Iran’s delegation, including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (L), in talks with the US, April 11, 2026

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US-Israel War, Day 44: Trump-Iran Talks in Pakistan

UPDATE 2131 GMT:

UN Secretary General António Guterres has called for another set of negotiations to end the US-Israel Wars on Iran and Lebanon.

UPDATE 2038 GMT:

US officials say the Trump Administration is in internal discussions about a possible second meeting with Iran before the temporary ceasefire ends on April 21.

“We need to be prepared to stand something up quickly should things head in that direction,” an official told CNN.

The Administration is discussing possible meeting dates, locations, and mediators.

An official said, “There is continued engagement between the US and Iran and forward motion on trying to get an agreement.”

Another said the US sought a 20-year moratorium on Iran’s uranium enrichment during the talks in Islamabad. Iran responded with a “single digit” timeframe.

The US also wanted Tehran to “remove all highly enriched uranium from the country.” The Iranians said they would accept a “monitored process of down-blending”.

UPDATE 1422 GMT:

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center has received a notice of maritime restrictions on the entire Iranian coastline, including on ports and energy infrastructure.

UKMTO posted about the restrictions minutes before the start of the US blockade on Iranian ports.

The UKMTO said passage through the Strait of Hormuz to or from non-Iranian destinations should not be affected by restrictions, but vessels attempting to do so are likely to encounter a military presence.

UPDATE 1417 GMT:

The International Committee of the Red Cross has expressed deep concern about Israel’s attacks on medical workers in Lebanon.

A Red Cross center was struck by Israel on Monday, and paramedic Hassan Badawi was killed on Sunday.

“The loss of those who dedicate their lives to saving others is gravely concerning, given the impact on the civilians who depend on their help,” said Agnes Dhur, head of the ICRC’s delegation in Lebanon. “Saving lives must never cost a life. Humanitarian and medical personnel must be protected. They must be allowed to reach and help the wounded and return unharmed.”

The ICRC called on all parties to the fighting to “uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law”.

UPDATE 1039 GMT:

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has confirmed that the UK will not be involved in the Trumpist blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Starmer said that while the UK does have minesweeping capability in the region, “all of the marshalling diplomatically, politically…that’s all focused on geting the strait fully open”.

My decision has been very clear that whatever the pressure – and there has been some considerable pressure – we are not getting dragged into the war. The UK is not getting dragged into the war.

That is not in our national interest because I’m not going to act unless there’s a clear lawful basis and a clear thought-through plan.

UPDATE 0730 GMT:

Iran’s military has pushed back Donald Trump’s threatened blockade of Iranian ports.

The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran consider defending the legal rights of our country a natural and legal duty, and accordingly, exercising the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the territorial waters of our country is the natural right of the Iranian nation.

The military said Iran will continue ensuring the security of the Strait of Hormuz, but “enemy-affiliated vessels do not and will not have the right to pass through”. Other vessels will be allowed passage, subject to regulations by Iran.

UPDATE 0615 GMT:

Iran’s executions of detainees are at their highest since 1989.

Authorities killed at least 1,639 prisoners in 2025, and the hangings have further surged after nationwide protests in January and the US-Israel War.

Last year’s executions were up 68% on the 975 killed in 2024. The detainees included 48 women, report Norway-based Iran Human Rights and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty.

If the Islamic Republic “survives the current crisis, there is a serious risk that executions will be used even more extensively as a tool of oppression and repression,” the report warns.

“Hundreds of detained protesters remain at risk of death sentences and execution” after being charged with capital crimes over January’s protests.

UPDATE 0609 GMT:

US Central Command says it will carry out Donald Trump’s threat to blockade Iranian ports from 5:30 p.m. local time (1400 GMT) on Monday.

“The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman,” CENTCOM posted.

The US will “not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports”.

UPDATE 0556 GMT:

The UN Development Program says more than 32 million people worldwide could be impoverished by economic fallout from the US-Israel Wars on Iran and Lebanon.

The world faces a “triple shock” of rising costs for energy, effects on food supply, and weaker economic growth, said the agency. The wars are reversing gains in international development, with those in poorer countries affected most.

UNDP administrator Alexander De Croo said, “A conflict like this is development in reverse. Even if the war stops — and a ceasefire is obviously very very welcome — the impact is already there.”

UPDATE 0545 GMT:

Global oil prices have surged after Donald Trump’s threat to blockade Iranian ports from Monday.

Brent crude oil rose 7% to $102.29 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate increased 8% to $104.24.

On Friday, ahead of US-Iran talks in Pakistan, Brent for June delivery fell to $95.20 a barrel.

Lloyd’s List Intelligence says “all traffic” through the strait of Hormuz stopped after Trump’s announcement on Truth Social. Two vessels that were leaving the Strait.

Three supertankers fully laden with oil passed through the waterway on Saturday.

UPDATE, APRIL 13:

The Lebanese Red Cross said an Israeli drone strike killed a paramedic and wounded another on Sunday night.

This evening, while carrying out a humanitarian mission at a site on the road to the town of Beit Yahoun, Lebanese Red Cross teams came under direct targeting from an Israeli drone, resulting in the martyrdom of paramedic Hassan Badawi, the injury of another paramedic with minor wounds, and their transfer to Tebnine Governmental Hospital.

UPDATE 2043 GMT:

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has posted:

UNIFIL noted that over the past week, Israeli soldiers have fired “warning shots”, striking and damaging vehicles. In one case, a shot landed a meter away from a peacekeeper who had stepped out of his vehicle.

The Israelis have continually blocked peacekeepers’ movements on the Bayada road in recent days. They have destroyed force protection cameras in UNIFIL’s Naqoura headquarters and five other positions, and spray-painted the windows of the headquarters’ pedestrian access gate.

UPDATE 2038 GMT:

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have warned:

Contrary to the false claims of some enemy officials, the strait of Hormuz is under intelligent control and management, open for the harmless passage of non-military vessels in accordance with specific regulations, and any military vessels attempting to approach the strait of Hormuz under any pretext or excuse will be considered a violation of the ceasefire and will be dealt with harshly and decisively.

Iran’s lead negotiator, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said of Donald Trump’s latest bluster, “If you fight, we will fight, and if you come forward with logic, we will deal with logic. We will not bow to any threats. Let them test our will once again so that we can teach them a bigger lesson.”

The head of Iran’s navy, Shahram Irani, said, “The threats of the US president to blockade Iran at sea…are very ridiculous and funny.”

UPDATE 1551 GMT:

Having returned from the UFC fights in Miami, Donald Trump says the US Navy will immediately start blockading the Strait of Hormuz, intercepting every vessel in international waters that had paid a toll to Iran.

He said of the US-Iran talks in Islamabad, “The meeting went well, most points were agreed to, but the only point that really mattered, NUCLEAR, was not”.

Trump repeated his threats of war crimes, with the destruction of civilian infrastructure in Iran, on Fox TV:

I could take out Iran in one day. I could have their entire energy everything, every one of their plants, their electric generating plants, which is a big deal….

In one half of a day they wouldn’t have one bridge standing, they wouldn’t have one electric generating plant standing and they’re back in the Stone Ages.

Asked about his tweet, “The Iranian civilization will die tonight”, he replies, “I’m fine with it. That statement brought them to the table.”

UPDATE 1052 GMT:

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has posted that the Trump camp “failed to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation in this round of negotiations”.

Ghalibaf said Tehran negotiated in good faith and raised “forward-looking initiatives”, without giving detail.

“America has understood our logic and principles, and now it’s time for it to decide whether it can earn our trust or not,” he wrote.

Deputy Parliament Speaker Haji Babaei said the Strait of Hormuz is “completely” under Tehran’s control, with tolls to be paid in Iranian rials.

250 members of Parliament unanimously supported the Strait of Hormuz plan, and according to the leadership formula, this strategic waterway is non-negotiable under any circumstances.

Despite sanctions, Iran’s oil exports have exceeded 1.6 million barrels, and today our country’s oil has become practically non-sanctionable. The Iranian nation will not back down from its demands even an inch.

UPDATE 0959 GMT:

Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry says it has restored full pumping capacity for the East-West pipeline, an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.

Damage to the pipeline, exporting through the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea, cost around 700,000 barrels per day in capacity.

Saudi Arabia has also restored the Manifa oilfield, which had lost 300,000 bpd of capacity, and are working on the Khurais oilfield to restore production.

UPDATE 0844 GMT:

Six people have been killed by an Israeli attack on the town of Maaroub, near Tyre in southern Lebanon.

Video posted online shows the destruction of a home.

Five people were killed in Qana and there were Israeli raids on the towns of Al-Bazouriyeh, Qalila, Bafliyeh and Qlawiya.

At least 13 people were also killed overnight in an Israeli strike on the town of Tefahta.

UPDATE 0842 GMT:

Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has said of the Islamabad talks, “Naturally, from the beginning we should not have expected to reach an agreement in a single session. No one had such an expectation.”

He said Tehran was “confident that contacts between us and Pakistan, as well as our other friends in the region, will continue”.

UPDATE 0731 GMT:

During the final phase of US-Iran talks in Islamabad, Donald Trump spent his time at a UFC event in Miami.

The White House did not say if Trump was in contact with the American team, led by Vice President J.D. Vance, while he watched the combatants.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also attended the event.

Less than 30 minutes later, Vance announced “no deal” in Islamabad.

Trump remained at the Miami arena until at least 11.28 p.m. — 8:28 a.m. in Islamabad.

UPDATE 0653 GMT:<

The Lebanese Ministry of Health says at least 2,020 people have been killed and 6,436 others wounded by Israeli attacks in Lebanon since March 2.

The toll includes 165 children, 248 women, and 85 medics.

The Ministry said Israeli forces killed 97 people and wounded 133 on Saturday.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: After 21 hours of talks in Islamabad on Saturday, the Trump camp and the Iranian regime failed to reach an agreement ending the US-Israel War on Iran.

While declaring that “we were quite flexible…[and] quite accommodating”, Vice President J.D. Vance framed the failure as Iran’s refusal to accept US demands over Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missiles, policy in the Middle East, and the status of the Strait of Hormuz.

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.

So we go back to the United States having not come to an agreement. We’ve made very clear what our red lines are.

He said, “We need to see an affirmative commitment that [Iran] will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon.”

Tehran blamed “last-minute goalpost shifting by the US team”. It presented the basis for talks as its 10-point terms on the “Strait of Hormuz, #nuclear issues, war reparations, sanctions removal, and a complete end to the war against Iran and in the region”.

The Iranian delegation negotiated continuously and intensively for 21 hours in order to protect the national interests of the Iranian people; despite various initiatives from the Iranian delegation, the unreasonable demands of the American side prevented the progress of the negotiations.

Iranian officials said the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway which Iran now controls with almost no passage of shipping, remains among the main points of “serious disagreement”.

Will The Ceasefire Be Extended?

Neither side indicated if there will be an extension of the two-week ceasefire agreed last Tuesday night with Donald Trump’s acceptance of talks

Publicly, the Iranians said they are in no hurry to negotiate. “The ball is in America’s court,” as “the American team was looking for an excuse to leave the negotiating table”.

But Sara Massoumi, a leading journalist with Iran State outlets, was more optimistic:

She concluded: “Despite the friction, diplomacy remains the only and best option left. That is, if both sides realize that their trump cards come with an expiration date.”

Donald Trump reacted by retweeting a headline, “The Trump card the president holds if Iran won’t bend: a naval blockade.”

Earlier, Trump declared, “Regardless of what happens, we win. Whether we make a deal or not, makes no difference to me.”

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar commented:

It is imperative that the parties continue to uphold their commitment to ceasefire.

Pakistan has been and will continue to play its role to facilitate engagement and dialogue between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America in the days to come.