US-Israel-Iran War News Updates: Trump Says Iran Called For Talks, Won't Let It 'Blackmail The World'

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US President Donald Trump said that Iran reached out to the US for talks to end the war in his address at the White House. He further said that he "can't let Iran blackmail the world."

He said that many ships headed to US to load up oil. He also said that the talks may reached  a resolution before the tankers reach the US.

He further stated that other countries have offered to help with the US's endeavour to blockade the Strait of Hormuz and that details regarding this will be shared tommorow. 

US President Donald Trump said that if Iran doesn't agree to stop developing nuclear weapons that there would be no deal with regards to ending the war, according to his address at the White House cited by Bloomberg.

US President Donald Trump claimed that 34 ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since the country mobilised over 15 warships for an operation in the region according to a Truth Social post from him.

The US had asked Iran to freeze its enrichment of Uranium for 20 years as a part of the talks the countries are engaging in to end the war according to Axios.

The US has mobilised more than 15 war ships in place for an operation at the Strait of Hormuz according to a military official cited by Wall Street Journal.

UK's Prime Minister Kier Starmer said that he is "working around the clock" on credible plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He further said that he is convening summit with France's Emmanuel Macron to help reopen Hormuz. 

The summit will focus on diplomacy and military planning. Starmer remarked that the found the world more insecure than any point in his lifetime.

(Source: Bloomberg)

UK's Prime Minister Kier Starmer called for the inclusion of Lebanon in the ceasefire agreement to end the war. He also accused Iran of "shamefully" exploiting the Strait Of Hormuz by keeping it closed and claimed that it was causing "untold economic damage."

(Source: Bloomberg)

Lebanon's death toll from Israeli attacks reached 2,089 since March 2, according to the health ministry as cited by Al Jazeera.

US President Donald Trump claims that the US has "obliterated" 158 Iranian ships, according to a post on Truth Social. He claims to have not yet targeted Iran's "fast attack 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," he said.

The US President has threatened to "eliminate" these ships if they come "anywhere close" to their blockade. He said that the US would use the same system it did to target speedboats that were carrying drugs.

The US Military will blockade all ships, irrespective of flag in Gulf of Oman and ⁠Arabian Sea east of the Strait of ⁠Hormuz, according to a note from the US ‌Central Command cited by Reuters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the US is briefing Israel daily regarding the progress on its talks with Iran to end the war, according to Bloomberg reports.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he spoke to US Vice President JD Vance on Sunday with regards to the Israel-US-Iran war, as per Bloomberg reports.

An air strike from Israel has hit the Nabatieh al-Fawqa in southern Lebanon according to Al Jazeera reports.

Keir Starmer posted on X:

The ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz is deeply damaging. Getting global shipping moving is vital to ease cost of living pressures. The UK has convened more than 40 nations who share our aim to restore freedom of navigation. 

This week the UK and France will co-host a summit to advance work on a coordinated, independent, multinational plan to safeguard international shipping when the conflict ends.

The ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz is deeply damaging. Getting global shipping moving is vital to ease cost of living pressures.

The UK has convened more than 40 nations who share our aim to restore freedom of navigation.

This week the UK and France will co-host a…

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) April 13, 2026

Two supertankers carrying Iranian crude have arrived at Indian ports on both the east and west coasts, marking the first such deliveries in nearly seven years, according to ship-tracking data.

Felicity, a very large crude carrier operated by the National Iranian Tanker Company, anchored off Sikka on Gujarat's coast late Sunday, carrying about 2 million barrels loaded at Kharg Island in mid-March.

A second tanker, Jaya, moored near Paradip on Odisha's coast around the same time. It is transporting a similar volume of crude, lifted from Kharg Island in late February, before the US and Israel launched military strikes against Iran, followed by Tehran's retaliation.

The shipments are the first Iranian crude cargoes to reach Indian shores in nearly seven years, following a sanctions waiver issued by the United States last month.


(Source: AP)

The spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces to the Arab media said:

The forces of the 98th Division have completed the encirclement of the town of Bent Jbeil and have begun an assault on it

The forces of the Paratroopers Brigade, the Commando Unit, and Givati, under the command of the 98th Division, continue to expand focused ground operations to reinforce the forward defense line in southern Lebanon.

Over the past week, the forces completed the encirclement operation of the town of Bent Jbeil and launched an assault on it, during which the forces eliminated more than 100 Hezbollah terrorists in face-to-face clashes and from the air. Additionally, dozens of terrorist infrastructures were destroyed, and hundreds of combat means were discovered in the area.

The Israel Defense Forces will continue to operate forcefully against Hezbollah and will not allow harm to the citizens of the State of Israel.

Statement of Iran’s Armed Forces Central HQ in response to the US naval blockade of Iran: "Security in the PersianGulf and the Sea of Oman is either for everyone or for NO ONE. If Iran’s ports are threatened, NO PORT in the region will be safe."

IDF soldiers dismantled a Hezbollah underground tunnel route in southern Lebanon. Watch video here:

🎥 WATCH: IDF soldiers dismantled a Hezbollah underground tunnel route in southern Lebanon, used for planning and advancing terror activities against IDF soldiers. pic.twitter.com/P2CGm03HUO

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 13, 2026

China is poised to benefit from the Iran war as global energy disruptions accelerate a shift away from fossil fuels and toward clean technologies and renewable power, industries that China dominates. While most of Asia is hit hard, China will likely benefit from the fossil fuel disruptions despite being the biggest purchaser of Iranian oil. China leads the world in battery, solar and electric vehicle exports, and its industries are forecast to face a rise in demand for renewable products.

Now Chinese industry giants like vehicle-maker BYD and battery-producer CATL are well-positioned to capitalise on growing interest in low-emissions energy products as the world confronts the fragility of fossil fuels.

(Source: AP)
 

Mihir Vora CIO, TRUST Mutual Fund to NDTV Profit:

• Mihir Vora said the duration of the conflict will be more crucial than other aspects.
• He cautioned that it is not prudent to buy into the market amid euphoria at this point.
• Vora said markets are still hopeful of a ceasefire or renewed negotiations.
• He added that the situation in the Middle East remains unclear.
• Vora clarified that being overweight on IT and pharma is not a structural call.
• He said exposure to IT and pharma sectors is a temporary move.
• Vora noted that global markets are gradually getting used to the uncertainty.
• He added that global markets are not in panic mode at this time.

Saurabh Mukherjea, Marcellus Investment Managers, to NDTV Profit:

• Saurabh Mukherjea said uncertainty has returned to pre‑ceasefire levels.
• He added that the UAE and Saudi Arabia are unlikely to put pressure on Iran.
• Mukherjea said former US President Donald Trump appears to be setting the stage for an extended blockade.
• He also noted that the US is not dependent on the Strait of Hormuz and has formidable strategic reserves.

Khoon Goh, Head of Asia Research, ANZ Research to NDTV Profit:

• Khoon Goh said markets have not yet returned to pricing in a worst‑case scenario.
• He noted that markets are still holding out hope for possible US‑Iran negotiations.
• Goh added that pressure on India’s financial assets is likely to continue.
• He said the rupee could test the key 95‑per‑dollar level again.
• He also pointed out that RBI measures to stabilise the rupee have proven to be temporary.

On US-Israel-Iran conflict, Anju Gupta, Anju Gupta,Strategic Geo-Security Expert to NDTV:

• Anju Gupta said that not much was expected from the talks held in Islamabad.
• She added that Pakistan does not have the diplomatic or strategic heft to meaningfully moderate talks at this stage.
• Gupta noted that a naval blockade would count as an act of war under international norms.
• She further said that any US-led blockade would have repercussions for every affected nation.

In a post on social media platform Truth Social, US President Donald Trump wrote, "The United States to Blockade Ships Entering or Exiting Iranian Ports on April 13 at 10:00 A.M. ET. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DJT." [sic]

The US military's logistical plans for blockading the Strait of Hormuz appeared to have been scaled down from the sweeping measures President Donald Trump had earlier threatened.

Trump originally wrote on Truth Social that the US would blockade “any and all” ships exiting or entering the Strait of Hormuz. The military, however, says it will still permit passage of ships headed between non-Iranian ports.

Samir Madani, the co-founder of Tankertrackers.com, told AP that the monitoring group used imagery from the European Space Agency’s Copernicus-2 satellite to identify the types of Iranian oil tankers present in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend.

They identified 10 "Very Large Crude Carrier" supertankers - which can hold 2 million barrels of oil each - and 1 Suezmax tanker, which holds 1 million barrels , in the Gulf of Oman as of Sunday, adding up to 21 million barrels.

Iran could be keeping the oil in floating storage to "better regulate exports amid turbulence" or in case of disturbances at Kharg Island, the group said on X.

(Source: AP)

Speaking to reporters outside Washington after flying back from Florida, US President Donald Trump was asked how long it might be before Iranian officials returned to the negotiating table amid a fragile ceasefire.

“I don't care if they come back or not,” he replied. “If they don't come back, I'm fine.”

Trump said that during weekend negotiations led by US Vice President JD Vance, Iran said they were pushing for a nuclear weapon.

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

Iran Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, in a post on X said, "In intensive talks at highest level in 47 years, Iran engaged with U.S in good faith to end war. But when just inches away from "Islamabad MoU", we encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade. Zero lessons earned. Good will begets good will. Enmity begets enmity."

In intensive talks at highest level in 47 years, Iran engaged with U.S in good faith to end war.

But when just inches away from "Islamabad MoU", we encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade.

Zero lessons earned

Good will begets good will.
Enmity begets enmity.

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) April 12, 202

Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita has attended a mourning ceremony for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The ceremony was organised by the Iranian embassy to pay respect to the departed leader on the 40th day (Chehelum) of his demise.

"Minister of State Shri Pabitra Margherita offered solemn respects on behalf of the Government of India at the 40th day (Chehelum) mourning ceremony organized by the Embassy of Iran in New Delhi," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on social media. "India-Iran relations are anchored in deep rooted civilizational, cultural and people-to-people ties," he said.

On March 5, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited the Iranian embassy to convey New Delhi's condolences over Khamenei's death.


(Source: AP)

Lloyd’s List Intelligence said that "all traffic" through the Strait of Hormuz stopped after the US President Donald Trump announced that the US 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 US and Iran agreed to pause the conflict.

(Source: AP)

Israel's prime minister was making his first visit since the start of the current round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. "One of the things we see here is that we have essentially changed the face of the Middle East,” Netanyahu said. "Our enemies — Iran and the Axis of Evil — they came to destroy us, and now they are simply fighting for their own survival."

Nawaf Salam made his remarks on the eve of the 51st anniversary of the start of Lebanon's 15-year civil war. Lebanon and Israel will hold direct talks in Washington starting Tuesday in a bid to end Israel's conflict with Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon.

The government has set a truce as a prerequisite for talks, and plans to demand an Israeli withdrawal, the release of Lebanese prisoners, and the return of over one million displaced Lebanese.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that Iran has shown it doesn't surrender to threats, hours after Trump said the US would impose a blockade to stop ships from entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz. "If you fight, we will fight." Ghalibaf said in a social media post addressing Trump.6

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Navy said  that military vessels approaching the Strait of Hormuz "will be met with a firm and forceful response," according to two semi-official Iranian news agencies. 

(Source: AP)

US Central Command has announced that it will begin a blockade of Iranian ports on Monday. CENTCOM said the blockade would be "enforced impartially against vessels of all nations" entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas. It said it would still allow ships travelling between non-Iranian ports to transit the Strait of Hormuz. Traffic in the Strait has been limited even in the days since the ceasefire. Marine trackers say over 40 commercial ships have crossed since the start of the ceasefire.

https://t.co/YAFhMBm7hA

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 12, 2026