Optimism grew on Thursday that the war in the Middle East may be near an end, with a key Pakistani mediator in Tehran and the administration of President Donald Trump talking up hopes for a deal that would open the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that there was a "good chance" of a peace deal between Lebanon and Israel happening soon, after he announced a 10-day ceasefire between the two countries.
The U.S. and Iran could resume peace talks over the next couple of days, U.S. President Donald Trump has said. Talks between Israel and Lebanon were held in Washington yesterday. Fuel prices have dropped below $100 a barrel. U.S. blockade on Iranian ports completes first day.
The two-week ceasefire between Iran, the U.S. and Israel entered its second and last week with Tehran stepping up diplomacy at home and abroad ahead of the pending renewed talks with Washington expected later this week.
The United States said on Wednesday its military had completely halted trade going in and out of Iran by sea, even though President Donald Trump said talks with Tehran on ending the war could resume this week.
The U.S.-sanctioned tanker Rich Starry made its way back to the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after exiting the Gulf the day before, shipping data showed, failing to break through a U.S. blockade on vessels calling at Iranian ports.
Canada, the UK, Australia, Japan and six other countries condemned the killings of United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon on Tuesday while calling "for an urgent end to hostilities" in the country where Israeli attacks have killed more than 2,000 people since March.
A preliminary round of Lebanon-Israel talks has concluded in Washington, marking a tentative diplomatic step as regional tensions rise. The development comes as the United States launches a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Iran’s mission at the United Nations headquarters in New York has, in a letter to the Secretary-General and the Security Council President, demanded war compensation from five regional states over damages caused during Israeli-U.S. aggression against Iran.
Since Monday, Monday (13 April), America has blocked traffic entering and leaving Iran's ports, in an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. The consequences of that will continue to impact the global oil supply.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has refused to join a U.S.-led blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, distancing Britain from military escalation after failed U.S.-Iran talks at the weekend, warning involvement could worsen regional tensions.
Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States will meet later in Washington to discuss a ceasefire, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attending.
Iran's ports were blocked by the U.S. military on Monday (13 April), President Donald Trump confirmed. Tehran has threatened to retaliate against its Gulf neighbours' ports and a U.S. official said there was continued engagement with Iran, and forward motion on trying to get to an agreement.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned that any Iranian ships approaching ports in the Strait of Hormuz would be "immediately eliminated" on Monday, as the U.S. started its blockade.
Tensions in the Gulf have sharpened dramatically after reports that the United States has begun a blockade of Iranian ports, a move already rippling through global markets and political circles.
The Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian, said that the U.S. hegemonic approach has been the main obstacle to reaching a fair agreement, his office announced on Monday.
Oil prices surged on Monday (13 April) as the U.S. moved to impose a blockade on Iranian shipping after the collapse of weekend peace talks, while the dollar rose and stocks and bonds fell.
The U.S. military said it will begin a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas on Monday after weekend talks failed to reach a deal to end the war with Iran at the weekend in Pakistan, jeopardizing a fragile two-week ceasefire.
Oil tankers are steering clear of the Strait of Hormuz ahead of a U.S. blockade later on Monday following failed peace talks between the U.S. and Iran over the weekend, shipping data showed.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said the United States and Iran left peace talks in Islamabad without reaching an agreement early on Sunday, as negotiations extended into a second day, with both sides signalling continued tensions over key issues including the Strait of Hormuz and nuclear policy.
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