Day 56 | Trump announces three-week Lebanon ceasefire extension
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 updates:
- No timeline: Donald Trump says conflict with Iran has no set timeframe Ceasefire stance: US downplays Iran’s ship seizures in Strait of Hormuz as non-violation.
- Trump Signals Imminent Deal: President Trump stated on April 16 that the US is "very close" to a deal, claiming Iran has agreed to "almost everything." He has even floated the possibility of traveling to Pakistan, the primary mediator, to sign a final agreement.
- The "$20 Billion for Uranium" Swap: Discussions have centered on a high-stakes proposal where Iran would hand over its entire enriched uranium stockpile (reportedly around 440 kg) in exchange for the release of $20 billion in frozen funds.
- Key Sticking Points: While Trump is optimistic, Iranian officials have called the total handover of uranium a "non-starter." Disagreements remain over the length of an enrichment pause, with the US demanding 20 years and Iran offering 3–5 years.
- Hormuz Closed Again: After a brief 24-hour reopening on April 17, Iran re-closed the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, April 18. Tehran cited the continued US naval blockade as a violation of the spirit of the truce.
- Contradictory Sea Rules: The situation is volatile; while Iran briefly declared the Strait "open" to commercial traffic, the US naval blockade remains in "full force." Since the blockade began on April 13, CENTCOM has intercepted at least 23 vessels.
- Economic Pressure: The blockade is costing Iran an estimated $400 million per day in revenue. Experts warn that if the blockade isn't lifted by April 26, Iranian oil wells may suffer permanent damage due to overflow.
- 10-Day Ceasefire Holding: The US-brokered ceasefire between ‘Israel’ and Lebanon, which began on April 16, is largely holding despite high tension.
- Oil Price Volatility: Oil prices initially plummeted by 11% (US Crude to ~$83) on Friday following the brief reopening of the Strait. However, prices are expected to face renewed upward pressure following Iran's Saturday decision to re-close the waterway.
Thread ended
This live thread has ended. Follow our online coverage of day 57 of the war, as uncertainty remains around the status of US-Iran peace talks.
Read more: Day 56 | Trump announces three-week Lebanon ceasefire extension
‘Israeli’ strikes kill 6 in Lebanon Friday: health ministry
‘Israeli’ strikes in Lebanon killed six people Friday, the Lebanese health ministry said, despite an ongoing ceasefire in the more than six-week war between ‘Israel’ and Hezbollah.
"The Israeli enemy's airstrikes on southern Lebanon today, April 24, resulted in the martyrdom of six citizens and the injury of two others," the ministry said in a statement.
VIDEO - Iran's FM Abbas Araghchi arrives to Pakistan
An Iranian delegation headed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives at Nur Khan airbase near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad.
Araghchi is received by Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Iran Guards says seized vessel is suspected of “collaborating” with US military
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Friday that the cargo ship “Epaminodes”, which was seized on Wednesday, was suspected of “collaborating” with the US military.
The IRGC, in a statement carried by Mehr News Agency, said that the ships had made “numerous” trips to US ports in the last six months.
“[The ship] was seized by the IRGC Navy due to ignoring warnings and numerous maritime violations,” the statement added.
Netanyahu says he had an “excellent conversation” with Trump on Iran
‘Israel’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he had an "excellent conversation" with US President Donald Trump about Iran, without specifying when they spoke.
VIDEO - US envoys heading to Pakistan for Iran talks: Karoline Leavitt
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Pakistan for a new round of talks with Iran aimed at ending the war, the White House Press Secretary tells reporters.
"They want to talk in person, and so the president is, as I've said many, many times to all of you, always willing to give diplomacy a chance," Karoline Leavitt says.
Trump says Iran plans to make offer satisfying US demands
US President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran plans to make an offer aimed at satisfying Washington’s demands.
“They’re making an offer and we’ll have to see,” Trump says during a phone interview with Reuters.
Iran top diplomat arrives in Islamabad ahead of planned talks with US: Pakistan govt
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad on Friday, Pakistan's foreign ministry said, ahead of planned Iran-US peace negotiations.
Araghchi "will hold meetings with Pakistan's senior leadership to discuss the latest regional developments as well as ongoing efforts for regional peace and stability", Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, without directly referencing talks with Washington emissaries Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Earlier, the New York Times said Araghchi is arriving in Pakistan with a written response from Iran to the US proposal for a ceasefire.
The White House said US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will head to Pakistan for a new round of talks with Iran on ending the war
The state-affiliated Tasnim news agency said that Araghchi will not hold talks with US officials.
“Mr. Araghchi’s visit to Islamabad is not for negotiations with the Americans…but rather he will discuss with the Pakistani side Iran’s considerations regarding the end of the war,” Tasnim said in its report.
Araghchi will not meet US officials in Pakistan: Iranian media
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will not hold talks with a US delegation in Islamabad, Pakistan, according to the state-affiliated Tasnim news agency.
The White House said Friday that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will head Saturday to Pakistan for a new round of talks with Iran on ending the war.
“Mr. Araghchi’s visit to Islamabad is not for negotiations with the Americans…but rather he will discuss with the Pakistani side Iran’s considerations regarding the end of the war,” Tasnim said in its report.
Iran’s Ghalibaf considering resignation amid frustration with infighting: Axios
Iran’s Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is growing frustrated with the infighting among the Iranian leadership, and has considered resigning, according to an Axios report citing a US official.
The news comes as Ghalibaf will reportedly not attend the upcoming talks between Witkoff, Kushner and Araghci.
The report adds that it is unclear whether Ghalibaf is now the lead Iranian negotiator.
"He was talking to other officials in Iran about resignation and considering it, but he has not done it yet," the source told Axios.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will head Saturday to Pakistan for a new round of talks with Iran on ending the war, the White House confirmed.
"I can confirm Special Envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be off to Pakistan again tomorrow morning to engage in talks... with representatives from the Iranian delegation," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Friday.
US envoys to head to Pakistan Saturday for Iran talks: White House
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will head Saturday to Pakistan for a new round of talks with Iran on ending the war, the White House said.
"I can confirm Special Envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be off to Pakistan again tomorrow morning to engage in talks... with representatives from the Iranian delegation," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Friday.
Netanyahu claims Hezbollah trying to sabotage truce
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Friday that Hezbollah is trying to sabotage the truce with ‘Israel’, after Trump announced a three-week extension of the ceasefire yesterday.
Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump spoke by phone about the ceasefires with Iran and Lebanon, the former adds.
“I had an excellent conversation with President Trump”.
“He is putting very strong pressure on Iran, both economically and militarily. We are operating in full cooperation.”
“The same applies in Lebanon,” he continues.
“We have begun a process to achieve a historic peace between Israel and Lebanon, and it is clear to us that Hezbollah is trying to sabotage this.
“We are maintaining full freedom of action against any threat, including emerging threats. We struck yesterday and we struck today. We are determined to restore security to the residents of the north,” Netanyahu says.
Spain responds after US threat of ouster from NATO
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday stressed Spain was a "reliable member" of NATO, after a report the United States was considering trying to suspend it over its refusal to support military operations against Iran.
The Reuters news agency cited an anonymous US official as telling it that the Pentagon had outlined the suspension option in an email looking at ways to punish NATO allies that steered clear of the US-‘Israeli’ war against Iran.
"Spain is a reliable member within NATO" which is fulfilling all its obligations, Sanchez told reporters in English during a visit to Cyprus for an EU summit.
"As a result, I am absolutely not worried," he said.
The Socialist leader added in Spanish: "We don't work on the basis of emails, we work off official documents and the position that the United States government has set out in this case."
There is no provision in the NATO treaty allowing for the suspension or expulsion of a member of the world's most powerful military alliance.
Responding to a question about the Reuters report, Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said the Defence Department "will ensure that the president has credible options to ensure that our allies are no longer a paper tiger and instead do their part," but did not provide further details.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly railed against NATO allies for refusing to join the war that engulfed the Middle East, saying he viewed it as a betrayal.
Some of them -- France, Spain and Italy -- did not allow US military aircraft deployed for the war to overfly their territories or to use bases.
Trump also tried, in vain, to get European NATO members to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, the key waterway for Gulf energy exports, which Iran has effectively closed with military threats and attacks.
Washington's expectation that NATO members' facilities and territories should be available to the United States without question has added to strains within the alliance.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told reporters in Cyprus that "NATO must remain united. I believe it is a source of strength."
Sanchez said his government's stance was "absolute cooperation with allies, but always within the bounds of international law".
Sanchez has repeatedly found himself in Trump's crosshairs since the Republican president returned to office in January 2025.
Last year, he refused to agree to ramp up NATO defence spending to five percent of GDP as demanded by Trump, who then suggested expelling Spain from the alliance.
Sanchez condemned the US military intervention in Venezuela on January 3 that abducted the South American country's strongman socialist president Nicolas Maduro and is a virulent critic of Washington's ally ‘Israel’.
NATO is to hold its next summit in Turkey on July 7-8.
Witkoff & Kushner to hold talks with Araghchi in Pakistan: CNN
US President Donald Trump is sending his special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to hold talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi this weekend in Pakistan, according to sources cited by CNN.
Vice President JD Vance will not attend the talks, as Iran’s Speaker of the Parliament Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf is not participating.
However, Vance will head to Islamabad if progress is achieved in the talks, the report by CNN added.
VIDEO - Pete Hegseth tells Europe to do “less talking” and “get in a boat”
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says Europe should do "less talking and having less fancy conferences" and "get in a boat" to secure the Strait of Hormuz, arguing it relies on the route more than the United States.
"We are not counting on Europe. But they need the Strait of Hormuz much more than we do," he says during a Pentagon briefing alongside General Dan Caine.
‘Israeli’ military targets Deir Aames town in southern Lebanon
Footage of a third ‘Israeli’ strike today on the town of Deir Aames in southern Lebanon, despite a ceasefire between ‘Israel’ and Hezbollah being extended by three weeks.
An ‘Israeli’ strike killed two people in Lebanon, in the southern area of Touline, the Lebanese health ministry reported.
Hezbollah has "the right to respond at the appropriate time" to any "aggressions" by ‘Israel’ during the ongoing truce by both sides, Ali Fayad, an MP for the party, said.
“Our neighbors are our priority,” says Iran FM as he begins regional tour
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi will begin a round of visits to Islamabad, Muscat, and Moscow starting this evening.
“Purpose of my visits is to closely coordinate with our partners on bilateral matters and consult on regional developments,” Araghchi said on X.
“Our neighbors are our priority.”
It will also discuss the “latest situation of the imposed war by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran,” Mehr News agency says.
EU chief says “vital” for the world Strait of Hormuz reopens
The immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz without restrictions is "vital" for the world, European Council President Antonio Costa said Friday, after talks with regional leaders including from Lebanon and Syria.
"The Strait of Hormuz must immediately reopen without restrictions and without tolling, in full respect of international law and the principle of freedom of navigation. This is vital for the entire world," Costa told a news conference in Cyprus.
VIDEO - Hezbollah surface-to-air missile takes down ‘Israeli’ drone
Footage of Hezbollah shooting down an ‘Israeli’ drone with a surface-to-air missile in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah shoots down ‘Israeli’ drone in south Lebanon: military
The ‘Israeli’ military said Hezbollah shot down one of its drones in south Lebanon on Friday, hours after a ceasefire between ‘Israel’ and the Iran-backed group was extended.
"A short while ago, an IDF remotely piloted aircraft was downed in southern Lebanon following the launch of a small surface-to-air missile by the Hezbollah terrorist organisation," the military said in a statement, indicating the incident was under review.
