with all parties, including the US.
Ansari further said that Qatar was also in “direct contact” with all Gulf countries, Al Jazeera reported.
Apr 21, 2026 4:59:09 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Resolving Hormuz crisis is not the responsibility of only one country, but all, says Qatar
US Iran war LIVE updates: Qatar foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said the resolution of the Strait of Hormuz crisis is the responsibility of not one country, but all.
Ansari said the continued closure of the strait turns the crisis from regional to an international one, according to Al Jazeera.
Apr 21, 2026 4:57:01 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Qatar condemns ‘violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty’ amid Israeli attacks
US Iran war LIVE updates: Qatar has condemned the violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty, amid Israeli strikes in the country. Qatar’s foreign minister spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said the country had always called for an end to the war, Al Jazeera reported.
He said that the conflict had put everyone at risk along with its energy markets, and called for the continuation of the ceasefire.
Apr 21, 2026 4:49:56 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Who blinks first? US-Iran in travel standoff over Islamabad talks
US Iran war LIVE updates: While Pakistan has been preparing for the talks between US and Iran in Islamabad, both negotiating sides are in a travel standoff to see who gets on the plane first, Al Jazeera reported.
While US President Donald Trump had on Monday said their delegation was on their way to Islamabad, it was later clarified that Vice President JD Vance had not yet departed for the talks. Meanwhile, Iran has still not confirmed its attendance, with the US blockade of its ports now a sticking point.
Apr 21, 2026 4:44:33 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: UN maritime agency working on evacuation plan for hundreds of stranded ships
US Iran war LIVE updates: The International Maritime Organization is working on an evacuation plan for hundreds of ship stranded in the Persian Gulf following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The plan can only be put into action when there are clear signs of de-escalation, International Maritime Organization Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez said Tuesday, Bloomberg reported.
Apr 21, 2026 4:42:35 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: UN maritime agency chief appeals for help for stranded Hormuz sailors
US Iran war LIVE updates: International Maritime Organization Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez has appealed on Tuesday for help for thousands of seafarers stranded due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Dominguez told a maritime conference in Singapore that stranded sailors were suffering from stress and fatigue, and urged shipping companies to provide remote support to them, AFP reported
Apr 21, 2026 3:57:37 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran Air to resume domestic flights from Wednesday, first flight between Tehran-Mashhad
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran Air will resume domestic flights on Wednesday (April 22), after a 50-day halt in services owing to the war, Al Jazeera reported citing Tasnim news agency.
The first route it will operate on is the Tehran-Mashhad corridor, with return flights also operating on the same day.
Apr 21, 2026 3:55:24 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Israel issues another warning for residents of southern Lebanon
US Iran war LIVE updates: The Israeli military issued another warning to the residents of southern Lebanon, asking them “not to move south of the line of the villages shown and their surroundings” that it showed on a map.
“Additionally, approaching the area of the Litani River, Wadi Salhania, and Saluki is not permitted,” the Israeli army’s spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a post on X.
Apr 21, 2026 3:51:57 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Consequences will be ‘catastrophic’ if freedom of navigation does not return to Hormuz, says EU transport commissioner
US Iran war LIVE updates: European Union transport commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas has said that without the return of permanent freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, consequences will be “catastrophic” for Europe and the world at large.
However, the transport commissioner says Europe maintains emergency jet fuel stocks, which can be released when necessary, Reuters news agency reported. Tzitzikostas added that the EU was working to find an alternative jet fuel supply for Europe, like from the United States.
Apr 21, 2026 3:45:06 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: No indication yet of any flight cancellations in coming weeks or months, says EU transport commissioner
US Iran war LIVE updates: European Union’s transport commissioner on Tuesday said there was no indication yet that there will be widespread flight cancellations in the coming weeks or months.
The transport commissioner added that there was no need to intervene in how people live, work or travel at this point, Reuters news agency reported.
Apr 21, 2026 3:40:28 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran says tanker managed to enter its territorial waters despite US blockade
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran has said that an Iranian tanker managed to enter the country’s territorial waters last night despite “threats” from the US military, which has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports.
“Despite multiple warnings and threats from the naval task force of the US Army … the Iranian oil tanker Sili City, with the operational support of the Army Navy … entered Iranian territorial waters last night after passing through the Arabian Sea,” Iranian Army’s public relations office said, according to Mehr News Agency.
Apr 21, 2026 3:33:46 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Lebanon PM to meet EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg
US Iran war LIVE updates: Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is scheduled to meet with foreign ministers of European Union countries in Luxembourg and brief them, Al Jazeera reported.
The meeting of EU foreign ministers might also focus on the countries’ ties with Israel, even as Belgian foreign minister Maxime Prevo has called Israel’s conduct in Lebanon “totally unacceptable”. Some countries, including Spain, Slovenia and Ireland, have also tried to revise the EU’s association agreement with Israel.
Apr 21, 2026 3:25:53 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Three ships, including Iran vessel, cross Strait of Hormuz amid blockade
US Iran war LIVE updates: Three vessels – two cargo ships and a fuel tanker – reportedly crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, with the Iranian and US blockades still in place, Bloomberg reported.
These included Shoja 2, an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel, which moved into the Gulf of Oman and is now in waters off Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates, according to ship tracking data.
The Lian Star, a general cargo ship flagged to Gambia, crossed the strait and is now sailing southeast along Iran’s coastline in the Gulf of Oman.
The Ean Spir, a medium-range tanker previously named Blue Commander and with no identified owner, began sailing northeast from waters near Ras Al-Khaimah in the UAE, and is now heading south into the Gulf of Oman, indicating Shinas in Oman as its destination, according to Bloomberg.
Apr 21, 2026 2:42:43 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Pakistan presses ahead with preparations for Iran-US talks even with Tehran’s participation unclear
US Iran war LIVE updates: Pakistan pressed ahead Tuesday with the groundwork for a second round of talks between Iran and the United States in Islamabad as a fragile ceasefire hung in the balance, even though it remained unclear whether Tehran would send a delegation.
Both sides remain dug in rhetorically, with U.S. President Donald Trump warning that “lots of bombs” will “start going off” if there’s no agreement before the ceasefire deadline, which he put as Wednesday, and Iran’s chief negotiator saying that Tehran has “new cards on the battlefield” that haven’t yet been revealed.
The two-week ceasefire began on April 8, and seemed likely to be extended if talks resume as planned. White House officials have said that U.S. Vice President JD Vance would lead the American delegation, but Iran hasn’t said who it might send, and Iranian state television on Tuesday broadcast a message saying that “no delegation from Iran has visited Islamabad… so far.” (AP)
Apr 21, 2026 2:12:23 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Doubt surrounds Iran-US talks as ceasefire is set to expire
US Iran war LIVE updates: The prospect of a second round of talks was uncertain Tuesday after Iran’s chief negotiator said Iran would not negotiate in the face of threats while U.S. President Donald Trump offered mixed messages about the path ahead for the U.S. war against Iran, declaring that he was in no rush to end the conflict.
Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, Iran’s chief negotiator and parliament speaker, wrote in a post on X early Tuesday that “We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats,” and the Islamic Republic has been preparing “to reveal new cards on the battlefield.”
Trump indicated that he still expects to dispatch his negotiating team, led by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, to Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad for talks, even as Iran insisted it would not take part until the U.S. leader dialed back his demands. Trump said he’s “highly unlikely” to renew the ceasefire before it expires Wednesday. (AP)
Apr 21, 2026 2:07:44 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran’s army says tanker entered territorial waters from Arabian Sea with Iranian Navy support
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran’s army says tanker entered territorial waters from Arabian Sea with Iranian Navy support, says state TV.
Apr 21, 2026 1:40:35 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: No Iranian delegation has departed for Pakistan for US peace talks yet, says state media
US Iran war LIVE updates: No Iranian delegation has departed for Pakistan for US peace talks yet, state media said on Tuesday.
Apr 21, 2026 1:20:16 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: White House defends Trump’s Iran strategy, claims deal ‘very close’
US Iran war LIVE updates: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has asserted that the current administration is on the verge of securing a historic diplomatic breakthrough with Tehran. Speaking to Fox News, Leavitt credited the progress to the unique approach adopted by the US President, contrasting it with previous diplomatic efforts.
Apr 21, 2026 1:15:57 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran ready to deliver ‘decisive reponse’ to any breach, says Khatam al-Anbiya commander
US Iran war LIVE updates: The commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Ali Abdollahi, has warned of a strong response to any “breach of covenant” by the “enemy” (US), while praising public support for the country’s armed forces, according to Iranian media Tasnim news agency.
Abdollahi said Iran remains prepared to act decisively in the face of threats.
“We are ready to give a decisive response to the enemy’s breach of covenant,” Abdollahi said, as quoted by Tasnim.
He also pointed to the strong domestic backing for Iran’s military establishment.
“The people of Iran, with their enthusiastic and widespread presence in the squares and streets, have not abandoned their support for the armed forces”, he added.
The remarks come as the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has demanded the urgent release of a commercial ship and its personnel following a maritime incident involving US forces. According to a report by the Iranian state media Tasnim news agency, the official reaction follows the boarding and seizure of the Iranian-flagged container ship, Touska, on Sunday. (ANI)
Apr 21, 2026 12:54:18 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: US positive on Iran deal but talks still uncertain as ceasefire end nears
US Iran war LIVE updates: The United States expressed confidence that peace talks with Iran would go ahead in Pakistan and a senior Iranian official said Tehran was considering joining, but significant hurdles and uncertainty remained as the end of a ceasefire loomed.
The two-week truce in the war is set to expire within days and despite Iran earlier ruling out a second round of negotiations this week, a Pakistani source involved in the discussions told Reuters there was momentum for talks to recommence on Wednesday.
“Things are moving forward and the talks are on track for tomorrow,” the source said on Tuesday on condition of anonymity, adding U.S. President Donald Trump could attend in person, or virtually, if a deal were to be signed. (Reuters)
Apr 21, 2026 12:22:34 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Trump signals no truce extension on eve of scheduled peace talks
US Iran war LIVE updates: President Donald Trump signaled he is unlikely to extend a two-week ceasefire with Iran that’s set to expire in two days, while Iran has yet to confirm it will participate in talks to end a war that’s engulfed the Middle East and upended global trade.
Trump said in an interview on Monday that the ceasefire expires on Wednesday evening in Washington and he is “not going to be rushed into making a bad deal.” He said the Strait of Hormuz would stay blockaded for now, and “I’m not opening it until a deal is signed.” Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said his country would not “accept negotiations under the shadow of threats.”
The standoff underscores the uncertainty surrounding a new round of talks, even after Trump said negotiations could begin as early as Tuesday. The US president has threatened strikes on Iran’s power infrastructure if diplomacy fails. A pause in hostilities has mostly held for two weeks after a conflict that killed thousands across the region and disrupted global energy supplies. (Bloomberg)
Apr 21, 2026 12:14:37 PM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran Armed Forces command says ‘ready for decisive response’ to US breach of ceasefire provisions
US Iran war LIVE updates: Head of Iran’s armed forces unified command Abdollahi says Tehran is ready to “decisively respond” to any US breach of ceasefire provisions.
Apr 21, 2026 11:52:27 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iranian supertanker breaches “blockade line” after offloading 2 million barrels of crude oil
US Iran war LIVE updates: An Iranian supertanker has successfully bypassed a US naval blockade returning to Iranian waters after delivering 2 million barrels of crude oil via the Riau Archipelago, reports Fars News. The vessel had departed Iran in March to Indonesia and was making its return admist the US imposed Naval blockade.
While Tehran hails the mission as a breakthrough against the “US Siege,” regional tensions remain high as a critical ceasefire deadline approaches on April 22.
The successful transit comes amid heightened monitoring of Iranian maritime activities and commercial shipping lanes in the region. In a defiant move against Western maritime restrictions, Iranian media reporting has characterised the mission as a significant breakthrough, stating that “Another Iranian Tanker Breaches the U.S. Siege.” (ANI)
Apr 21, 2026 11:36:39 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: US and Iran warn they are ready for war as talks in limbo
US Iran war LIVE updates: The United States and Iran both warned they were ready for war as the clock ticked down on a ceasefire on Tuesday, with uncertainty over whether talks that President Donald Trump had announced would resume in Pakistan.
The White House said Vice President JD Vance was ready to fly back to Islamabad, which was preparing for a second round of talks on ending the war that has engulfed the Middle East and shaken global markets.
However, Tehran’s government declined to confirm that it would participate and accused the United States of violating the truce through its blockade of Iranian ports and seizure of a ship.
“By imposing a blockade and violating the ceasefire, Trump wants to turn this negotiating table into a surrender table or justify renewed hostilities, as he sees fit,” said Iran’s powerful parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who headed the delegations to talks in the Pakistani capital two weeks ago. (AFP)
Apr 21, 2026 11:32:31 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Hormuz blockade stays until deal: Trump
US Iran war LIVE updates: President Donald Trump said the United States would not lift its blockade of Iranian ports until Tehran had agreed a peace deal to end the war.
“THE BLOCKADE, which we will not take off until there is a ‘DEAL,’ is absolutely destroying Iran,” Trump said on social media. “They are losing $500 Million Dollars a day, an unsustainable number, even in the short run.” (AFP)
Apr 21, 2026 10:46:59 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: More than 20 Iranian ‘shadow vessels’ transit past US blockade
US Iran war LIVE updates: On Tuesday, shipping industry intelligence site Lloyd’s List reported that more than 20 Iranian so-called “shadow vessels”, had transited past the US blockade.
The channel in peacetime sees around 120 daily transits, according to the site. (AFP)
Apr 21, 2026 10:26:41 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Oil down after another surge
US Iran war LIVE updates: Hanging onto the hope of resumed negotiations in Pakistan, oil prices fell Tuesday after soaring the previous day following the seizure of an Iranian cargo ship by the United States and the renewed closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran.
At around 0300 GMT, the price of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the US benchmark, was down 1.2 percent at $88.50 and Brent crude from the North Sea, the global benchmark, was down 0.4 percent at $95.12 a barrel. (AFP)
Apr 21, 2026 9:59:11 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Trump says recovering Iran uranium ‘will be a long and difficult process’
US Iran war LIVE updates: US President Donald Trump said late Monday the United States obtaining uranium from Iran would be “long” and “difficult” in the aftermath of last year’s US strikes on Tehran’s nuclear sites.
“Operation Midnight Hammer was a complete and total obliteration of the Nuclear Dust sites in Iran,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding: “Therefore, digging it out will be a long and difficult process.”
The US leader regularly uses the term “nuclear dust” to refer to Iran’s stock of enriched uranium, which the United States accuses Iran of hoarding in order to make an atomic bomb.
But he has also sometimes used it to refer to material left from US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in June last year.
The 79-year-old president maintains Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium would ultimately be transferred to US territory, despite Iran’s foreign ministry denying any such plans. (AFP)
Apr 21, 2026 9:53:39 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Gulf worries US-Iran talks may cement Tehran’s ‘golden’ grip on Hormuz
US Iran war LIVE updates: Upcoming US–Iran talks in Islamabad are expected to focus more on uranium enrichment and how to handle Iran’s leverage over the Strait of Hormuz rather than missiles or regional proxies. Gulf officials warn this shift could entrench Iran’s control over energy flows, as negotiations appear to prioritise economic stability while sidelining regional concerns.
“At the end of the day, Hormuz will be the red line,” one Gulf source close to government circles told Reuters. “It wasn’t an issue before. It is now. The goal posts have moved.”
Apr 21, 2026 9:39:59 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iranian nuclear sites turned to dust, claims Donald Trump as US-Iran talks hit limbo
US Iran war LIVE updates: Operation Midnight Hammer was a complete and total obliteration of the Nuclear Dust sites in Iran, said US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time). He added that “digging it out will be a long and difficult process”.
Apr 21, 2026 9:28:00 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Video shows US Marines dropping down to deck of “Touska” from helicopters
US Iran war LIVE updates: Night footage shows US Marines dropping down to the deck of the “Touska” from helicopters.
Apr 21, 2026 9:02:13 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran calls for immediate release of crew after US targeted vessel near Hormuz
US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran calls for the immediate release of the crew after the US targeted a vessel near the Strait of Hormuz.
Apr 21, 2026 8:57:50 AM IST
US Iran war LIVE updates: Oil falls on expectations US-Iran talks likely to proceed, opening supply
US Iran war LIVE updates: Oil prices fell on Tuesday, reversing gains in the previous session, on expectations peace talks between the U.S. and Iran will take place this week and allow more supply to flow from the key Middle East producing region. Brent futures declined 95 cents, or 1%, at $94.53, as of 0003 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for May fell$1.54, or 1.72%, to $88.07. The May contract expires on Tuesday and the more-active June contract was down $1.09, or 1.3%, at $86.37.
Both benchmarks surged on Monday, with Brent up 5.6% and WTI up 6.9%, after Iran again shut the Strait of Hormuz, closing the key oil transport artery, and the U.S. seized an Iranian cargo ship as part of its blockade of the country’s ports. Still, investors are focusing on the likelihood talks this week will result in the extension of the existing ceasefire or a final agreement, though the chance of further conflict and disruptions to oil flows remains.
Iran is weighing participation in the peace talks in Pakistan, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday, following Islamabad’s efforts to end the U.S. blockade.
The blockade has posed a major hurdle to Tehran rejoining peace efforts, with the current two-week ceasefire set to expire this week.(Reuters)
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