Commuters drive previous an enormous billboard referring to the ‘Strait of Hormuz’ alongside a busy road in Tehran on April 19, 2026.
Atta Kenare/AFP through Getty Photographs
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Atta Kenare/AFP through Getty Photographs
A U.S. negotiating workforce is headed to Pakistan Monday for a second spherical of peace talks with Iran – which says it won’t even present up.
Tehran’s reticence comes after the U.S. on Sunday fired on and seized considered one of its cargo ships within the Strait of Hormuz as a part of Washington’s blockade on Iranian vessels within the very important waterway, and simply two days earlier than the ceasefire is about to run out.
A video launched by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reveals the operation, with Marines descending from a helicopter by rope to board the vessel, the Touska, after “guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance…disabled Touska’s propulsion.”
President Trump mentioned Sunday the U.S. army had “stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engine room” after the ship did not heed repeated warnings.
Trump mentioned Marines then took management of the vessel and moved to analyze its cargo. He mentioned the Iranian flagged ship was beneath the prevailing U.S. Treasury Division sanctions.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned it should take motion in opposition to the U.S. army for the seizure of that ship, with out elaborating.
Oil costs surged in response to those developments, rising greater than 5.3 % at $95.62 a barrel on Monday from Friday’s shut at $90.38 a barrel.
The April 8 ceasefire settlement between the U.S.-Israel and Iran is about to run out on Wednesday.
Here is extra information from the Center East battle on Monday:
Safety personnel stand guard at a safety checkpost alongside a street briefly closed close to the Serena Lodge on the Pink Zone space in Islamabad on April 20, 2026, forward of anticipated US-Iran peace talks.
Aamir Qureshi/AFP through Getty Photographs
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Aamir Qureshi/AFP through Getty Photographs
Talks or no talks?
Preparations to host Iranian and U.S. negotiating groups had been underway in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, on Monday, regardless of questions over whether or not Iran would attend.
Iran Overseas Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei mentioned Monday Tehran had no plans but concerning a second spherical of talks, accusing the U.S. of missing “seriousness in pursuing a diplomatic process,” based on Iran’s state information company, IRNA.
A US Air Drive Boeing C-17A McChord plane prepares to land at Pakistan’s Nur Khan army airbase in Rawalpindi on April 20, 2026.
Farooq Naeem/AFP through Getty Photographs
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Farooq Naeem/AFP through Getty Photographs
Trump introduced Sunday {that a} negotiating workforce was headed to Islamabad on Monday night and warned Iran in opposition to strolling away from negotiations.
Trump mentioned “We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!”
The primary spherical of peace talks led by Vice President Vance simply over every week in the past broke down, with Vance accusing Iran of being unwilling to just accept Washington’s phrases on Iran’s plans for nuclear enrichment.
A ballot launched this week by NBC reveals Trump’s approval ranking has hit a brand new low, with 63% of these surveyed disapproving of the president’s efficiency.
Two-thirds of respondents disapproved of Trump’s dealing with of the Iran battle and inflation, the ballot confirmed.
Chinese language condemnation
Iran ally China has weighed in on the U.S. seizure of the Touska, based on the Related Press, expressing concern over “the forcible interception” and calling for a resumption of peace talks.
China is closely reliant on Iranian oil imports.
Dying toll in Iran
Iran officers mentioned Monday not less than 3,375 folks had been killed throughout the battle.
Iranian Pink Crescent rescuers practice throughout the US-Iran ceasefire at their coaching camp in southwest Tehran on April 19, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.
Majid Saeedi/Getty Photographs Europe
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Majid Saeedi/Getty Photographs Europe
Abbas Masjedi, the top of Iran’s Authorized Drugs Group, did not give separate figures for civilian and safety drive casualties.
He mentioned 383 of the useless had been youngsters beneath 18 years outdated, based on Iran’s Mizan information company.
Lebanon ceasefire holding
The short-term ceasefire to pause the preventing between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon is holding, although shaky.
Within the south, the place the Israeli army continues to be occupying a big swath of land, Israel has carried out various airstrikes in opposition to what it referred to as “terrorist activity.”
Broken buildings are seen within the Haret Hreik neighborhood of Dahieh in Beirut’s southern suburbs on April 19, 2026, after Israeli strikes and days after a 10-day ceasefire took impact at midnight on April 17.
Manon Roca/Center East Photographs/AFP through Getty
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Manon Roca/Center East Photographs/AFP through Getty
The ceasefire settlement between Israel and Lebanon says Israel can proceed army exercise in self-defense.
Hezbollah claimed duty for an explosion that killed not less than one Israeli soldier over the weekend and mentioned the explosive system was planted earlier than the ceasefire.
Jane Arraf in Amman, Jordan, Aya Batrawy in Dubai and Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg contributed to this report.
