US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships

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Iran has slammed a US blockade around its ports as a "grave violation" of its sovereignty, as Washington and Tehran's belligerent rhetoric rattled a fragile truce. The US Navy's blockade of Iran started at 6pm Gulf Standard Time on Monday, 10AM EST.

The United States and Iran are in active discussions about holding another round of face-to-face negotiations aimed at securing a longer-term ceasefire and preventing renewed conflict after recent talks in Pakistan ended without a deal, Bloomberg reported, citing "people familiar with the matter".

Saudi Arabia said it has restored full pumping capacity through its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea, along with output from the Manifa field, Trading Economics reported.

Brent, the North Sea crude oil benchmark, pared earlier gains made on Monday, dropping to $98.09 as of 7.19 am (Tokyo).

Oil futures cut gains WTI crude oil futures were up less than 2% at nearly $98 per barrel early on Tuesday in Asia, cutting gains of up to 9% from the Monday session as investors hoped that a deal would eventually be reached between the US and Iran.

Failure of the Iran-US talks to strike a deal prompted Washington to announce a blockade targeting Iranian oil shipments. Trump later stated that Iran had "reached out" and is now seeking to resume negotiations. A report from OPEC+ showed the group's output declined 7.9 million barrels per day in March due to the closure of the Strait.

Diplomatic channels between the US and Iran have not completely shut down, and there remains a possibility of further direct negotiations, even as the situation in the Gulf grows more tense, officials said. US media reports indicate leaders on both sides have left the door open to a potential second round of in-person talks after recent face-to-face discussions in Islamabad failed to produce an deal.

Mediators are also urging both sides to keep talking, even as US President Donald Trump has taken an increasingly hard line, including the announcement of the US Navy would begin a naval blockade of Iran’s ports and the strategic Strait of Hormuz, aiming to stop Iranian oil exports and pressure Tehran. Trump warned that any Iranian “fast-attack” or other naval vessels that approach or threaten the blockade could be “eliminated,” drawing parallels to US operations against drug-smuggling boats at sea.

His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Bahrain, received Admiral Charles Bradford "Brad" Cooper II, the Commander of the US Central Command, and an accompanying delegation.

King Hamad commended the key and active role played by the United States of America alongside allied countries in strengthening regional and global security and stability.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, has discussed regional developments during telephone conversations with several foreign ministers of brotherly and friendly nations, following the unprovoked and terrorist Iranian missile attacks against the UAE and a number of countries in the region.

April could shape up to be a tougher month than March for energy markets and the economy due to the Middle East war, the head of the International Energy Agency said Monday.

While the month of March saw the delivery of cargo from the region "loaded well before the crisis started," Fatih Birol said, "during the month of April, nothing has been loaded."

"The longer the disruption is, the more severe the problem becomes," he told reporters after a meeting at the International Monetary Fund.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to end fighting in southern Lebanon and engage in direct peace talks with the Lebanese government, according to a spokesman.

Merz also expressed his "grave concern" about developments in the Palestinian territories in a telephone conversation with Netanyahu and demanded that there "must be no de facto partial annexation of the West Bank", the German government spokesman said.

The US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz will cost Iran approximately $435 million a day, including $276 million in lost exports, mostly of crude oil and petrochemicals, according to Wall Street Journal.

Miad Maleki, analyst with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies research group, based his estimate on Iran exporting 1.5 million barrels of oil a day at a wartime price of about $87 a barrel, and assumed more than 90 per cent of the oil transits through Kharg Island, inside the Arabian Gulf.

An oil tanker passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday afternoon after the Trump administration’s blockade on Iranian shipping was set to take effect, according to data published by Kpler, a data intelligence and analytics platform on global trade flows, reported CNN.

The ship, registered in Comoros as Elpis, is partially laden and was sanctioned by the United States in 2025 for its “involvement in the sale, purchase, and transportation of Iranian petroleum” as part of Iran’s shadow fleet, it added.

Brussels will present next week plans to tackle high energy costs caused by the Iran war and before the summer will unveil a broader package to boost Europe's electrification, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Monday.

The energy crisis has already cost the 27-nation bloc more than 22 billion euros ($26 billion) in higher fossil fuel bills, von der Leyen said after a meeting of the EU's top executive body dedicated to the issue.

"These events make clear we are paying a very high price for our over dependency on fossil fuels," the European Commission chief told a press conference in Brussels, calling for a faster switch towards renewables and nuclear power.

"We need to scale up the homegrown, affordable, reliable energy," she said, adding the commission was hoping to get new rules aimed at accelerating grid connections across the bloc and present an "electrification strategy" before the summer.

Despite the lack of a breakthrough during recent negotiations in Islamabad, officials indicated that communication has continued since the weekend’s talks, with “forward motion” towards a potential agreement, although it remains unclear whether the two sides will meet face-to-face again in the near future.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem on Monday urged Lebanon to cancel a planned meeting with Israel in Washington the following day, reiterating his group's rejection of direct negotiations with Israel.

"We reject negotiations with the usurping Israeli entity... We call for a historic and heroic stance by cancelling this negotiating meeting," Qassem, whose Iran-backed group has been at war with Israel since March 2, said in a televised address.

The Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the United States are scheduled to meet in Washington on Tuesday to discuss holding direct negotiations between the two countries.

US President Donald Trump said Monday that Iranian representatives had called to make a peace deal after talks in Pakistan ended at the weekend without agreement.

"I can tell you that we've been called by the other side. They'd like to make a deal. Very badly, very badly," Trump told reporters outside the Oval Office, without identifying which officials had called.

US President Donald Trump refused to apologise Monday for criticising Pope Leo XIV, after the pontiff called for an end to violence in the Iran war.

"There's nothing to apologise for. He's wrong," Trump told reporters, a day after a social media post and comments slamming the US-born pope.

"Pope Leo said things that are wrong. He was very much against what I'm doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran," said Trump, adding that Leo was "very weak on crime and other things."

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Monday condemned US President Donald Trump's criticism of Pope Leo XIV as "unacceptable", after the US pontiff spoke out against the Middle East war.

"The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal for him to call for peace and to condemn all forms of war," she said in a statement.

It represents a rare rebuke of Trump by Meloni, a far-right leader who has sought to be a bridge between the conservative US president and European leaders.

Meloni earlier put out a statement supporting Pope Leo's efforts at peace and reconciliation in a trip to Africa, which began Monday, just hours after Trump launched a scathing criticism of the first US pontiff.

"I thought the meaning of my statement this morning was clear, but I will restate it more explicitly. I find President Trump's words about the Holy Father unacceptable," she said

Israel's military said Monday that it had struck around 150 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon over the past 24 hours, as the country prepares for peace talks with Lebanese officials in Washington.

"In the past 24 hours, approximately 150 Hezbollah terrorist organisation targets were struck in numerous areas across southern Lebanon," the military said, adding that the targets included "military structures, anti-tank missile launch points, and terror command centers".

Maintaining a ceasefire in the Middle East war is an "immediate priority" for resolving the conflict, China's top diplomat told his Pakistan counterpart in a phone call on Monday.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also said on Monday that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran was "holding" and that efforts were underway to reach an agreement after talks in Islamabad at the weekend failed to do so.

"The immediate priority is to make every effort toward preventing the resumption of hostilities and to maintain the hard-won ceasefire momentum," Wang Yi told Pakistan's Ishaq Dar, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.

Wang said a joint peace plan by China and Pakistan announced last month as the two officials met in Beijing "still can serve as a direction for efforts toward a resolution".

The United States and Indonesia, the largest country in Southeast Asia, have elevated their defence ties to a Major Defense Cooperation Partnership, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced. The move will see closer collaboration in joint exercises, defence technology, intelligence sharing and capacity building, as part of Washington’s efforts to strengthen partnerships across the Indo-Pacific.

Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah received a phone call Monday from Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

According to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), The two examined regional developments and efforts exerted in that regard.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has condemned remarks by US President Donald Trump targeting Pope Leo XIV, describing the comments as unacceptable and offensive. In a post on the US-based platform X, Pezeshkian said “on behalf of the great nation of Iran” that disrespect towards the pontiff and towards Jesus, whom he described as “the prophet of peace and brotherhood”, would not be accepted by any free person. His statement came after Trump launched a broad public attack on Pope Leo, calling him “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy”, while also questioning the circumstances of his election.

Spain reopened its embassy in Tehran on Monday, the Embassy of Spain in Iran announced, just days after the United States and Iran reached a temporary ceasefire and failed to advance further negotiations. Spanish Ambassador to Iran Antonio Sánchez-Benedito Gaspar said the mission had resumed operations as part of efforts to support peace, writing on X that he and his team were working “to join in efforts for peace from every possible quarter.”

BBC reported a new advisory that went out by the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

The note to seafarers urges any vessels in the area to "maintain heightened situational awareness" and that more specific guidance is to follow.

It says additional guidance for mariners regarding "how these measures will be applied in practice, including routing, verification and authorised transit producers, are in development".

UKMTO encourages anyone sailing the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and the Arabian Sea east of the Strait of Hormuz to expect military presence and possible interception.

"These access restrictions apply without distinction to vessels of any flag engaging with Iranian ports, oil terminals, or coastal facilities," UKMTO said of the blockade.

It adds: "Further clarification is expected to be provided through subsequent advisories as information becomes available."

US President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: Iran’s Navy is laying at the bottom of the sea, completely obliterated - 158 ships. What we have not hit are their small number of, what they call, “fast attack ships,” because we did not consider them much of a threat.

"Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea. It is quick and brutal. P.S. 98.2% of Drugs coming into the U.S. by Ocean or Sea have STOPPED! Thank you for your attention to this matter."

The US has begun enforcing a military blockade on Iran’s ports and coastal areas, which came into effect at 10am ET (6pm UAE time), according to US officials. The US Central Command said the move targets all Iranian Gulf ports and coastal areas, effectively placing maritime traffic linked to Iran under US control, while still allowing vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz if travelling between non-Iranian ports. Reuters reported that the US military issued a notice to seafarers warning that the blockade would apply to all vessels, regardless of flag, marking a significant escalation in the conflict.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday a ceasefire between the United States and Iran was "holding" and that efforts were underway to reach an agreement after weekend talks failed to do so.

"The ceasefire is still holding and, as I speak, full efforts are underway to resolve the outstanding issues," Sharif told a cabinet meeting in brief televised remarks.

The Monday deadline set by US President Donald Trump for a naval blockade of Iranian ports has passed.

Trump announced a blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz after weekend peace talks with Tehran ended without an agreement.

The US military announced Sunday it will begin blockading all Iranian Gulf ports on Monday at 1400 GMT, but will allow ships not coming or going to Iran to pass through the strait.

Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday summoned the chargé d’affaires of the Iraqi Embassy in Manama, Ahmed Ismail Al Karawi, to convey the Kingdom’s strong condemnation and denunciation of continued drone attacks launched from Iraqi territory targeting Bahrain and several GCC states. According to the Bahrain News Agency, Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al Khalifa, Director General of Bilateral Relations, handed the envoy an official protest note, stressing the need for Iraq to address these threats and attacks urgently and responsibly in line with relevant international and regional laws. The Kingdom also affirmed its right to take all necessary measures to safeguard its security, stability, and the safety of its citizens and residents.

The head of the UN maritime agency said Monday no country had a legal right to block shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a trade passage paralysed by the US-Iran war.

"In accordance to international law, no countries have the right to prohibit the right of innocent passage or the freedom of navigation through international straits that are used for international transit," the International Maritime Organisation's Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez told a news conference.

Lebanon and Israel are set to hold direct talks in Washington on Tuesday for the first time in 43 years, in a move that has drawn broad welcome in Lebanon despite sharp differences over conditions.

Beirut has insisted on a ceasefire before negotiations begin, a demand rejected by Israel, which has said talks will proceed amid ongoing military operations in southern Lebanon, including in Bint Jbeil, a known Hezbollah stronghold. While Hezbollah will not be formally represented, its position is expected to weigh heavily on the Lebanese side, as discussions focus on de-escalation along the border and the prospects for a more stable ceasefire framework.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud discussed with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday the latest developments following peace negotiations between Iran and the United States. The Saudi Foreign Ministry stated in a press release that the conversation took place during a phone call initiated by Araghchi. During the call, both sides exchanged views on the ongoing Iran-US peace negotiations, the statement added.

Russia has withdrawn almost all its staff from Iran's sole nuclear power plant, built and operated with help from Moscow, the head of Russia's atomic energy agency said Monday.

"We began the final rotation at the Bushehr station," Alexei Likhachev said, adding that 108 people were evacuated while just 20 - top managers and those responsible for equipment safety - remained at the station.

The Israeli military said on Monday its troops had completely surrounded a key town in southern Lebanon after killing more than 100 Hezbollah fighters there over the past week.

The announcement marks a significant advance in Israel's ongoing invasion of southern Lebanon.

"The forces of the 98th Division have completed the encirclement of the town of Bint Jbeil and have begun an assault on it," the military's Arabic-language spokesman Colonel Avichay Adraee said on X.

Over the past week, Israeli forces have killed more than 100 Hezbollah fighters in and around the town in "face-to-face" clashes and with air strikes, he said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting that since Sunday the fighting in southern Lebanon had been "concentrated" in Bint Jbeil.

"The fighting continues. It has not stopped - it is ongoing all the time. Yesterday and today it has been concentrated in Bint Jbeil," he said, according to a video statement released by his office on Monday.

Ongoing military escalation in the Middle East puts tens of millions of people at risk of falling into poverty across 162 countries, according to new projections released today by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

While the impacts are concentrated in countries directly affected by the conflict and those dependent on imported energy, the findings point to significant longer-term harm to poorer countries far removed from the fighting.

The findings are published in a new policy brief - Military escalation in the Middle East: Reversals in global development, policy response options - that uses Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) modelling to assess economic impacts under scenarios ranging from short-lived disruption to prolonged shocks lasting eight months.

Now in its 6th week, and despite the temporary ceasefire, the impacts are evolving from an 'acute' to an 'enduring' phase. The longer this phase continues, the greater the risk of accelerated lapses into poverty in vulnerable countries, the brief reveals. Under the worst-case scenario, an additional 32 million people could be pushed into poverty.

"War is development in reverse. Conflict can undo in weeks what countries have built over years," said UNDP Administrator and UN Under-Secretary-General Alexander De Croo. "This new analysis shows that the shock of the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East is not limited to the countries directly affected, but falls disproportionately on those with the least fiscal room to absorb higher energy and food prices.

For these countries, the crisis forces impossible trade-offs between stabilising prices today and funding health, education, and jobs tomorrow. That is unacceptable, and it is preventable. Early policy action matters."

Germany on Monday unveiled 1.6 billion euros (Dh6.8 billion) in fuel price relief for households and businesses struggling with the energy shock unleashed by the Middle East war.

The announcement came after oil prices surged again following the collapse of US-Iran peace talks and US President Donald Trump's decision to blockade the Strait of Hormuz.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel supports US President Donald Trump's decision to impose a naval blockade on Iran, adding that his government is in full coordination with Washington on the matter.

"Iran violated the rules (of the peace talks in Pakistan), President Trump decided to impose a naval blockade," Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting, according to a video statement released by his office.

"We, of course, support this firm position, and we are in constant coordination with the United States."

European gas prices have surged following rising tensions in the Middle East, as failed ceasefire talks between Iran and the United States unsettle global energy marketS, Belga News Agency reported.

On Monday morning, gas prices on the Dutch benchmark market rose by around 12 per cent to nearly 49 euros per megawatt hour for May delivery. Prices briefly spiked by almost 18 per cent overnight, reaching 51 euros.

The increase comes after the US announced a naval blockade targeting shipping to and from Iranian ports. The move follows unsuccessful negotiations between Washington and Tehran aimed at securing a ceasefire.

The coming days could be a stress test for the Strait of Hormuz and for the rules that are supposed to govern it, according to Sal Mercogliano, a maritime historian at Campbell University.

It remains unclear, he added, how the US would track, intercept and board vessels moving from Iranian ports through the strait.

Any US or Iranian attempt to choke off the waterway would run counter to the principle of freedom of navigation, said Mercogliano, who has testified before the U Senate on commercial shipping and written for the US Naval Institute.

“We are challenging the concept of freedom of the seas,” Mercogliano said on his “What’s Going on With Shipping?” podcast, which has more than 600,000 followers on YouTube.

London's Heathrow Airport announced a 10 percent increase in transit passengers during March as the US-Iran war forced Gulf countries to close their airspace.

Total passenger numbers, including those using Europe's busiest airport to transit, climbed 6.9 percent to 6.65 million last month compared with a year earlier, Heathrow added in a statement.

"While Heathrow's long-haul network absorbed demand in March, the outlook for the next few months remains uncertain" amid the conflict, said the airport's chief executive Thomas Woldbye.

Despite the absence of a complete truce, "the knock-on impacts to global supply chains, including fuel, have not affected airport operations", Heathrow said.

Russia said that a US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz will likely hurt global markets.

Asked to comment on the US announcement of a blockade on Iran’s ports and coastline, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Most likely, such actions will continue to negatively impact international markets, this can be assumed with a high degree of certainty.”

Peskov told reporters: “Many details remain unclear and incomprehensible, so I would refrain from making any substantive comments at this time.”

France and Britain will work on a "peaceful multinational mission" to restore traffic through the Strait of Hormuz but it would be "separate from the warring parties", French President Emmanuel Macron said.

The UK-French initiative, which Macron announced on X, appeared to be separate from Trump's announced blockade.

"In the coming days, together with the United Kingdom, we will organise a conference with those countries prepared to contribute alongside us to a peaceful multinational mission aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the strait," Macron said.

"This strictly defensive mission, separate from the warring parties to the conflict, is intended to be deployed as soon as circumstances permit."

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Britain will not join the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz announced by Trump.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said excise taxes on LPG and kerosene would be trimmed to ease the fuel price shock wrought by the US-Israeli war on Iran.

"We were hoping for a good outcome from the peace talks (between) the US and Iran, but it appears they were unable to strike a deal, which is why we will continue to help our people," he told a news conference.

"We have reduced the tax on petroleum products directly used by our people in their everyday lives."

Following the legislature's earlier passage of a law authorising him to adjust fuel excise taxes, Marcos said the cost of liquefied petroleum gas, the country's fuel of choice for cooking, would be trimmed by 3.36 pesos (5.6 US cents) per kilogram from Tuesday.

He said the price of kerosene, the cooking fuel used by poorer families, would drop by 5.60 pesos per litre.

Marcos said he would convene a meeting of a government crisis committee Tuesday to discuss possible excise tax adjustments on gasoline and diesel, the main fuels for public transport.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has spoken by phone with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Iranian semiofficial media reported.

The ministers discussed the talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan which failed to achieve a deal, Mehr News agency said, without elaborating further.

Catholic bishops from the United States and Italy defended Pope Leo XIV after a blistering attack by US President Donald Trump, who accused the pontiff of being "weak on crime".

"I am disheartened that the president chose to write such disparaging words about the Holy Father," the head of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Paul Coakley, said in a statement published on Sunday.

"Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the Pope a politician. He is the vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls."

Asked about Trump's comments while he was on the papal plane flying to Algiers on Monday for the start of an 11-day African tour, the pope said he had "no intention to debate" with the US president.

The Italian Bishops' Conference also defended the 70-year-old American pope on Monday, saying Pope Leo was "not a political counterpart but the successor of Peter, called to serve the Gospel, truth and peace".

"In a time marked by international conflicts and tensions, his voice represents a forceful call to the dignity of the person, to dialogue and to responsibility," the Italian bishops said in a statement.

An Israeli airstrike killed at least three Palestinians in central Gaza Strip early Monday, hospital authorities said.

The strike hit a Hamas-manned security point just after midnight in the eastern part of Deir al-Balah city, in central Gaza, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital which received the dead men. One Palestinian was also wounded in the strike.

The military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The deaths were the latest among Palestinians in the coastal enclave since an October fragile ceasefire deal attempted to halt a more than two-year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. While the heaviest fighting has subsided, the shaky ceasefire has seen almost daily Israeli fire.

Russia is ready to take in Iran's enriched uranium as part of a future peace deal with the United States, the Kremlin said.

"This proposal was voiced by President Putin in contacts with both the United States and regional states. The offer still stands, but has not been acted upon," the Kremlin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday in response to a question by AFP.

The Kremlin also criticised Trump's threat to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway that has been at a standstill since the US and Israel began striking Iran in late February.

"Such actions will likely continue to negatively impact the international market," Peskov said.

Ships have stopped moving through the Strait of Hormuz, an intelligence firm said, and oil prices resumed their climb Monday after US President Trump announced on social media that the United States would blockade the waterway.

US Central Command later said the blockade would involve all vessels entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, and that it would still allow ships traveling between non-Iranian ports to transit the strait, a step down from the president's earlier threat to blockade the entire strait.

Trump confirmed the timing and some details of the CENTCOM statement in a post on his social media site early Monday.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard said the strait remained under Iran's "full control" and was open for non-military vessels, but military ones would get a "forceful response," two semiofficial Iranian news agencies reported.

The moves came after marathon US-Iran ceasefire talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement, setting the stage for a showdown. Iranian parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who led Iran's side in the talks, addressed Trump in a statement on his return to Iran: "If you fight, we will fight."

The UAE Ministry of Education has firmly denied rumours circulating on social media claiming that distance learning will be extended until May 1, 2026.

Pope Leo XIV said that the Vatican’s appeals for peace and reconciliation are rooted in the Gospel, and that he didn’t fear the Trump administration.

“To put my message on the same plane as what the president has attempted to do here, I think is not understanding what the message of the Gospel is,” Leo told The Associated Press aboard the papal plane.

“And I’m sorry to hear that but I will continue on what I believe is the mission of the church in the world today.”

History’s first US-born pope stressed that he was not making a direct attack against Trump or anyone else with his general appeal for peace and criticisms of the “delusion of omnipotence” that is fueling the Iran wars and other conflicts around the world.

Turkey's foreign minister said he believed both Iran and the United States remain "sincere" about reaching a ceasefire despite the failure of Pakistan-mediated talks on the weekend.

"Both sides are sincere about the ceasefire," Hakan Fidan said in an interview with the official Anadolu news agency, adding that he has been in contact with the parties involved in the negotiations.

"I am thinking that if the nuclear issue comes down to an all-or-nothing situation especially regarding enrichment, we might face serious obstacles," Fidan said.

"Hopefully, we will try to overcome this with the support of some mediators," he added.

Turkey, while a fierce critic of Israel, joined diplomatic efforts with Egypt and Pakistan to reach a ceasefire in the conflict.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Britain will not join the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz announced by US President Donald Trump.

"We are not supporting the blockade," Starmer told BBC radio, adding the UK "is not getting dragged in" to the war with Iran.

Operations resumed at a major gas facility in Iraq's Kurdish region, the Emirati company running the complex said, after more than a month of disruption due to the US-Iran war.

Dana Gas announced "the resumption of production of the Khor Mor gas facility in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, following a period of intermittent operations", according to a statement published by the Abu Dhabi stock exchange.

On February 28 the UAE company suspended natural gas supplies from the complex as war broke out, authorities in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region had said.

Kurdistan's electricity and natural resources ministries said the decision was made "due to the extraordinary circumstances and ongoing events in the region, and to protect employees at the Khor Mor field".

The Khor Mor complex, which supplies most of Kurdistan's power stations, has been hit several times in recent years in attacks blamed on pro-Iran armed groups in Iraq.

China said it hoped the United States and Iran would not reignite the Middle East war, after talks between Tehran and Washington in Pakistan failed to deliver a deal.

"China hopes the relevant sides will abide by the temporary ceasefire agreement, continue resolving disputes through political and diplomatic means, avoid reigniting war and create conditions for an early return to peace and tranquility in the Gulf region," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news conference.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Germany would cut petrol and diesel taxes for two months to provide relief to households and businesses hit by the energy shock during the Middle East war.

"We will reduce... the fuel tax on diesel and gasoline by approximately 17 (euro) cents per litre for two months," Merz told a press conference after talks between his CDU party and its coalition partners.

Iran's military said a US naval blockade set to begin would be illegal and amount to piracy, warning that no Gulf ports would be safe if its own were threatened.

"The restrictions imposed by criminal America on maritime navigation and transit in international waters are illegal and constitute an example of piracy," said a statement issued by the Iranian military's central command centre, Khatam Al Anbiya, that was read on state television.

"If the security of the Islamic Republic of Iran's ports in the waters of the Gulf and the Arabian Sea is threatened, no port in the Gulf and the Arabian Sea will be safe," it added.

Iran’s military has described the US naval blockade of Iranian ports as “illegal” and an act of “piracy”, according to state media.

It accused Washington of restricting maritime movement in international waters and violating international law amid rising tensions in the region.

A senior Vatican official has responded to criticism from US President Donald Trump of Pope Leo XIV, saying the US leader is targeting “a moral voice” he “cannot contain”.

In remarks shared on X, Fr Antonio Spadaro said Trump was not engaging in debate but attempting to push the Pope into “a language that he can dominate”.

He added that the Pope “speaks another language”, one that “refuses to be reduced to the grammar of force, security and national interest,” in comments marking a rare public exchange between the Vatican and the US president ahead of the pontiff’s Africa tour.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says its troops have dismantled an underground tunnel route used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

In a statement shared on social media, the IDF said the tunnel was used for “planning and advancing terror activities” against its soldiers.

The military added that the operation targeted infrastructure it described as part of Hezbollah’s cross-border capabilities, without providing further operational details.

Iran says damaged rail lines connecting Tehran–Tabriz and Tabriz–Mashhad have been repaired and passenger services have resumed after a suspension of around four to five days.

The restoration was reported by the Iranian state news agency IRNA, which said train operations restarted once key sections of the network were brought back into service.

Separately, the Tehran–Tabriz–Van international train service has also resumed, with services operating overnight from Tehran towards Van in Turkey via the restored rail corridor.

Oil prices resumed their climb and Asian markets mostly declined as the US military prepared to blockade ships entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, where most shipping has been stalled by Iran since the start of the war.

Oil prices have been rising as shipping through the strait has essentially stalled since late February. Brent crude oil, the international standard, has gone from roughly $70 per barrel before the war in late February to more than $119 at times.

On Monday, benchmark US crude jumped $8.38 or 8.7% to $104.95 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, rose $7.00, or 7.4%, to $102.23 a barrel.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 1.0% in morning trading to 56,357.40. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.5% to 8,913.50. South Korea's Kospi dipped 1.1% to 5,795.15. Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped nearly 1.5% to 25,513.42, while the Shanghai Composite fell 0.2% to 3,976.57.

Dubai: Gold’s sharp March decline has caught investors off guard, coming at a time when geopolitical tensions and inflation risks would typically support prices, yet the move was driven less by fundamentals and more by a rapid unwind of leveraged positions across markets. (Check latest UAE gold prices here, alongside prices in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and India.)

Gold’s slide unfolded during the first three weeks of March, in what the World Gold Council describes as a counterintuitive but familiar pattern during periods of stress.

Read our full story here.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Health says the number of people killed since the start of the Israeli offensive on March 2 has risen to 2,055.

It added that at least 6,588 people have been injured in the ongoing escalation.

Trump said the US–Iran ceasefire is “holding well,” according to US media, even as he unveiled new military measures in the Gulf.

The two-week ceasefire between Iran and the US-Israel began on April 7, 2026. Trump announced that the US Navy will begin blockading the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, April 13. The order includes interdicting any vessel that has paid Iran a toll to pass through the strait.

Trump warned that US forces will destroy mines laid by Iran in the strait. He added that any Iranian who fires at US or peaceful vessels will be “blown to hell.”

A US official said the Islamabad negotiations collapsed over Iran’s uranium enrichment, funding for regional proxy groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz without Iranian tolls.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced he will visit regional neighbors in his efforts to secure fuel supplies threatened by the Iran war.

Albanese visited Singapore last week and said on Monday he would visit Brunei and Malaysia this week to “ensure Australia’s energy supply remains secure during times of uncertainty.”

The three Southeast Asian countries are major suppliers of Australia’s gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Singapore and Malaysia also buy Australian liquefied natural gas.

Albanese will meet Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in visits between Tuesday and Friday.

Albanese told reporters in the Australian capital Canberra on Monday he would not preempt outcomes of those meetings.

Trump said that Iran was in "very bad shape" and "pretty desperate," as he confirmed a planned blockade would take effect within hours.

Speaking to reporters on the tarmac after returning from Miami, Trump said a ceasefire in the region was "holding well," but signalled no softening in Washington's position ahead of the blockade set to begin at 10 a.m. Monday.

"The blockade will go into effect tomorrow at 10 am," Trump said, adding that "there are many boats heading toward our country to fill up with oil."

He indicated that other countries were cooperating with efforts to curb Iran's oil sales, though he did not identify them. "Other nations are working so that Iran cannot sell oil," he said.

Donald Trump has said two US airmen rescued after their fighter jet was shot down over Iran earlier this month are in good condition.

Speaking at Joint Base Andrews, Trump said: “They are in very good shape and we’re very proud of them.”

The crew included the pilot, who was located shortly after ejecting from the aircraft, and a weapons-system officer who survived for more than 24 hours while hiding in mountainous terrain before being rescued.

Both sustained injuries during the incident but are now reported to be recovering.

Donald Trump has said Iran still wants to develop a nuclear weapon, claiming the intention was made clear during recent talks in Islamabad.

“They still want it, and they made that clear the other night. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” Trump told reporters.

He added that direct negotiations with Tehran failed because Iran was “unwilling to give up its nuclear ambitions,” following marathon discussions that ended without agreement.

The remarks come amid heightened tensions after renewed diplomatic efforts failed to produce a breakthrough on Iran’s nuclear programme.

Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser and a former Revolutionary Guard Commander, joined the chorus of Iranian officials vowing to counter the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

In a post on X, Rezaei said the country’s armed forces had “major untouched levers” to counter a Hormuz blockade. He said Iran would not be coerced by “tweets and imaginary plans.”

Trump he does not care if Iran comes back to negotiations with the United States after talks in Pakistan failed to produce a deal.

"I don't care if they come back or not. If they don't come back, I'm fine," Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, upon his return from Florida.

Trump attacked Pope Leo XIV on social media Sunday, saying the first American pope should “stop catering to the Radical Left.”

It was an extraordinary broadside against the global leader of the Catholic Church, exacerbating a feud that began over the war in Iran.

A short time later, speaking to reporters after Air Force One landed outside Washington from Florida, Trump said, “We don’t like a pope who says it’s OK to have a nuclear weapon.”

“I don’t think he’s doing a very good job,” Trump said, adding that “I’m not a fan of Pope Leo.”

Lloyd’s List Intelligence wrote Sunday that “all traffic” through the Strait of Hormuz stopped after the president announced that the U.S. would blockade the waterway. It said two vessels that were leaving the strait turned around.

A trickle of traffic had returned to the strait in the days since the U.S. and Iran agreed to pause the conflict.

Oil prices jumped in early trading Monday, with US and global benchmarks climbing sharply amid heightened tensions in the Middle East and investor concern over potential supply disruptions through key shipping lanes.

As of 7:19 am (Asia time) on April 13, West Texas Intermediate crude traded at $104.8 a barrel, up $8.24 or 8.53% in the last 10 minutes. Brent crude, the international benchmark, stood at $102.7, up $7.54 or 7.92%. Murban crude slipped 1.47% to $98.16.

The US military said it would begin a blockade of all Iranian ports "within hours", after peace talks in Pakistan collapsed with Washington blaming the Islamic republic's refusal to abandon its nuclear ambitions.

The announcement came despite a ceasefire agreed on Wednesday aimed at pausing the six-week war until April 22, with tensions centred on whether the United States can force Iran to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz, another of its key demands in the stalled negotiations.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Sunday he was working to stop the Israel-Hezbollah war, even as Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu told troops in south Lebanon that the fight there was far from over.

Iran says was "inches away" from deal with US in Islamabad, French news agency AFP reported.

The talks in Islamabad ended without an agreement. Iran’s foreign ministry has publicly said Tehran entered the high-stakes negotiations in Islamabad in “good faith” and came close to an agreement with US officials, but ultimately no deal was reached after 21 hours of face-to-face talks aimed at stabilising the fragile ceasefire and ending the ongoing Middle East conflict.

Day 44: US to begin 'blockade' of Iranian ports on Monday

Day 43: 3-way talks with the US and Iran begin in Pakistan

Day 42: Trump says Iran has 'no cards' as Vance heads for talks

Day 41: Kuwait condemns drone attacks, US warns vs Hormuz toll

Day 40: Trump agrees to suspend attack on Iran by two weeks

Day 39: UAE, Qatar on alert as Trump's deadline nears

Day 38: Iran and US receive draft proposal for war ceasefire

Day 37: Second F-15E crew member rescued in Iran

Day 36: Trump warns Iran: 48 hours or all hell will reign down

Day 35: Trump seeks $1.5t defence budget as war intensifies

Day 34: UN chief warns world on 'edge of a wider war'

Day 33: Trump says US to hit Iran 'extremely hard'

Day 32: Debris hits several homes in Dubai, 4 injured

Day 31: Trump threatens to obliterate Iran's Kharg island