Day 50 | Iran opens Hormuz strait as Trump optimistic about deal
The 2026 Iran War began on February 28, when the United States and ‘Israel’ launched a large-scale attack on Iran, unleashing nearly 900 airstrikes within 12 hours on the Islamic Republic’s missile systems, air defenses, nuclear facilities, military bases, and leadership targets.
The assault followed years of shadow conflict, including direct missile exchanges in 2024 and a limited 12-day war in 2025 that damaged Iran’s nuclear and ballistic capabilities.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior officials were killed in the opening strikes. Iran responded within hours, launching waves of ballistic missiles and drones at ‘Israel’, US bases, and targets across the Gulf.
On April 8, the United States, Iran, and ‘Israel’ agreed to a temporary two-week ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, with Iran committing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz while negotiations continue toward a broader agreement.
The fragile truce has since come under strain, particularly as ‘Israel’ launched major bombardments in Lebanon and clashes with the Iran-backed group Hezbollah intensified.
Here’s the latest:
- Trump signals imminent talks: US President Donald Trump says a deal with Iran could come “soon,” with possible negotiations expected within days, likely again in Pakistan.
- Draft deal under discussion: Talks now include a potential agreement where Iran would hand over its enriched uranium stockpile in exchange for up to $20 billion in frozen funds, alongside a temporary halt to enrichment.
- Key disputes persist: Major disagreements remain over uranium enrichment limits, sanctions relief, and enforcement mechanisms, despite signs of progress.
- Strait of Hormuz reopens, blockade remains: Iran has declared the Strait open to commercial shipping during a ceasefire, but the US naval blockade is still in place, creating a contradictory situation at sea.
- Shipping resumes cautiously: Vessel traffic has begun to return, though security concerns and coordination requirements with Iranian forces continue to limit full normalization.
- ‘Israel’–Lebanon ceasefire largely holding: A US-brokered ceasefire between ‘Israel’ and Lebanon is mostly holding, though sporadic violations, including a reported ‘Israeli’ drone strike.
- Strikes pause under US pressure: Trump has temporarily halted further ‘Israeli’ escalation in Lebanon as part of broader efforts to stabilize negotiations.
- Iran warns against coercion: Iranian officials say negotiations cannot proceed under pressure, warning of consequences if maritime restrictions or military threats continue.
- Markets react sharply: Oil prices have dropped by around 10–11% following the reopening of the Strait and optimism over a deal, signaling reduced global supply fears.
US-Iran to hold talks in Pakistan on Monday: CNN
Delegations from the United States and Iran are expected to arrive in Pakistan this weekend to hold talks on Monday, according to CNN citing Iranian sources.
US President Donald Trump Trump sounded increasingly upbeat on Friday about the chances of a peace deal with Iran, saying there were "no sticking points" and a deal was "very close."
Trump also said the United States and Iran would jointly remove uranium from Tehran's nuclear sites with excavators under any peace deal, before the material is transferred to US territory.
Trump's comment came despite Iran's foreign ministry saying earlier that the Islamic Republic's stockpile of enriched uranium would not be transferred "anywhere."
"Somebody said, how are we going to get the nuclear dust? We're going to get it by going in with Iran, with lots of excavators," Trump told a gathering of the conservative Turning Point USA movement in Phoenix, Arizona.
"We need the biggest excavators you can imagine," he added.
"But we're going to go in together with Iran. We're going to get it. We're going to take it back home to the USA very soon."
Trump's comments elaborated on his claim on Thursday that Iran had agreed to hand over its enriched uranium, but without giving any details on such a transfer.
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.
Australian PM welcomes Hormuz reopening, says hopes it holds
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed on Saturday Iran's agreement to stop blocking the Strait of Hormuz but said the situation remained "fragile".
"This was positive news that we received last night," Albanese told journalists in Sydney after participating in a multinational summit on the issue.
"We hope that it holds, but what we know is that the impact will be long lasting," he added.
US extends sanctions waiver on some Russian oil: AFP
US President Donald Trump's administration on Friday issued a month-long waiver allowing the sale of Russian oil and petroleum products that are at sea, extending an earlier move to soften surging energy prices, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The license, issued by the Treasury Department, comes two days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would not renew the waiver.
Iran says access to Strait of Hormuz “subject to conditions”: state TV
Iranian state television, citing a Defense Ministry spokesperson, said the Strait of Hormuz will remain open only under a ceasefire and “subject to conditions”.
The spokesperson added that the strait is open, but vessels linked to “hostile forces” are not permitted to pass.
Trump says will bring Iran uranium “back home to the USA”
- Speaking at the Turning Point USA "Build the Red Wall" event, Trump declared that any final peace deal would involve US and Iranian teams using "the biggest excavators you can imagine" to physically remove uranium and "nuclear dust" from Iranian sites for transfer to the United States.
- Despite Trump’s claim that a deal is "very close" with "no sticking points," Iran’s foreign ministry swiftly rejected the proposal, stating that the nation's enriched uranium stockpile is a sovereign asset and will not be transferred abroad.
President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States and Iran would jointly remove uranium from Tehran's nuclear sites with excavators under any peace deal, before the material is transferred to US territory.
Trump's comment came despite Iran's foreign ministry saying earlier that the Islamic Republic's stockpile of enriched uranium would not be transferred "anywhere."
"Somebody said, how are we going to get the nuclear dust? We're going to get it by going in with Iran, with lots of excavators," Trump told a gathering of the conservative Turning Point USA movement in Phoenix, Arizona.
"We need the biggest excavators you can imagine," he added.
"But we're going to go in together with Iran. We're going to get it. We're going to take it back home to the USA very soon."
Trump's comments elaborated on his claim on Thursday that Iran had agreed to hand over its enriched uranium, but without giving any details on such a transfer.
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.
Trump sounded increasingly upbeat on Friday about the chances of a peace deal with Iran, telling AFP on Friday there were "no sticking points" and a deal was "very close."
His remarks on Iran came during a speech to Turning Point USA, where he was introduced by Erika Kirk, the widow of the group's founder Charlie Kirk -- a Trump ally who was assassinated in September.
Iran will shut Hormuz Strait if US blockade continues: speaker
Iran will close the strategic Strait of Hormuz again if the United States continues its blockade of Iranian ports, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Saturday.
"With the continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open," Ghalibaf wrote on X, adding that passage through the waterway would depend on authorisation from Iran.
VIDEO - Trump says will bring Iran uranium “back home to the USA”
President Donald Trump says Iran's uranium will be transferred to the United States under any peace deal, adding that Washington will help Tehran dig it out from nuclear facilities hit in US strikes last year.
Women rally in Tehran show support for Mojtaba Khamenei
- Large women’s rally held in Tehran
- Support expressed for Iran’s leadership
- Anti-US and anti-‘Israel’ slogans reported
Women gathered in the Iranian capital Tehran in a mass rally expressing support for Iran’s government and new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, according to local reports.
Participants were seen waving Iranian flags and chanting slogans against the United States and ‘Israel’, in a show of political backing for the country’s leadership.
The rally comes amid heightened regional tensions and ongoing political developments in Iran.
Trump says Iran blockade will end when agreement is signed
US President Donald Trump said Saturday that the naval blockade on Iran will end when a full agreement is reached with the Islamic Republic.
Trump said that any potential differences will be “straightened out”.
“There could be [differences] with Iran. If there are, we will have to straighten it out, but I don’t think there are too many significant differences,” Trump told reporters.
“When the agreement is signed, the blockade [on Iran] ends,” he added.
Trump says will bring Iran uranium “back home to the USA”
“There could be [differences] with Iran. If there are, we will have to straighten it out, but I don’t think there are too many significant differences,” Trump told reporters.
“When the agreement is signed, the blockade [on Iran] ends,” he added.
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