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US President Donald Trump said that he is extending the ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan's request while awaiting a “unified proposal” from Tehran, even as the US military maintains its blockade of Iranian ports. The move comes as the White House put on hold Vice President JD Vance's planned trip to Pakistan for a second round of truce talks with Iran, which has balked at further discussions. But Trump warned that the US military will continue its blockade of Iranian ports.
Trump made the announcement as ceasefire talks looked increasingly uncertain with a two-week truce set to expire on Wednesday. Both countries had said they were prepared to resume fighting if no deal is reached.
Trump said he would "extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other.” Iran has yet to decide whether to join the negotiations in Pakistan, a foreign ministry spokesman said earlier Tuesday, and will only take part if Tehran believes the discussions would yield results.
Lebanon's President Joesph Aoun stated that talks are underway for the extension of its ceasefrie with Israel. "Preserving civil peace at this stage of our country’s history is a red line,” Aoun said in an 'X' post. He further said that he would “spare no effort to end the abnormal situation in Lebanon”.
UN Chief Antnonio Guiterres's Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric called the US extension of its ceasefire with Iran “an important step toward de-escalation and creating critical space for diplomacy and confidence-building between Iran and the United States”, according to Al Jazeera/
“We encourage all parties to build on this momentum, refrain from actions that could undermine the cease-fire, and engage constructively in negotiations to reach a sustainable and lasting resolution," they added.
At least three container ships came under fire in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, news agency Reuters reported, citing maritime security sources and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.
Semi-official Iranian news agencies report that Iran's Revolutionary Guard attacked a third ship in the Strait of Hormuz. State television said the two vessels attacked earlier are now in the force's custody and being taken to Iran, as per associated press.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard attacks a third ship in the Strait of Hormuz, AP reports quoting semiofficial Iranian news agencies.
Iran hanged a man over alleged ties to Israel's Mossad intelligence agency as Tehran continues a series of executions during the war, and after nationwide protests in January. The Mizan news agency of Iran's judiciary announced the execution of Mehdi Farid.
It described Farid as working for a “sensitive state organisation” and passing information to the Israeli spy agency. It said Farid was convicted in Iran's Qom province. Human rights activists have long said Iran convicts people in closed-door trials without allowing defendants to properly defend themselves.
There have been multiple executions of alleged spies recently, as well as protesters and those affiliated with an Iranian exiled opposition group.
Iran has been under an internet blackout for 54 days, over 1272 hours, per NetBlocks. Restrictions began after antigovernment protests in early January and intensified following the US-Israel war on Iran in late February. The heavily restricted access is disrupting jobs and businesses nationwide.
Britain's annual inflation rate jumped to 3.3% in March as the Middle East war sent oil and gas prices surging, official data showed Wednesday. The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) increased from 3.0 percent in the 12 months to February, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.
(Source: AFP)
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre, a monitoring agency run by the British military that first reported the 7:55 am attack, said a Revolutionary Guard gunboat did not hail the ship before firing. It added that nobody was hurt in the attack.
Iran's Nour News, however, reported that the Guard only opened fire on the ship after it had “ignored the warnings of the Iranian armed forces”.
Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency described the attack as Iran "lawfully enforcing its control over the Strait of Hormuz".
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that PM Modi discussed ending the war with Putin, the Ukrainian President, and Trump, urging a solution.
"When he (PM Modi) met Russian President Putin and the Ukrainian President, he discussed this. Even when he met Trump, he also discussed and said that a solution should be found... The way India is moving, you must have seen that in the Strait of Hormuz, no ship from any country was able to pass through. If anyone managed to pass through their 7–8 ships, then it was India... It is not that the US considers India as its enemy, or Iran considers India as its enemy. No, this is a very balanced approach of India," said Singh.
When asked if India has a role in the Middle East peace, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said India has tried and the time may come when it plays a role successfully.
Singh says, "India has tried... But everything has its time. It is possible that tomorrow, the time may come when India plays its role in this and achieves success as well. We cannot rule out this possibility. The Prime Minister has appealed to both sides to end the war. Our Prime Minister has a very balanced approach to diplomatic matters."
#WATCH | Berlin, Germany: When asked if India has any role to play in initiating peace amid the West Asia crisis, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh says, "India has tried... But everything has its time. It is possible that tomorrow, the time may come when India plays its role in… pic.twitter.com/qAVdC5lXFC
— ANI (@ANI) April 22, 2026
Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard opened fire on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, damaging the ship and further raising the stakes as planned ceasefire talks in Pakistan failed to materialise. The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said the attack happened around 7:55 am in the strait and targeted a container ship.
The UKMTO said a Guard gunboat did not hail the ship before firing. It said no one was hurt and there was no environmental impact from the attack. Iran did not immediately acknowledge the assault.
(Source: AP)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz are not distant events, they are stark realities with direct implications for India's security and economic stability.
Addressing the German Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence and Security on day one of his three-day visit to the country, he also asserted that the world today is faced with new security threats, and the technological transformation has made the situation highly complex and intricately connected.
Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on X said that blockading Iranian ports is an act of war and violates the ceasefire, and that striking a commercial vessel and taking its crew hostage is an even greater violation. He added that Iran knows how to neutralize restrictions, defend its interests, and resist bullying.
Blockading Iranian ports is an act of war and thus a violation of the ceasefire.
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) April 21, 2026
Striking a commercial vessel and taking its crew hostage is an even greater violation.
Iran knows how to neutralize restrictions, how to defend its interests, and how to resist bullying.
Asia's largest oil buyers have been able to lean on workarounds to limit the impact of more than seven weeks of war in the Persian Gulf, shielding not only their own economies but those of neighbours competing for cargoes.
Iranian hard-liners rallied late night as possible talks in Islamabad with the United States broke down, with members of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard apparently bringing a ballistic missile on a mobile launcher to one event.
Footage aired by Iranian state TV showed men carrying Kalashnikov-style assault rifles riding atop a missile that resembled a Qadr ballistic missile in Iran's capital, Tehran.
Such Qadr missiles can release individual bomblets known as cluster munitions, which Iran used widely when attacking Israel during the war.
Germany-based airline company Lufthansa Group has planned to cut 20,000 flights through October, as jet fuel prices surged with the outbreak of US-Iran War. Through these cancellations, Lufthansa Group's summer capacity will reduce by one percent of available seat kilometers (ASK) and approximately 40,000 metric tons of jet fuel will be saved, the airline said in a statement.
US defense companies are reporting a surge in demand for military equipment, as the war in the Middle East prompts fresh orders from governments around the world. Earnings signalled that 2026 will be another strong year after a robust 2025 in the wake of continuing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, Russian incursions into European airspace, Chinese maneuverings towards Taiwan and Red Sea tensions.
More governments are ordering military equipment amid rising geopolitical strife. For those who are already in conflict, there is a need to spend more to replenish stocks or maintain machinery.
(Source: AFP)
Talks possible only on Iran's terms, says Iran military
🔴#BREAKING | "Talks possible only on Iran's terms" : Iran military rejects talks for now
— NDTV (@ndtv) April 22, 2026
NDTV's @deepduttajourno joins @ParmeshwarBawa with more details from Tel Aviv pic.twitter.com/S6tuHnQduF
As part of US President Donald Trump's push to boost defense spending to $1.5 trillion in the 2027 budget, the Pentagon wants to triple spending on drones and related technology to more than $74 billion and invest over $30 billion into more critical munitions, including missile interceptors, whose stockpiles have become critically low during the Iran war.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the country needed 500 million euros to address the conflict's ongoing humanitarian fallout amid a fragile 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. "Lebanon needs 500 million euros to tackle the humanitarian crisis over the next six months," Salam said during a press conference in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron.
(Source: AFP)
All of Iran's highly enriched uranium remains in the country, likely entombed at enrichment sites bombed by the US during a 12-day war last June. Iran hasn't enriched since then but maintains it has the right to do so for peaceful purposes and denies seeking nuclear weapons.
(Source: AP)
The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all natural gas and oil passes, remains effectively closed over Iranian attacks in the waterway.
There's also a fear that Iran mined a portion of the strait used by transiting ships during peacetime. Since the war, Iran reportedly has been charging as much as $2 million a vessel to allow them to pass.
Opening the strait remains a key focus of negotiations and Tehran's strongest leverage against Washington, particularly as countries around the world have begun rationing energy and warning of shortages of jet fuel.
(Source: AP)
One of the soldiers photographed the other using what appears to be a sledgehammer to hack down the crucifix during military operations in the Lebanese village. The two will be held in military detention for 30 days. "The soldiers' conduct completely deviated from IDF orders and values," said a military statement, using the acronym for the Israeli military.
In a statement on behalf of himself and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif thanked US President Donald Trump for extending the ceasefire to support diplomacy. Sharif affirmed Pakistan’s commitment to a negotiated settlement and expressed hope both sides will maintain the ceasefire and reach a comprehensive peace deal.
On my personal behalf and on behalf of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, I sincerely thank President Trump for graciously accepting our request to extend the ceasefire to allow ongoing diplomatic efforts to take their course.
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) April 21, 2026
With the trust and confidence reposed in, Pakistan…
State TV quoted the Iranian judiciary's Mizan news agency denying Trump's claims that the women are facing execution. It said some have already been released, while others face charges that — if upheld by the courts — would ultimately result in prison sentences rather than execution.
It didn't name which women were allegedly released. Human rights centers have reported that at least two of the women were facing charges that carry a death sentence.
Donald Trump urged Tehran to release eight women reportedly facing execution, calling it a key goodwill gesture. The accused are as follows:
Gen. Majid Mousavi, the aerospace chief for the Revolutionary Guard, said in comments on Iranian media that it would be a mistake to carry out “aggression” against Iran. He also said the region's oil facilities would be harmed if neighboring countries allow the US to carry out attacks.
Oil prices held on to recent gains after US President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire with Iran, even as the continuation of a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz kept supply concerns front and centre. Brent crude for June settlement slipped 0.2% to $98.32 a barrel, while WTI for June delivery eased 0.3% to $89.36, after both benchmarks surged nearly 9% over the previous two sessions.
Israel and the Lebanon-based, Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah traded some fire with the latter saying it had fired rockets and drones at Israeli forces maintaining a buffer zone in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah also accused Israel of breaching the truce with “attacks on civilians and the destruction of their homes and villages.”
In response, Israel said it had struck the launcher, calling Hezbollah's strikes a blatant violation of the ceasefire.
The Iranian mission to the U.N. sent a letter asking for the world body and the Security Council to issue a "firm and unequivocal" condemnation of the US decision to attack and seize an Iranian-flagged cargo ship. "This constitutes a grave breach of international law, a clear violation of the ceasefire, and an act of aggression marked by the hallmarks of piracy,” the mission posted on X. “Such reckless conduct directly endangers international navigation and undermines maritime safety and security."
Washington had said the ship tried to evade the US naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz.
Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told reporters that the effort to end the war between Tehran and Washington is a “complex process” and that it's important to allow “continuity” for that process to play out. "I think it's very important that an opportunity for peace is given," he said.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on X
As US President Trump has made clear, the United States Navy will continue the blockade of Iranian ports. In a matter of days, Kharg Island storage will be full and the fragile Iranian oil wells will be shut in. Constraining Iran’s maritime trade directly targets the regime’s primary revenue lifelines.
The US Treasury will continue to apply maximum pressure through Economic Fury to systematically degrade Tehran’s ability to generate, move, and repatriate funds.
As @POTUS has made clear, the United States Navy will continue the blockade of Iranian ports. In a matter of days, Kharg Island storage will be full and the fragile Iranian oil wells will be shut in. Constraining Iran’s maritime trade directly targets the regime’s primary…
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) April 21, 2026
In light of US President Trump’s Truth Social post confirming the United States is awaiting a unified proposal from the Iranians, the trip to Pakistan will not be happening today. Any further updates on in-person meetings will be announced by the White House.
The statement by US President Donald Trump read:
"Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal."
"I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other."
STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP: pic.twitter.com/ATdRyY1qqK
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 21, 2026
US President Donald Trump extended the US ceasefire with Iran to allow more time for peace talks, as Tehran's deadline to end the pause came and went without incident.
Trump indefinitely pushed back the end of the two week truce, crediting a request from mediator Pakistan and stressing the need to give Iran's "fractured" leadership time to form a proposal. But he said the US blockade of Iran's ports -- a sticking point for Tehran -- would continue.
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