Commuters drive previous an enormous billboard referring to the Strait of Hormuz alongside a busy avenue in Tehran, Iran, on Sunday.
Atta Kenare/AFP by way of Getty Photos
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Atta Kenare/AFP by way of Getty Photos
A U.S. negotiating workforce is anticipated to go to Pakistan 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 an Iranian cargo ship within the Strait of Hormuz as a part of a U.S. naval blockade on vessels accessing Iran’s ports within the very important waterway.
The U.S. delegation led by Vice President Vance, together with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, plans to journey to Islamabad quickly, in accordance with an official accustomed to the plans talking on background as a result of they aren’t approved to talk on the file.
A video launched by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) exhibits the seizure of the Iranian ship, with Marines descending from a helicopter by rope to board the vessel, the Touska, after “guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) disabled Touska’s propulsion,” in accordance with an announcement with the video.
President Trump stated Sunday the U.S. army had “stopped them proper of their tracks by blowing a gap within the engine room” after the ship didn’t heed repeated warnings.
Trump stated Marines then took management of the vessel and moved to analyze its cargo. He stated the Iranian flagged ship was below the present U.S. Treasury Division sanctions.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned it’ll 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 ready 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 quickly 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 by way of Getty Photos
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Aamir Qureshi/AFP by way of Getty Photos
Talks or no talks?
Preparations to host Iranian and U.S. negotiating groups have been underway in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, on Monday, regardless of questions over whether or not Iran would attend.
Iran International Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei stated Monday Tehran had no plans but relating to a second spherical of talks, accusing the U.S. of missing “seriousness in pursuing a diplomatic course of,” in accordance with Iran’s state information company, IRNA.
A US Air Pressure Boeing C-17A McChord plane prepares to land at Pakistan’s Nur Khan army airbase in Rawalpindi on April 20, 2026.
Farooq Naeem/AFP by way of Getty Photos
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Farooq Naeem/AFP by way of Getty Photos
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 stated “We’re providing a particularly reasonable and affordable DEAL, and I hope they take it as a result of, if they do not, the US goes to knock out each single Energy Plant, and each single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!”
The primary spherical of peace talks led by Vice President Vance simply over per week in the past broke down, with Vance accusing Iran of being unwilling to simply accept Washington’s phrases on Iran’s plans for nuclear enrichment.
A ballot launched this week by NBC exhibits 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, in accordance with 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.
Loss of life toll in Iran
Iran officers stated Monday a minimum of 3,375 individuals had been killed throughout the battle.
Iranian Pink Crescent rescuers prepare throughout the US-Iran ceasefire at their coaching camp in southwest Tehran on April 19, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.
Majid Saeedi/Getty Photos Europe
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Majid Saeedi/Getty Photos Europe
Abbas Masjedi, the pinnacle of Iran’s Authorized Medication Group, did not give separate figures for civilian and safety pressure casualties.
He stated 383 of the useless have been youngsters below 18 years previous, in accordance with Iran’s Mizan information company.
Lebanon ceasefire holding
The momentary ceasefire to pause the preventing between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon is holding, although shaky.
Within the south, the place the Israeli army remains to be occupying a big swath of land, Israel has carried out a lot of airstrikes in opposition to what it referred to as “terrorist exercise.”
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 Photos/AFP by way of Getty
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Manon Roca/Center East Photos/AFP by way of Getty
The ceasefire settlement between Israel and Lebanon says Israel can proceed army exercise in self-defense.
Hezbollah claimed accountability for an explosion that killed a minimum of one Israeli soldier over the weekend and stated the explosive machine was planted earlier than the ceasefire.
Jane Arraf in Amman, Jordan, Aya Batrawy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg contributed to this report.
