Israeli leadership was reportedly caught off guard when the US president demanded an end to airstrikes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his advisers were caught off guard and "stunned" when President Donald Trump said he would not allow Israel to carry out further strikes in Lebanon, Axios reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.
Iran says its enriched uranium ‘not going to be transferred anywhere’ Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told state TV on Friday that the country’s stockpile of enriched uranium would not be transferred “anywhere”, denying an earlier claim by US President Donald Trump that the Islamic Republic had agreed to hand it over. Earlier on Friday, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, “The USA will get all Nuclear’ Dust,’ created by our great B2 Bombers,” referring to nuclear material buried as a result of US airstrikes last year. “As important and sacred as Iranian soil is to us, this issue is also important to us.
Erdogan urges dialogue as Turkey convenes regional talks Turkey hosted a diplomatic forum bringing together regional leaders as efforts to end the Middle East war intensified, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying “the shortest cut to peace is constructive dialogue and diplomacy”. Speaking at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Erdogan said, “I believe the window of opportunity opened by the ceasefire should be used in the most effective way to establish lasting peace,” adding, “No matter how deep the disagreements may be, we must not allow words to be replaced again by weapons. ” Foreign ministers from Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt held talks on the sidelines of the forum hours after Iran said the Strait of Hormuz was open to commercial shipping.
First cruise ship transits Strait of Hormuz since war began A cruise liner has sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, becoming the first passenger vessel to make the crossing since the war began, ship tracking site MarineTraffic said. The Malta-flagged Celestyal Discovery had been docked in Dubai for nearly 47 days after arriving in early March and was reported to be sailing without passengers. MarineTraffic said the ship crossed the strait on Friday and is heading towards Muscat, with an estimated arrival later in the day.
Separate from the regular Iranian Navy, with boats that often go more than 115 miles per hour, it’s what a retired U. S. official calls a “disruptive force.
Tehran [Iran], April 18 (ANI): Iran has said that it will not impose 'traditional fees' on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, but is considering a new framework tied to security coordination, according to Al Jazeera.
Washington DC [US], April 18 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) said that his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, is 'very happy' about the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, despite Iran stating that the maritime movement through the strategic waterway will be strictly controlled by Tehran.
Washington DC [US], April 18 (ANI): The US Treasury Department has issued a fresh temporary waiver permitting the sale and transport of sanctioned Russian oil stranded at sea, in a move aimed at stabilising global energy markets shaken by the ongoing West Asia conflict.
US sends third aircraft carrier toward Middle East, officials say The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald Ford, has entered Middle East waters again, Associated Press reported, quoting two defence officials. The carrier transited the Suez Canal with the destroyers USS Mahan and USS Winston Churchill and is now operating in the Red Sea, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive operations. The Ford had been in the eastern Mediterranean and returned to port for repairs after a fire in a laundry space.
Asian markets fall as conflicting US-Iran messages creates uncertainty Asian stock markets opened lower in early trading a day after a record rally on Wall Street, as uncertainty grew over the Strait of Hormuz. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1. 75%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index dropped 0.
Trump says ‘things going very well’ as Iran rejects uranium transfer US President Donald Trump said “things seem to be going very well with Iran” after receiving what he described as “pretty good news twenty minutes ago,” adding he “maybe won’t extend the ceasefire if no deal by Wednesday, but will keep the US blockade of Iranian ports. ” Trump also said Chinese President Xi Jinping is “very happy that the Strait of Hormuz is open and/or rapidly opening,” and said his upcoming meeting with Xi would be “a special one and, potentially, Historic”. While Trump has claimed that Iran has agreed to hand over its enriched uranium, Ebrahim Rezaei said Tehran will not accept enriched uranium being transferred out of Iran and denied that any commitments to do so had been made, rejecting US claims to the contrary.
US military says 21 ships complied with blockade of Iranian ports The US Central Command (Centcom) said 21 ships attempting to enter or leave Iranian ports have complied with directions from US forces to turn around and return to Iran. Posting on X, Centcom said the vessels changed course under a blockade that began on 13 April and targets ships of any nationality near Iranian ports and coastal areas, adding that no ships have breached the maritime cordon in the four days since it was imposed. Guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) directs a merchant vessel to return to an Iranian port as it enforces the U.
Tehran says ship passage to require coordination, not standard fees Iran will not impose “traditional fees” on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera Arabic reported. Ebrahim Rezaei said parliament is preparing a draft law to set fees related to “securing the strait” and that passage would be exclusively through coordination with Iranian authorities, the report said. He added that hostile military vessels, especially from the United States and Israel, would not be allowed to pass, while friendly vessels could do so with prior coordination, and said Iran rejects any American role in managing or securing the waterway.
Global oil market hit by 500 million barrel loss amid Iran war The war on Iran has removed about 500 million barrels of crude from the global market, the largest energy supply disruption in modern history, according to data from analytics firm Kpler. The figures refer to losses linked to the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel. Reuters reported the disruption was equivalent to “nearly a month of oil demand in the United States, or more than a month of oil for all of Europe”.
US Navy denies reports of food shortages on warships The US Navy denied reports of food shortages aboard its ships, saying claims involving the aircraft carriers USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Tripoli were “incorrect”. The Navy’s chief of operations said reports alleging shortages on the vessels were not accurate. “The US Navy has unparalleled logistical capabilities to support naval operations, and routine menu adjustments are simply a way to improve our endurance in order to keep our warships at the heart of the confrontation,” the official said.
Hormuz open only under ceasefire conditions, Iran says A spokesperson for Iran’s Defence Ministry said the Strait of Hormuz is “only open under ceasefire conditions and conditionally,” according to Fars News Agency. “Military vessels and those affiliated with hostile forces do not have the right to pass through the Strait of Hormuz," Fars quoted Brigadier General Reza Talaei-Nik as saying. The spokesperson said the current situation in the strait is “temporary” and that the waterway could be closed again if conditions change in Lebanon, according to Fars.
Canberra [Australia], April 18 (ANI): Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday (local time) welcomed the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and cautioned that prolonged conflict in the region could have serious consequences for the global economy and energy markets.
Arizona [US], April 18 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) reiterated that the United States will take enriched uranium from Iran as part of ongoing negotiations, even as Tehran strongly denied any agreement to transfer nuclear material. While speaking at the Turning Point USA event here, Trump said the operation would be carried out jointly with lots of excavators.
Iran’s parliamentary speaker warned it would will shut the strait again if the US blockade continues, which Trump said would remain in place until the conflict was fully concluded – key US politics stories from 17 April at a glance Iran’s foreign minister has said that the strait of Hormuz is now fully open to commercial vessels, reinforcing hopes for an eventual end to the war in the Middle East and sending oil prices tumbling. In a barrage of social media posts, Donald Trump claimed on Friday that Iran had agreed never to close the strategic waterway again, hailing “A GREAT AND BRILLIANT DAY FOR THE WORLD! ” Continue reading...
New Delhi [India], April 18 (ANI): Former senior diplomat Surendra Kumar on Friday said statements emerging from the West Asia conflict, including remarks by US President Donald Trump, should be viewed cautiously as diplomatic brinkmanship continues amid ongoing negotiations.
