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.
That wraps our live coverage of today’s developments in the Middle East crisis. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and bring you the latest updates as they unfold.
Key developments today:
Speaker of Islamic Republic of Iran's Parliament Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on Sunday that Iran had presented “very good initiatives” to demonstrate goodwill in talks with Donald Trump, contributing to progress in negotiations, according to state media.
He added that recent U.S. threats would have no impact on Iran, warning that “if you fight, we will fight, and if you come forward with logic, we will deal with logic.”
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Sunday that any military vessels approaching the Strait of Hormuz would be considered a violation of the two-week U.S. ceasefire and would be met with a “harsh and decisive” response.
In a statement carried by Iranian state media, the Guards said the strait remains under the control and “smart management” of Iran’s navy, adding that it is open for the safe passage of non-military vessels under specific regulations.
Saudi Arabia said on Sunday it has summoned Iraq’s ambassador over what it described as threats targeting the kingdom and other Gulf states from drones launched from Iraqi territory.
In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said it had stressed the importance of Iraq handling such threats responsibly and preventing attacks emanating from its soil.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Iran has not left the negotiating table and predicted that it will eventually “give us everything we want” as talks continue alongside escalating tensions in the region. He added that Gulf allies have already begun assisting the United States in securing the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump also suggested that global oil and gas prices would fall once the situation stabilises, while noting they could fluctuate in the short term, including potentially rising ahead of the next U.S. midterm elections.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that multiple countries are expected to assist the United States in securing the Strait of Hormuz, adding that Britain and other allies are sending additional minesweepers to support operations.
He said the deployment of more traditional minesweeping assets is underway as part of efforts to clear sea mines and ensure safe navigation.
Trump also stated that no incidents were reported involving two U.S. ships that passed through the strait on Saturday, and claimed that previous social media warnings directed at Iran had contributed to bringing Tehran to negotiations.
U.S. President Donald Trump told Fox News on Sunday that the United States will proceed with blocking the Strait of Hormuz, saying the operation “will take a little while” and that it will not take long to “clean out” the area.
He added that talks with Iran had been “very friendly” toward the end, but stressed that Washington would still move ahead with maritime control measures.
Trump also said NATO now wants to help with securing the strait, as allied coordination builds around the U.S.-led effort to ensure passage through the critical global shipping route.
Israel’s war with Iran has cost an estimated 35 billion shekels (about $11.52 billion) in budgetary expenses, according to Israel’s Finance Ministry, which published a preliminary assessment on Sunday.
The ministry said 22 billion shekels of the total were directed to defence spending, with the full amount already incorporated into the 2026 state budget.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday (12 April) that the United States Navy will immediately begin the process of blockading any ships attempting to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz.
In a series of statements, the U.S. President said American forces would also interdict vessels in international waters that had paid tolls to Iran and begin destroying sea mines allegedly laid by Iranian forces.
Trump further warned that “any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be blown to hell.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency.
Sultan Al Jaber, CEO of ADNOC, said on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz has never been Iran’s to close or restrict, warning that any disruption to navigation would threaten global energy, food and health security.
Writing on X, Al Jaber said allowing such actions would set a “dangerous and unacceptable” precedent, adding that the world “cannot afford it and must not allow it.”
Hezbollah said on Sunday it carried out multiple drone strikes, including targeting a military vehicle carrying a command crew in the occupied West Bank town of Taybeh.
In a separate statement, the group said it also struck the Kiryat Shmona barracks in northern Israel with several drones, signalling a widening scope of operations as hostilities continue to escalate across multiple fronts.
Iran’s Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said on Sunday that Tehran will persist in defending its rights in the Strait of Hormuz and continue to push for compensation, following the failure of talks with the U.S. in the Pakistani capital Islamabad.
“From strength in the Strait of Hormuz to pursuing compensation, we stand firm on the rights of the people; this is our commitment to a strong Iran,” he said.
Israeli ministers have suggested that the U.S. and Israel may recommence attacks on Iran following the failure of peace talks in Islamabad.
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen told the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper that without an agreement on Iran's nuclear programme, "an attack on Iran may be launched."
Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry Nir Barkat, told Channel 14 television that the Americans and Israelis would acheive their objectives.
"We will return to the war and achieve the goals of the war," he said in an interview.
"There is no doubt that we have made significant progress, but we are not finished yet. There is still work to be done," he added.
Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said the "key to the Strait of Hormuz is firmly in our hands" in a social media post.
Velayati said the central principle of Iranian diplomacy throughout history had been to protect Iran.
Irish police on Sunday cleared tractors and trucks that have been blocking traffic in central Dublin for five days in a protest against surging fuel prices
Demonstrators, angered by a more than 20% rise in diesel prices since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, this week used vehicles to block an oil refinery, two ports, a fuel terminal and a number of roads around the country.
The protests caused major transport disruption in the Irish capital and left about a third of the petrol stations in the country without fuel, creating what Finance Minister Simon Harris described as a "very dangerous moment" for the country.
Police on Saturday cleared the blockade from the country's only oil refinery and on Sunday said they had started an operation to clear a blockade of Galway Port.
The government has refused to negotiate with the protesters, who include farmers, drivers and contractors. But it is holding talks with agricultural and transport industry groups about measures to alleviate fuel cost hikes.
A poll in the Sunday Independent newspaper showed that 56% of voters surveyed were in favour of the protests, but that most supporters of Ireland's two governing parties opposed them.
At least 50 people have been arrested over alleged collaboration with the U.S. and Israel, Iran's state-affiliated SNN news agency reported on Sunday.
Those arrested were accused of sharing the location of sensitive sites with the U.S. and Israel.
SNN said that electronic devices, satellite equipment, and weapons were also seized by authorities.
Tehran has detained dozens of people on spying charges since the beginning of the US-Israeli war with Iran on 28 February.
A recently strengthened espionage law allows Iranian authorities to impose the death penalty on those accused of spying and get their property confiscated.
Iran's Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf said on Sunday that his country's delegation raised "forward-looking" initiatives during negotiations in Pakistan's Islamabad, but the U.S. failed to gain the trust of the delegation in the talks.
"The U.S. has understood Iran's logic and principles and it's time for them to decide whether they can earn our trust or not," Ghalibaf, who was among Iran's negotiating team, said in a post on X.
Iran believes it can restore most of its damaged refining and distribution facilities to 70-80% of their pre-attack capacity within one or two months, Tehran's Deputy Minister of Oil has said.
Mohammad Sadeq Azimifar told the Student News Network that repair work had already begun and that part of the Lavan Refinery is expected to resume operations within about 10 days, with other units coming back online gradually.
Saudi Arabia has restored full oil pumping capacity through its East-West pipeline, equivalent to about seven million barrels a day, according to a government statement.
The Ministry said energy facilities and the pipeline affected by attacks during the Iran conflict have recovered and restored operational capacity.
A total of 3,439 people have been evacuated from Iran to Azerbaijan through the Astara border crossing between 08:00 (GMT+4) on February 28 and 10:00 on April 11, as regional tensions prompt foreign nationals to leave the country.
Of those evacuated, 612 were Azerbaijani citizens, while others included nationals from China (735), Russia (374), India (284) and several European and Asian countries.
The Astara crossing on Azerbaijan’s southern border has become a key transit route during the crisis.
U.S. President Donald Trump has shared an article about how he may impose a naval blockade on Iran if it fails to acquiesce to U.S. demands.
The article, called 'The Trump card the president holds if Iran won’t bend: a naval blockade,' published by Just the News, said such a move could choke Iran’s economy and increase pressure on major oil buyers, including China and India.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ismail Bekayi has said it was "natural" that no agreement was reached in a single meeting with the U.S. due to the level of distrust that exists towards the country following the recent 40-day war.
Speaking on Iranian television, Bekayi said: "These talks took place in an atmosphere dominated not only by mistrust but also by suspicion and doubt, following a 40-day war that marked the second time the U.S. and Israel had engaged in conflict in nine months.
"Therefore, it is natural that an agreement could not be reached in a single meeting. In any case, nobody expected that."
Meanwhile, Mehr News Agency announced that the Iranian delegation had left Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar urged both sides to uphold the ceasefire following the end of negotiations in Islamabad.
He said Pakistan would continue to faciliate any engagement and dialogue between the Iran and the U.S. over the coming days.
Dar's remarks came after U.S. Vice President JD Vance left Pakistan on Sunday, after saying that the U.S. and Iran had failed to reach an agreement.
Pakistan hosted the talks under a fragile two-week ceasefire brokered earlier this week.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said early on Sunday that U.S. officials were leaving talks with Iran in Pakistan without a deal.
"The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement, and I think that's bad news for Iran, much more than it's bad news for the United States of America," Vance told reporters.
"They have chosen not to accept our terms," he added.
Irans's state-affiliated Fars News Agency reported that there were no plans for another round of negotiations.
Iranian state television said no deal was reached due to "execessive U.S. demands."
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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.
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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.
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