US Iran war highlights: White House ‘confirms’ Vance won't travel to Pak after Trump announces ceasefire extension

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.

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)

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)

US Iran war LIVE updates: Iran’s army says tanker entered territorial waters from Arabian Sea with Iranian Navy support, says state TV.

US Iran war LIVE updates: No Iranian delegation has departed for Pakistan for US peace talks yet, state media said on Tuesday.

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.

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)

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)

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)

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.

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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.”

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”.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Night footage shows US Marines dropping down to the deck of the “Touska” from helicopters.

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.

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)

US Iran war LIVE updates: Singapore, Countries standing up for freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz are sending "the right message", the head of the International Maritime Organization said as tensions between Iran and the United States continue to threaten global shipping.

Speaking to Singapore media on Monday, Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the IMO, also cautioned against the growing use of shipping as leverage in geopolitical conflicts.

Dominguez said the IMO has drawn up evacuation plans for roughly 20,000 seafarers stranded aboard more than 1,600 vessels still stuck in the Persian Gulf.

The organisation has also worked out arrangements with a group of countries to ensure the Strait of Hormuz is cleared of mines and other hazards when shipping eventually resumes, The Straits Times reported on Tuesday, citing the IMO chief. (PTI)

US Iran war LIVE updates: The future of the ongoing war remains uncertain, with the two-week ceasefire deadline set to end on Wednesday, April 22, and a lack of clarity on the fresh round of negotiations in Pakistan's Islamabad.

According to a Bloomberg report, Trump said in an interview on Monday that it was “highly unlikely" that he would extend the truce. He also confirmed that the US would be participating in the Islamabad talks and that Vice President JD Vance would be leaving soon. There hasn't been any official confirmation from Iran on attending the talks. However, a Reuters report quoted a Pakistani official as saying that the country is confident it can get Iran to attend talks.

US Iran war LIVE updates: Trump asserted that he was “winning the war by a lot” as he listed the big losses for Iran in the war. The US President also said that the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would continue until the a deal is finalised, which he said would happen “relatively quickly”.

“I read the Fake News saying that I am under “pressure” to make a Deal. THIS IS NOT TRUE! I am under no pressure whatsoever, although, it will all happen, relatively quickly!,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, further adding that time was not his adversary in this case.

US Iran war LIVE updates: The opening round of high-stakes negotiations between Washington and Tehran was held in Islamabad on April 11. Brokered by Pakistan, the discussions stretched 21 hours and involved direct and backchannel exchanges.

Talks, then, focused on the same key points - Iran’s nuclear programme, sanctions relief, access to frozen assets, and the status of the Strait of Hormuz.

Despite the lengthy negotiations, no agreement or formal framework came to pass. Vance later said Iran had “not accepted” US terms and Tehran called Washington’s demands unreasonable.