Iran, Israel, US war

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

Iran says US ‘looking for excuse’ to quit talks; Vance says Tehran rejected offer​

Iran-US War Ceasefire Talks In Islamabad Today News Live Updates: US and Iranian delegations fail to reach common ground after 21 hours of negotiations, with both sides blaming the other for unreasonable demands​

High-stakes talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad ended without a breakthrough after 21 hours of negotiations, with US Vice President JD Vance saying Washington could not secure Tehran’s agreement on key terms, particularly around its nuclear programme. The talks, mediated by Pakistan, were described as “intensive” by Iran, but both sides signalled sharp differences remain despite continued engagement.
Delegations led by Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Bagher Ghalibaf met in Pakistan’s capital for face-to-face negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire and a broader peace framework. The discussions stretched over nearly a full day, with Pakistan’s leadership facilitating multiple rounds. While both sides acknowledged “substantive discussions," they failed to bridge differences on core demands, particularly US insistence on guarantees that Iran would not develop nuclear weapons.
Vance said the US made its “final and best offer” but Iran chose “not to accept our terms”.

“We’ve had a number of substantive discussions… the bad news is that we have not reached an agreement,” he said, adding Washington needs a “fundamental commitment” from Tehran on its nuclear programme. He also stressed that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remains a “core goal” of Donald Trump, who he said was closely involved throughout the talks.

What Iran said: Iran’s foreign ministry described the talks as “intensive” but urged Washington to avoid “excessive demands and unlawful requests”. Tehran pushed back on US positions, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz and its nuclear programme, signalling it would not concede under pressure.

5 latest developments​

• No agreement reached after 21 hours of direct US-Iran negotiations in Islamabad.
• US says Iran rejected its terms, especially on nuclear commitments.
• Iran calls talks “intensive”, criticises US demands as excessive.
• Donald Trump says outcome “makes no difference” and claims the US has already “won.”
• Regional tensions persist, with Benjamin Netanyahu saying Israel’s campaign against Iran is “not yet finished."

Six killed in Israeli strike near Tyre; says Lebanon state media. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said that at least six people were killed in an Israeli strike on Maaroub, near Tyre in the south of Lebanon.
Saudi says major oil pipeline restored after being damaged in Iran attacks
Saudi Arabia’s energy ministry said that it has restored full capacity of its East-West oil pipeline after being damaged during the Iran war. According to news agency Reuters, the pipeline transfers approximately seven million barrels’ worth of oil per day.
More than 2,000 children wounded in US-Israeli attacks on Iran
Jafar Miadfar, the head of Iran’s emergency department, says some 2,115 people under the age of 18 were wounded in the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
He told the Mehr news agency that 124 of those victims are under five years old and 24 are under the age of two.
Another 5,000 people wounded are women, with most attacks occurring in the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan, Lorestan, Isfahan, Kermanshah and Ilam.
IDF claims strike on rocket launcher in Lebanon that was 'ready to launch' toward Israel
A post about an hour ago on the Israel Defense Forces Telegram channel claimed that overnight, the IDF “identified a rocket launcher positioned and ready to launch toward the State of Israel in the area of Jouaiyya in southern Lebanon”. “Shortly after the identification, the launcher was struck and dismantled in a rapid closure cycle, thwarting the launch before it could be carried out.

srael claims destruction of rocket launcher in southern Lebanon
The Israeli military is claiming that it attacked a “loaded and ready-to-launch rocket launcher” overnight in Jwaya, in southern Lebanon.
It said the launcher was “attacked and destroyed” before it could target Israel.
Israel has continued its attack on Lebanon, a country it has invaded, even while there is a two-week ceasefire in the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Hezbollah had launched rocket fire at Israel in support of its backer Iran, sparking massive Israeli strikes and a ground invasion since early March.

 

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

• US and Iranian delegations have held multiple rounds of ceasefire negotiations in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad—the first direct talks between Washington and Tehran in decades.
• Iranian state media has reported that the Strait of Hormuz remains a major sticking point in the discussions, but few details have been released so far on what has been discussed.
• US President Donald Trump told reporters that the US is engaged in “very deep” negotiations with Iran, but that if an agreement is not reached, the US would still "win."
• Israel has continued to carry out deadly attacks across Lebanon, where Israeli strikes have now killed more than 2,000 people since early March.

 

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

The USA has ordered Iran blockade on 12 April 2026. The following will be the impact of the US blockade in Iran. We need to review and figure out the impact on India and, more importantly, common citizens. If LPG, petrol, and diesel are not available or in shortage, how do we operate?
1) Energy disruption through the Gulf will be compounded. Forcing India to look further afield at costlier energy supplies.
2) LNG Vulnerability: 40–55% of India’s LNG imports pass through Hormuz. Gas supply constraints will hit power, fertilizers, and city gas distribution. It's going to become worse
3) LPG (Cooking Gas) Exposure will deepen. 90% of 60% imported LPG is imported via Hormuz. Direct pressure on household cooking fuel and subsidy burden
4) U.S. Venezuelan oil availability, despite Trump's claims, won't soften global oil prices. Inflation risk in India looms.
5) External Account & Rupee Pressure as import bill rises sharply Current account deficit widens.
.6) Petrochemical and manufacturing costs rise.
7) Diaspora & remittance risk. 8–9 million Indians live in the Gulf. Hormuz blockade compounds impact on Gulf economies jeopardizing Indian diaspora jobs that are a source of $100 billion annual remittances. Remittance flows to India could weaken.
The solution is preparedness, not panic. India should immediately diversify crude and LNG sourcing, build emergency fuel allocation plans for essential sectors, increase strategic reserves usage, and protect households through targeted LPG support. At the same time, the government should push public transport, freight prioritization, temporary tax relief on critical fuels, and faster domestic energy substitution to control inflation and supply shocks.

 

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

Hormuz Crisis Hits India Hard​

April 14, 2026 15:13 IST
The cost of the war is being counted not in the corridors of power in Washington or Tehran, but in Firozabad's darkened furnace rooms, Howrah's idle casting sheds, and a barbershop in Kochi where the wait is suddenly, inexplicably, an hour long, notes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the Iran War.

IMAGE: A billboard depicting the Strait of Hormuz on a building in Tehran, April 13, 2026. Photograph: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Reuters

The fragile two-week truce between the US and Iran staggers into its second week.
The point of a ceasefire is to facilitate talks aimed at a resolution, but after the US delegation abruptly aborted the Islamabad talks and walked out, leaving four 'red lines' in place, there has been no movement on that front.

IMAGE: A sign reading 'China's plastic trade town welcomes you' in Zhangmutou Town, Dongguan, Guangdong province, as rising oil prices impact manufacturing costs, April 2, 2026. Photograph: Go Nakamura/Reuters

China Defies US Sanctions Move​

On the ground, the US navy's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is now in force, choking tanker traffic and sending ripples through global energy lanes.
China has issued a sharp warning: 'Don't meddle in our affairs'.
Beijing says it intends to keep honouring its trade and energy deals with Tehran and has demanded unimpeded passage for its ships. (In news that is breaking as I write this, Al Jazeera reports (external link) that a US-sanctioned Chinese tanker, the Rich Starry, has passed through the Strait of Hormuz despite the US blockade.)
Meanwhile, Israeli strikes continue hammering targets in Lebanon, keeping the region on a hair-trigger.

IMAGE: A roadside barber attends to a customer on a pavement in Surat. Photograph: ANI Photo

War Impact Hits Indian Workers​

Back home, the conflict isn't some abstract headline from the Gulf. I went for a beard trim last evening and ended up waiting for over an hour.
It turns out that several workers in the salon have gone back to their respective home states, because with cooking gas in short supply and no provision for wood fires in the apartment they share, their daily meal has become a problem.
A direct connection between a war in the Gulf and my sadly overgrown beard? Who knew?
At a larger level, what Business Standard's reporting (more on this later) from Punjab to Howrah shows is that the war has already arrived on Indian shop floors and in Indian fields, not as headlines but as empty fertiliser bags, idle furnaces, and migrant workers quietly going home.

Key Points​

• US naval blockade of Hormuz disrupts tanker movement, escalating global energy uncertainty and impacting supply chains worldwide.
• China challenges US sanctions, continuing oil trade with Iran and raising geopolitical tensions in already volatile region.
• Indian industries face gas shortages, labour migration, rising input costs, and production slowdowns across multiple manufacturing clusters.
• Fertiliser scarcity and fuel disruptions threaten agricultural output, potentially affecting upcoming sowing cycles and rural incomes.
• Inflation pressures are rising in India, with broader economic risks including supply chain disruptions, reduced industrial output, and demand slowdown.

IMAGE: An Indian Oil petrol station during fuel and LPG shortages in Churachandpur, Manipur, April 10. Photograph: ANI Video Grab

Inflation Risks Rise in India​

All of this has consequences for the Indian economy, which fetishizes GDP as the ultimate scorecard.
What looks like a distant war in the Gulf is already eroding the foundations: Fertiliser shortages that will hit next season's output, factory slowdowns that shrink industrial production, labor flight that disrupts supply chains, and rising input costs that feed into broader inflation. (Note that inflation has already begun edging upwards (external link) in March, and the full impact is yet to be felt.)
These aren't headline-grabbing shocks, but they are the kind that quietly dent growth, widen the current account gap, and leave rural and small-town India paying the bill long after the blockade lifts.

IMAGE: People queue with empty LPG cylinders in Ranchi, April 8. Photograph: ANI Photo
Wars in the Gulf have always touched India through oil prices and remittances.
This one is reaching deeper, into fertiliser bags in Karnal, LPG cylinders in Pune worker colonies, glass furnaces in Firozabad, and casting sheds in Howrah.
In times of all-encompassing crisis, we look to our government to calm our nerves, to keep us informed, to reassure us that our leaders are seized of the magnitude of issues we are facing and are taking concrete steps towards alleviation.
But our government has not been heard from much on these mounting ground-level disruptions, busy as it is with electioneering in multiple states.

IMAGE: Migrant labourers rush to board trains to return home amid LPG shortages in Ahmedabad, April 3, 2026. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters
Meanwhile, the human costs mount. And that, ultimately, is the tragedy of such conflicts: Waged for reasons that remain opaque even to those prosecuting them, they bring measurable hardship to nations and people thousands of kilometres away.

IMAGE: Migrant families crowd a railway platform while boarding trains due to supply disruptions in Ahmedabad, April 3, 2026. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters
Here in India, the war's reach is already visible not in headlines, but in fertiliser shortages, factory slowdowns and the quiet dread settling over fields and industrial clusters.
And as if all this weren't enough, India now faces a risk to its monsoon (external link), which will further exacerbate the threat to crops.

On The Ground in India​

The national picture is being assembled, piece by piece, by reporters on the ground across India.
Business Standard's coverage -- from Punjab's fertiliser mandis to Howrah's foundry belts -- is among the most systematic so far, and what it shows is a country absorbing the war's aftershocks in ways that no single headline can capture. (And for the big picture, check out the India Energy Crisis dashboard (external link) by Core.)

IMAGE: Farmers queue to purchase fertiliser at a Krishak Seva Kendra in Mathura. Photograph: ANI Photo
In Haryana and Punjab, fear arrived early (external link) in the rabi season's tail-end and is now shadowing the next sowing cycle.
Villages report no DAP or urea deliveries for three months in some pockets; wholesalers say 80% of farmers are panic-buying for eight to nine months ahead, hoarding far beyond the usual two-three bags per acre.

IMAGE: A labourer unloads fertiliser material at a factory in Kolkata producing nitrogen-rich inputs, February 14, 2014. Photograph: Ahmad Masood/Reuters
Smallholders like Baljeet Singh in Ludhiana are driving 50-60 km hunting supplies, while others like Mandeep Singh in Gohana stare at an immediate Rs 25,000+ hit for the next wheat crop on just five acres.
Pesticide prices have jumped over 20 per cent in weeks, with whispers of profiteering.
Diesel hoarding is damaging tractors and pumps.
One fertiliser seller in Khanna mandi put it bluntly: Even if things calm, normalisation could take a year.

IMAGE: People queue for LPG cylinders under police presence after protests linked to rising costs in Noida, April 14, 2026. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters
Head south to Pune's industrial belts -- Chakan, Bhosari, Pimpri-Chinchwad -- and the shadow falls on shop floors (external link). The government has doubled supplies (external link) of 5-kg Free Trade LPG cylinders specifically for migrant laborers across states, in a bid to stem the exodus triggered by the deepening shortages.
And yet LPG shortages have hit canteens hard; workers are hoarding small cylinders, with supervisors already cutting portions in March.

IMAGE: Workers raise slogans during protests demanding wage hikes amid rising living costs in Noida, April 13, 2026. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters
25-40 per cent of the labour force has left or is threatening to head back to UP, Bihar, or Assam, echoing pandemic-era migrations.

IMAGE: Workers handle molten aluminium in an extrusion factory in Dahegam, March 19, 2026. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters
MSMEs in auto components, farm equipment, fabrication and powder coating are seeing dispatches drop 20 per cent, raw material costs (steel, polymers) rise 10 to 15 per cent, and margins compress because OEMs won't let prices pass through.
One director noted that core steps -- metal cutting, hardening, coating -- have slowed because gas is scarce. Firms are scrambling to add 10 per cent extra capacity just to cover attrition, while voltage fluctuations from electricity backups bring units to a standstill.

IMAGE: A worker sits near LPG cylinders inside a glass factory in Firozabad amid fuel disruptions, March 26, 2026. Photograph: Bhawika Chhabra/Reuters
Further east, Firozabad -- the 'City of Glass' -- is cracking under the distant heat (external link).

IMAGE: Workers pack glass bangles inside a factory in Firozabad amid fuel supply disruptions, March 26, 2026. Photograph: Bhawika Chhabra/Reuters
This Uttar Pradesh cluster, famous for bangles, beads and glassware, runs on energy-intensive furnaces fed by natural gas and LNG.

IMAGE: A worker carries molten glass on a metal rod inside a factory in Firozabad, March 26, 2026. Photograph: Bhawika Chhabra/Reuters
Supplies have been rationed (cuts of hundreds of thousands of cubic metres), forcing factories to run at 30 to 70 per cent capacity, shut machines to avoid costly restarts, and lay off or call daily-wage workers only on alternate days.

IMAGE: A worker checks bottle quality inside a glass factory in Firozabad amid fuel disruptions, March 26, 2026. Photograph: Bhawika Chhabra/Reuters
Streets are quieter, roadside eateries serve a fraction of the usual rotis, and one owner captured the mood: 'There is darkness here now, with no light visible ahead.'

IMAGE: People attempt to push an overturned vehicle damaged during worker protests in Noida, April 13, 2026. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters
In Balasore, Odisha, plastic factories are watching machines fall silent (external link).
Units making pipes, fittings and household goods have cut production 50-70 per cent; some lines are cold, a few factories have shuttered entirely.
Polymers (tied directly to naphtha and crude derivatives) have spiked dramatically -- HDPE and LLDPE up 75-77 per cent in a month.
Government schemes like Jal Jeevan Mission have seen allocations slashed, drying up demand.
Contract workers sit idle at tea stalls, wondering how long they can manage before 'children will starve.'
One production in-charge said uncertainty is more frightening than the immediate income loss.
And in West Bengal's Howrah belt -- the 'Sheffield of the East' (external link) home to nearly all the state's foundries and forging units -- the industry is simply waiting and watching.
Exports to West Asia have collapsed, containers are stranded or returned, shipping costs to other markets have soared, and gas shortages are forcing 10 to 20 per cent (sometimes far steeper) production cuts.
Heat treatment and fabrication lines are throttled; owners track every Trump statement or diplomatic hint, hoping for resolution before Poila Baisakh brings fresh pressures.
Up to 90,000 jobs (direct and ancillary) hang in the balance.
Taken together, these are not isolated disruptions.
They are the first instalments of a bill that India did not run up and has no power to dispute, and whose full cost will not be known until long after the guns fall silent -- if they ever do.

IMAGE: A satellite image of the USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship at sea amid the conflict, March 12, 2026. Photograph: European Union/COPERNICUS Sentinel-2/Handout/Reuters
The Blockade: What It Means and What It Risks
The Bloomberg explainer (external link) is the cleanest starting point for understanding the mechanics of the US naval blockade now in force: What exactly the navy is doing, how Iran has responded, and what it means for the Asian nations that bear the heaviest burden of the energy disruption.
A companion piece in the same outlet tracks the first test (external link) of the blockade's resolve: A Chinese-linked sanctioned tanker, the Rich Starry, transiting the Strait while broadcasting its Chinese ownership -- a provocation calibrated to force Washington's hand without triggering a direct confrontation.
The Economist takes the harder analytical line.
The blockade is a dangerous gamble (external link), it argues, that compounds the global energy crisis without a clear theory of victory.
Iran survived near-total export collapse in 2020 and has reason to believe it can outlast this pressure too.
The piece raises the question that every blockade eventually confronts: You don't blockade for a week.
If the objective is to bring Iran to the table on better terms, the timeline required may outlast American political patience, and the collateral damage to friendly nations, including India, may prove deeply corrosive to the alliances Washington needs.
Robert Pape, one of the most rigorous analysts of coercive military strategy, makes the case (external link) in a video interview that the entire approach is backfiring.
Military pressure is not breaking Iran's will; rather, it is consolidating it, bonding population and government through nationalism in ways that make the regime harder to dislodge.
His warning about the escalation trap, where neither side can back down without appearing to lose, is the frame through which everything else in this conflict should be read.
The Weekend's Other War: Trump, Leo, and the Question of Divine Sanction
Robin Wright's New Yorker dispatch (external link) captures the sheer accumulation of the weekend -- failed talks, a blockade announcement, a UFC ringside, a papal broadside, an AI Christ image -- and renders it as something close to a portrait of a presidency in free fall.
While Vance was in Islamabad for twenty-one hours trying to salvage a deal, Trump was watching heavyweights batter each other in Miami with Marco Rubio at his side.
The juxtaposition is not incidental.
The Financial Times's account of Vance (external link) returning empty-handed, from Islamabad and from Budapest, where Orbán was swept from power days after Vance appeared at a stadium rally on his behalf, raises the question of what exactly the vice president's foreign policy role amounts to.
He is dispatched on missions where the odds are structurally against him, and returns to find his boss deepening a war with the Pope.
The phrase one analyst uses -- 'poisoned chalice' -- may be the most on-point summary of Vance's current position.
The Washington Post covers both fronts of the Trump-Leo confrontation: the Christ image (Philip Kennicott's sharp reading (external link) of its visual semiotics and what its uncontrolled excess reveals about the coalition it was meant to serve) and the broader collision (external link) between two of the most influential Americans on the world stage.
The Post's reporting makes clear that Leo is not the opponent Trump expected -- not Francis's instinctive Global South scepticism of American power, but a South Side Chicago boy delivering his rebukes with the quiet authority of a parish priest.
Conservative Catholic leaders, including members of Trump's own Religious Liberty Commission, called on the president to apologise.
David Graham in the Atlantic (external link) cuts to the theological core: Trump's attack on Leo reveals that for him, religion is entirely instrumental.
It is a source of iconographic power and voter loyalty, not a set of obligations.
His vision of Christianity, descended from Norman Vincent Peale's prosperity gospel, asks nothing of its followers and certainly nothing of its presidents.
The moment Leo suggested otherwise, he became an adversary.
The NYT closes this thread (external link) with the detail that gives it its sharpest edge.
JD Vance -- Catholic convert, a man about to publish a book on his faith -- went on Fox News to tell the Pope to stay in his lane.
"Stick to matters of morality," he said, "and let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy."
For a faith whose entire moral tradition insists that war, poverty and human dignity are precisely matters of morality, it was a distinction without a difference.
Politics trumps religion. Except, as this weekend showed, when Trump needs religion to trump everything else

IMAGE: A child sits at the yard of an all-girls high school, turned into a shelter for displaced people, in Tyre, Lebanon, April 12, 2026. Photograph: Louisa Gouliamaki/Reuters
The ceasefire staggers on, but the blockade has changed its character.
Hormuz is now a pressure cooker, with the US squeezing Iran's economic lifeline while Iran has every incentive to restart attacks on neutral shipping and none to reopen the Strait.
The talking has not stopped entirely; Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt are scrambling to arrange another round before the clock runs out.
But the distance between the two sides' positions, and the mistrust that now encases them, makes a second round feel more like a formality than a genuine opening.
Meanwhile, the weekend produced a peculiar subplot that may yet have consequences.
A president who wrapped himself in divine sanction picked a fight with the one American whose moral authority he cannot out-post or outlast.
Pope Leo said he had no fear of the Trump administration.
What he has, and what Trump conspicuously lacks, is a coherent account of what this war is for, and who it is costing.
That cost, as this blog has tried to show, is being counted not in the corridors of power in Washington or Tehran, but in Firozabad's darkened furnace rooms, Howrah's idle casting sheds, and a barbershop in Kochi where the wait is suddenly, inexplicably, an hour long.

 

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

'If America Wants An Exit, It Can'
By ARCHANA MASIH

April 14, 2026 14:02 IST
'US and Iran have not annulled the ceasefire, and the possibility of continuing negotiations remains open.'

IMAGE: People walk past buildings destroyed during Israeli strikes in Tyre, Lebanon, April 10, 2026. Photograph: Louisa Gouliamaki/Reuters

Key Points​

• Ambassadors of Israel and Lebanon will meet at US State Department in Washington, DC, April 14.
• 'The international community should exert pressure on Israel to reach a ceasefire with Lebanon...'
• '...And on Iran to stop interfering in Lebanon's political and military decisions.'

A significant development after the failed peace talks in Islamabad between America and Israel is the negotiation that will take place today, April 14, between Israel and Lebanon in Washington, DC.
Lebanon is reeling under continuing Israeli strikes since full-scale hostilities began between Israel and Hezbollah, even after the two-week ceasefire was announced between US-Israel and Iran.
Israel carried out large scale air attacks that killed nearly 300 people in a single day in Lebanon on April 8, the highest in a single day, according to the United Nations.
Hezbollah is trained, armed and financed by Iran. It is part of Iran's Axis of Resistance which includes Hamas in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen.
"Hezbollah is a militia operating outside the law. The decision to pursue negotiations lies with the government, not with any Iranian proxy," says Dr Najat Aoun Saliba, the first environmental scientist to be elected to the Lebanese parliament.
Dr Saliba holds a PhD in physical science and postdoctoral training in atmospheric chemistry -- and is a L'Oreal-UNESCO laureate for Women in Science.
"We hope an agreement will be reached sooner or later that will save Lebanon from the grip of both Israel and Iran through Hezbollah," Dr Saliba

Formal direct negotiations are going to happen for the first time between Israel and Lebanon in Washington. Are you hopeful of an enduring ceasefire between the two countries after continuing Israeli strikes in Lebanon?
The continuation of the strikes is not justified on Israel's part, especially as Lebanon has demonstrated its intention to take matters into its own hands and affirmed that the decision to pursue negotiations lies with the government, not with any Iranian proxy, including Hezbollah.
We call on the international community to exert pressure on both sides: On Israel to reach a ceasefire with Lebanon, and on Iran to refrain from interfering in Lebanon's political and military decisions.
The challenges are significant, but so are the stakes. At this moment, sustained dialogue remains the only viable path forward.
We therefore support the Lebanese government in this endeavour and hope that these efforts will lead to a durable and peaceful resolution.

IMAGE: An Israeli F15 jet releases a flare while flying over southern Lebanon, near the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from northern Israel, April 13, 2026. Photograph: Florion Goga/Reuters
What guarantees or mechanisms would be necessary for a sustainable agreement?
The government of Lebanon is preparing itself to embark in this important and historical peace negotiations initiative.
However, Lebanon cannot do it alone and will need the support of the international community to put pressure on Israel to withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories, put pressure on Iran to stop interfering in our country and our lives and support the Lebanese armed forces to get the resources and the tools needed to enforce compliance with the government's decisions.

IMAGE: Mohamed El Junayd, 43, who said he survived the Israeli strike, sits beside piled damaged cars at the site of an Israeli strike carried out on April 8, at Corniche al-Mazraa in Beirut, Lebanon, April 13, 2026. Photograph: Zohra Bensemra/Reuters
Israel has refused to discuss Hezbollah. Can negotiations be viable without the inclusion -- direct or indirect -- of Hezbollah, particularly when one of the main reasons for the failure of Islamabad talks was the US rejection of the inclusion of Lebanon in the ceasefire deal?
Hezbollah is a militia operating outside the law. It operates only for the benefit of Iran as the question implicitly indicates and as such the Lebanese people do not trust that Hezbollah will be safeguarding the interest of Lebanon and the Lebanese people if it is allowed to be included in the negotiation.

IMAGE: A vessel sails through the Strait of Hormuz off Oman's Musandam province, April 12, 2026. Photograph: Reuters
President Trump has threatened a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Is this strategic signalling or coercive diplomacy -- or do you think Trump will muster a military coalition against Iran in the Strait of Hormuz?
All options remain possible; however, both countries have not annulled the ceasefire, and the possibility of continuing negotiations remains open.

IMAGE: Israeli military vehicles drive on a road near the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel, April 13, 2026. Photograph: Florion Goga/Reuters
What do you think is likely to happen after the ceasefire deadline ends? Will this lead to a resumption of American-Israeli hostilities against Iran? Or is there a possibility of further talks?
The possibilities of extending the deadline for the ceasefire seems a more plausible scenario. The effects of airstrikes have plateaued and so any escalation will have to come in a different approach similar to what we saw in the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Does America want an exit from this war? Can it impress upon Israel from striking Iran and Lebanon?
If America wants an exit, it can and it has in the past. We do hope that diplomatic efforts will overcome the fire and agreements that save Lebanon from the grip of both Israel and Iran through Hezbollah can be reached sooner than later.
How has the war altered the security, strategic and business dynamics of the Middle East?
This war has severely disrupted the tourism, cultural, and academic seasons. It has led to the cancellation of numerous conferences, as well as leisure and business activities, significantly worsening the economic situation.
In addition, rising oil prices and disruptions in shipping have begun to manifest in shortages of basic commodities in supermarkets.

 

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

US doesn't want negotiation; they want to subdue Iran to act as a puppet​

Source: ANI
April 14, 2026 14:32 IST
A top Iranian official voices strong doubts about the sincerity of US negotiation efforts, accusing the US of using force to achieve its goals in nuclear talks and regional matters.

IMAGE: People chant slogans during an anti-US and anti-Israel rally at Enghelab Square in Tehran, Iran, April 13, 2026. Photograph: Thaier Al Sudani/Reuters

Key Points​

• Iran doubts the US's intention towards genuine negotiation, believing the US aims to force Iran into accepting its demands.
• The US insists on keeping the Strait of Hormuz open while simultaneously creating blockades, which Iran views as paradoxical.
• Iran highlights its desire for peace and avoidance of crisis, contrasting it with the US's perceived aggressive negotiation tactics.
• India and Iran share strong civilizational ties, with current relations described as 'very good' and rooted in cultural, educational, and economic connections.
• High-level conversations between Indian and Iranian leaders, including phone calls between the Prime Minister of India and the President of Iran, have been successful.

Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi, Representative of Iran's Supreme Leader in India, said that Iran has always been doubtful about the United States' intention towards negotiation.
Ilahi, held a conversation with ANI on the sidelines of the Yad-E-Shohada Programme organised at Imambara Jawahar Ali Khan with the participation from the Shia Community.
"I don't know what they want to do because they want, they say that the Strait of Hormuz should be open and at the same time they are going to blockage around the Strait of Hormuz. It is paradoxical things," he said.
Ilahi said that the US wants to arm twist Iran into accepting their demands.
"Actually from the beginning we had doubts about the ceasefire and the intention towards negotiation. They are not people of negotiation. They just want to force whatever they want to get it. By force they want to get it. And from the beginning we announced that we have doubts about them, but because we wanted to show to the world that we are not the people of war, we don't want war, we don't want any crisis, and we want everywhere to be peace. Actually, obviously from the beginning we knew that they are not coming for negotiation."
The US and Iran failed to reach an agreement in the 21-hour marathon peace talks in Islamabad over the weekend, with Washington insisting that Tehran refused to give up its right over enrichment of nuclear fuel.
India-Iran Relations
Ilahi also lauded India for its support.
"I'm very thankful to all my dear brothers and sisters in India. I am affected by their emotions, their feelings. And never, ever I was expecting such emotions, such feelings towards oppressed people, towards justice, towards humanity and dignity," he said.
Wherever you go in India, you will find the kindness from the people, honesty from the people, dignity from the people, and humanity and loyalty. I can say I cannot get such emotion and such virtues in any other nation. And I'm thankful to all of them," he added.
Ilahi said that India and Iran have been bound by civilizational ties, and the relations are good even now.
"Yes, the relationship between Iran and India is very, very good. And as you know, the relationship between Iran and India and also friendship between Iran and India, rooted to more than 5,000 years by civilization, cultural education and humanity, economy. At the moment also the relationship between Iran and India is very good, very strong," he said.
Ilahi further said that India and Iranian leadership have had successful conversations.
"As you know, the Prime Minister of India called the President of Iran sometimes, I don't know, three times or more, I don't know. And it was very successful conversation between both sides. And also the Minister of Foreign Affairs of India also. We had several successful conversations with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran. And the relationship is very good, and we hope that it will be more strong and be expanded in different more fields also," he said.

 

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

Iran Targets 5 Gulf Nations Over ‘US-Israel Aggression’, Seeks Reparations​

Iran US War Live Updates: The conflict has entered a sharper escalation phase as the United States enforces a maritime blockade on Iranian ports, signalling a major strategic shift from air and missile warfare to economic and naval pressure. While President Donald Trump claims Tehran is seeking a deal, Iran has condemned the move as “piracy” and warned of retaliation in the Strait of Hormuz. With tensions rising at sea, diplomatic efforts continuing and regional actors reacting, the standoff is entering a volatile and high-risk phase with global trade and energy routes at stake. Apr 14, 2026, 17:09 IST

Key Points​

• Iran estimates damages from US-Israel strikes at $270bn
• Italy has suspended its defence agreement with Israel, says report
• The Strait of Hormuz isn’t social media, If someone - What Iran Consulate, Hyderabad Said
• 3rd Iran-linked tanker enters Hormuz, bound for UAE’s Hamriyah port

APR 14, 2026 17:09 IST

Iran estimates damages from US-Israel strikes at $270bn​

Iran’s preliminary assessment has put the damage caused by US-Israel strikes at around $270 billion, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said, according to Tasnim news agency, adding that the estimate is not yet final.“One of the issues that our negotiating team is pursuing and had also pursued in the Islamabad talks is the issue of war reparations,” Mohajerani said, as cited by CNN. “Iran’s losses from US and Israeli attacks are currently estimated at around $270 billion.”
APR 14, 2026 16:53 IST

Italy has suspended its defence agreement with Israel, says report​

Italy has suspended its defence agreement with Israel, which involves the exchange of military equipment and technology research, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and diplomatic sources


APR 14, 2026 16:38 IST

The Strait of Hormuz isn’t social media, If someone - What Iran Consulate, Hyderabad Said​

"The Strait of Hormuz isn’t social media. If someone blocks you, you can’t just block them back."
APR 14, 2026 15:40 IST

3rd Iran-linked tanker enters Hormuz, bound for UAE’s Hamriyah port​

A third Iran-linked tanker has entered the Gulf via the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, according to shipping data cited by Al Jazeera.The Panama-flagged Peace Gulf is headed for Hamriyah port in the UAE, data from LSEG showed.Earlier, two vessels under US sanctions had also transited the strategic waterway.
APR 14, 2026 14:39 IST

Hezbollah Attacks Israeli Artillery Positions, Launch Drone Strikes​

Hezbollah has said it carried out multiple attacks on Israeli forces and positions, including rocket barrages targeting artillery sites in the town of Bayyada.

In a statement, the group said it also deployed attack drones against a fire-control room near the Kfar Jaladi outpost, followed by additional rocket fire towards the Misgav Am settlement.

However, there has been no immediate confirmation from the Israeli military.
APR 14, 2026 14:13 IST

Philippines Requests US Approval for Russian Crude Purchases​

The Philippines has said it is seeking US approval to increase imports of Russian crude as it works to address fuel shortages, according to Energy Secretary Sharon Garin.

Garin said Manila remains optimistic about securing permission, while also exploring alternative supply options if needed. The country’s sole refinery recently obtained about 2.5 million barrels after several shipments were cancelled following the escalation of the US-Israel conflict with Iran.
APR 14, 2026 13:46 IST

Israel FM, Jaishankar Discuss Iran, Hormuz Amid Rising Tensions​

Israel’s Foreign Minister said he held discussions with India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on regional developments, including Iran, the Strait of Hormuz and the situation in Lebanon.

In a statement, he emphasised the importance of a firm US position in negotiations to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, including limits on enrichment and removal of existing material.

He also raised concerns over threats to freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, calling for measures to ensure secure maritime access for countries including India and Gulf partners.
APR 14, 2026 13:43 IST

Pakistan Offers to Facilitate Talks ‘As Long as Needed’​

A Pakistani official has said Islamabad is prepared to host peace negotiations between the United States and Iran for “as many rounds as it takes”, underscoring its role as a mediator.

Speaking to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity, the official said diplomatic contacts remain ongoing between all parties involved in the process.

The statement comes after the collapse of initial talks in Islamabad, with efforts continuing to revive negotiations amid a fragile ceasefire and rising regional tensions.
APR 14, 2026 13:11 IST

China Calls US Iran Port Blockade ‘Dangerous and Irresponsible’​

China has criticised the United States’ blockade of Iranian ports, calling it “dangerous and irresponsible” and warning it could worsen tensions in the region.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the move risks undermining the fragile ceasefire and could further disrupt safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking at a news conference, he said increased US military activity in the area could escalate instability.

The remarks add to growing international concern over maritime security and the risk of wider conflict.
APR 14, 2026 12:58 IST

Air Raids Reported Near Kfar Tebnit Amid Ongoing Fighting​

Israeli forces have carried out air strikes on several towns in southern Lebanon, including Aytit and Qalawiyeh, as well as areas surrounding Kfar Tebnit, according to reports from the ground.

There were no immediate details on casualties or damage from the strikes, and the Israeli military has not yet commented on the operations.

The attacks come amid ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, with repeated air raids reported across southern Lebanon in recent days.
APR 14, 2026 12:58 IST

IDF Attacks House, Car in Nabatieh, Four Killed​

Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh area have killed at least four people and injured another, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.

The report said two people were killed when a house in the Arab Salim neighbourhood was destroyed in a raid, while two others died in a separate strike targeting a vehicle in the same area.
APR 14, 2026 12:49 IST

China Proposes Four-Point Plan for Middle East Stability Amid Tensions​

Chinese President Xi Jinping has proposed a four-point framework to promote peace and stability in the Middle East, emphasising sovereignty, international law and coordinated security, according to Xinhua.

Xi outlined the proposal during talks in Beijing with UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as diplomatic activity intensified across major powers.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is visiting China for discussions on regional issues, while Iran has warned of “dangerous consequences” from US actions in the Persian Gulf. The flurry of engagements reflects growing international efforts to manage escalating tensions.

The proposal emphasises:

• Peaceful coexistence
• Respect for national sovereignty
• Adherence to international law
• Balancing development with security

APR 14, 2026 12:40 IST

Chinese Tanker Crosses Hormuz as Another Vessel Halted Nearby​

A Chinese-flagged vessel under US sanctions has transited the Strait of Hormuz and is now near the Gulf of Oman, while another ship carrying Iranian oil was temporarily halted in nearby waters, according to shipping data.

The developments highlight growing uncertainty for commercial operators, who may now require clearance from both Iran and the United States to navigate the route.

There is no confirmation on who ordered the vessel’s halt. Analysts warn that further disruption could trigger escalation, with risks extending to other key waterways such as the Bab al-Mandab, impacting global shipping flows.
APR 14, 2026 12:13 IST

'If Any One Comes Close To Our Blockade...' Trump Issues Fresh Hormuz Warning To Tehran​

APR 14, 2026 12:03 IST

Sirens Sound in Upper Galilee After Suspected Drone Infiltration​

Air raid sirens have sounded in Israel’s Upper Galilee region, including Metula, Kfar Giladi and Misgav Am, following the detection of a suspected drone infiltration from Lebanon, according to the Israeli military’s Home Front Command.

Authorities have not yet released details on interception or impact, and residents were advised to take precautionary measures as alerts were activated.

The incident comes amid ongoing cross-border tensions with Hezbollah, with repeated drone and rocket threats reported in northern Israel in recent days.
APR 14, 2026 11:57 IST

Over 2,000 Dead, Lebanon Hospitals Overwhelmed by Burn Victims After IDF Strikes​

Lebanon’s Health Ministry has said hospitals are under severe strain due to a surge in burn injuries following ongoing Israeli attacks.

Officials reported that more than 2,000 people have been killed and over 6,000 wounded since early March, with many requiring specialised treatment for burns.

The ministry warned that public health services lack adequate capacity to handle such cases, highlighting growing pressure on medical facilities. The situation underscores the escalating humanitarian impact of continued hostilities in southern Lebanon.
APR 14, 2026 11:42 IST

Australia Working With UK, France; Stops Short of Supporting US Blockade​

Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles has said Canberra is “deeply invested” in ensuring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, while stopping short of endorsing the US blockade of Iranian ports.

Speaking to ABC, Marles said Australia is working with partners including France and the United Kingdom to support maritime access, but stressed that any active role would depend on the stability of the ceasefire.

He noted that conditions remain uncertain and said decisions on further involvement would depend on how the situation evolves in the coming days.
APR 14, 2026 11:22 IST

Israeli Drone Strike Kills Two Near Nabatieh as Air Raids Hit South Lebanon​

An Israeli drone strike has killed at least two people near Nabatieh in southern Lebanon after hitting a moving vehicle, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.

Additional Israeli air raids were reported across southern areas, including strikes on a municipal building in Aadloun and a house in Deir Intar, resulting in injuries.
APR 14, 2026 11:19 IST

US to Host Israel-Lebanon Talks as Beirut Seeks De-Escalation​

Lebanon’s Culture Minister Ghassan Salame has said upcoming talks with Israel in Washington are intended to secure a pause in military activity, even if a full ceasefire is not immediately achieved.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Salame described the meeting as a “preliminary” engagement at ambassador level, stressing that meaningful negotiations would require a halt in hostilities. He said there were indications of possible de-escalation around Beirut, though without firm guarantees.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to participate in the talks, alongside senior American officials. The discussions come amid continued fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
APR 14, 2026 11:13 IST

Homes Damaged in South Lebanon Raid as Rescue Efforts Continue​

An Israeli air strike on the town of Bafliyeh in southern Lebanon has caused injuries and damaged multiple homes, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.

The report said civil defence teams are searching through rubble for missing individuals following the attack.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the incident. The strike comes amid continued hostilities in southern Lebanon, where civilian areas have been repeatedly affected by ongoing air raids.
Follow real-time developments as the US-Israel war with Iran intensifies through a major maritime escalation, with Washington enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports while diplomatic efforts continue in parallel. Track the latest military actions, naval deployments, diplomatic signals, regional reactions and economic impact across Iran, the Gulf and the wider Middle East.

1. US Enforces Maritime Blockade On Iran: The United States has begun implementing a full-scale maritime blockade on Iranian ports from April 13, marking a significant escalation in the conflict. According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), the restrictions apply to vessels of all nationalities entering or exiting Iranian ports across the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
2. Blockade Strategy Targets Maritime Pressure: CENTCOM has clarified that while vessels linked to Iranian ports will face restrictions, freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz will remain open for ships not associated with Iran. The move is aimed at tightening economic and logistical pressure on Tehran without completely halting global maritime traffic.
3. Breakdown Of Talks Triggers Escalation: The blockade follows the collapse of recent US-Iran diplomatic efforts in Pakistan, prompting Washington to shift towards maritime enforcement as a strategic lever. Reports suggest the US Navy has increased its presence in the region, including deploying aircraft carriers to strengthen blockade operations.
4. Trump Signals Talks Even As Pressure Mounts: Despite the escalation, US President Donald Trump has claimed that Iranian officials have reached out and “want to work a deal”. The dual approach reflects Washington’s attempt to combine coercive pressure with diplomatic signalling.
5. Iran Condemns Move As ‘Piracy’: Tehran has strongly rejected the blockade, accusing the United States of piracy and warning of serious consequences. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has stated that any escalation in the Strait of Hormuz would be met with force.
6. Iran Claims Control Over Strait Of Hormuz: Iran has reiterated that it maintains “full control” over the Strait of Hormuz, warning that any miscalculation by US forces could lead to dangerous consequences in the strategic waterway, a key artery for global oil shipments.
7. Protests Erupt In Tehran: Thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets in Tehran, protesting against the US blockade and expressing support for the government’s stance, signalling rising domestic mobilisation amid external pressure.
8. Diplomatic Channels Remain Active: Efforts to revive US-Iran negotiations continue, with Pakistan reportedly offering to host the next round of talks in Islamabad. Regional players are attempting to prevent further escalation despite deteriorating ground realities.
9. Lebanon Front Adds Complexity: Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has rejected upcoming talks between Lebanon and Israel scheduled in Washington, highlighting divisions within the region and complicating broader diplomatic efforts linked to the conflict.
10. Global Trade And Energy Concerns Rise: The blockade and rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz have triggered fresh concerns over global trade routes, oil supply chains and energy markets. Any disruption in the region could have immediate and far-reaching economic consequences.
11. War Expands Into Multi-Domain Conflict: With airstrikes, missile exchanges, naval deployments and economic warfare now converging, the conflict has entered a multi-domain phase. The coming days are likely to be critical in determining whether diplomacy can contain the escalation or if the crisis deepens further.

'If Any One Comes Close To Our Blockade...' Trump Issues Fresh Hormuz Warning To Tehran

 

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

Iran talks ‘could be happening over next two days’, says Trump​

Iran US War LIVE: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday hinted that the Iran talks could resume and be carried out in the next two days in Islamabad, renewing hopes of ending the war.​

15 Apr 2026, 02:42:23 AM IST
The US and Iran are likely to sit for second round of talks on Thursday. Noting that the right kind of people reached out, Trump said, ‘they want a deal’ very badly. JD Vance said, if America's red ‘lines’ on Iran's nuclear ambitions are met, "then this can be a very, very good deal for both countries." As per sources close to AP,
China said that it will make efforts to restore peace and stability in the Middle East
Meanwhile, Lebanon's Culture Minister Ghassan Salame has said that the upcoming talks between Israeli and Lebanese counterparts in Washington, DC, are “preliminary meeting” and not ceasefire, according to Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem urged Lebanon to cancel a planned meeting with Israel in Washington on Tuesday, reiterating his group's rejection of direct negotiations with its foe.
Earlier on Monday, Trump said that American forces have launched a naval blockade targeting all Iranian ports and coastal regions. Meanwhile, Iran responded with threats on ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
Reacting to the Trump's bockade, Iran's navy chief Shahram Irani called it "ridiculous and funny", according to state TV, adding the country's military was "monitoring and supervising all the movements of the aggressive American army in the region".
UK has refused to show support to Trump blockade, while Germany looks confused on it.
China on Tuesday called the blockade ‘dangerous’ and ‘irresponsible’
Iran’s representative to the United Nations has demanded compensation from countries it says participated in the US and Israeli war effort against Iran. These includes Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, said that the UN representative, Amir-Saeid Iravani, claimed the countries had violated international law and had to “make full compensation for the damages caused to the Islamic Republic of Iran, including payment of compensation for all material and moral damages resulting from their international violations.”

Key Events​

14 Apr 2026, 09:08 PM IST: US-Iran talks to resume soon, says Trump
14 Apr 2026, 08:15 PM IST: ‘I just want you to know we all love you': Trump tells PM Modi
14 Apr 2026, 06:40 PM IST: IMF cuts 2026 growth forecast amid US-Iran war
14 Apr 2026, 03:38 PM IST: Israel and Lebanon to hold talks to defuse war
14 Apr 2026, 02:27 PM IST: Xi's 4-point proposal on promoting Middle East peace
15 Apr 2026, 02:42:23 AM IST: Iran US War LIVE: Trump pushes GOP to fast-track surveillance law renewal, calls it vital for “success on battlefield” in Iran, Venezuela

Donald Trump urged Republicans to “UNIFY” and support a “clean extension” of FISA Section 702 in the House. He said he is working with House Speaker Mike Johnson and committee chairs Jim Jordan and Rick Crawford. mTrump pushed a procedural “test vote” and urged GOP lawmakers to back the bill in the House Rules Committee. He described FISA 702 as essential for national security and “vital” for US military operations. Trump claimed the surveillance authority contributes to “tremendous SUCCESS” in operations involving Iran and Venezuela. He argued the law is necessary to “protect the Homeland, Troops, and Diplomats”

15 Apr 2026, 02:38:04 AM IST Lebanon envoy says next Israel talks “date and location will be announced in due course”. Lebanon envoy Nada Hamadeh Moawad said the date and venue for the next Israel–Lebanon talks will be announced “iShe described the Washington meeting as a “preliminary meeting” and said it was constructive, called for an immediate ceasefire amid ongoing conflict. . mrged return of displaced Lebanese civilians to their homes, rReaffirmed need to fully implement the November 2024 cessation of hostilities agreement.
Stressed preservation of Lebanon’s territorial integrity and state sovereignty

15 Apr 2026, 01:51:10 AM IST : Israel praises Lebanese cooperation despite Hezbollah pushback in US talks
Yechiel Leiter, Israeli Ambassador to the United States, praised Lebanese counterparts for cooperation despite pressure from Hezbollah. Leiter highlighted rare alignment, saying both sides are “on the same side of the equation”. He stressed shared goal of “liberating Lebanon” from Iran-backed Hezbollah influence. Talks signal tentative convergence between Israel and the Western-backed Lebanese army
Both Israel and Lebanon have struggled to forcibly disarm Hezbollah

15 Apr 2026, 01:10:54 AM IST: US says Israel-Lebanon talks ‘productive,’ direct talks next. First high-level Israel-Lebanon meeting in decades described as “productive” by the US State Department. Talks held in Washington between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and ambassadors of both countries. Meeting lasted around two hours, focusing on next steps in diplomacy. All sides agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue. Talks come amid ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hezbollah not represented in the discussions and has opposed the talks. Israel reiterates demand for Hezbollah’s disarmament as part of any broader agreement

15 Apr 2026, 12:36:13 AM I:Israel pushes Lebanon to ‘completely separate’ from Tehran, Hezbollah after talks. Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s US envoy, described US-Israel-Lebanon talks in a highly positive tone. Leiter said there were multiple points of agreement among the parties, indicated progress in discussions involving the US, Israel and Lebanon. He says Israel wants Lebanon to “completely” distance itself from Iran, also seeks a full break from Iran-backed Hezbollah. Leiter said Hezbollah has been “dramatically weakened”, claimed Iran’s influence in the region has also diminished

15 Apr 2026, 12:17:23 AM IST : UN chief urges Israel, Lebanon to end conflict. UN chief António Guterres urged Lebanon and Israel to work together instead of deepening conflict, said ongoing tensions have long destabilised Lebanon. Guterres called the first Israel-Lebanon meeting in decades “very important” -Said success depends on whether talks lead to real changes in actions. m“Hezbollah and Israel have always helped each other to destabilize the government of Lebanon,” Guterres said. Guterres said Lebanon should not remain a “victim” of actions by Hezbollah and Israel

14 Apr 2026, 11:56:04 PM IST: mUS to let Iran oil sanctions waiver expire amid Hormuz blockade
A White House official on Tuesday said that US President Donald Trump's administration will allow a waiver temporarily permitting the purchase of certain Iranian crude oil to expire this weekend, Bloomberg reported.

14 Apr 2026, 11:33:23 PM IST: Germany must gear up for prolonged Iran war energy shock, says finance minister. Germany's Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil on Tuesday said the country must assume that the energy price shock caused by the Iran war is likely to persist, leaving Berlin's economic situation extremely fragile.
14 Apr 2026, 11:13:55 PM IST: As US imposes blockade, diplomats tried to arrange second round of US-Iran talks. On Tuesday, diplomats worked through back channels to arrange a new round of negotiation between the US and Iran after Washington imposed its blockade of Iranian ports and Tehran threatened to strike targets across the region.

14 Apr 2026, 10:51:05 PM IST: Pakistan's President Zardari says prevailing situation in West Asia could have implications for region and world. Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday said that the prevailing situation in West Asia could have far-reaching implications for the region and the world.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Zardari and briefed him about all aspects of the dialogue between Iran and the US, according to a statement by the President's Secretariat.

14 Apr 2026, 10:31:49 PM IST: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday said China had been an unreliable global partner during the Middle East war by hoarding oil supplies and limiting exports of some goods, mirroring its actions with medical goods during the Covid-19 pandemic.
14 Apr 2026, 10:10:40 PM IST: After Lebanon, Israel begin direct talks, Hezbollah launched new attacks
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Israel and Lebanon to seize a "historic opportunity" for peace as direct talks between the two opened on Tuesday despite objections from Hezbollah, which announced fresh attacks on Israel just as negotiations got underway, AFP reported.

14 Apr 2026, 09:55:08 PM IST: Fertiliser shortages due to Iran war are a key worry for developing world, says UN agency' The United Nations' trade agency on Tuesday said the fertiliser shortages due to the ongoing Iran war are a pressing concern for developing countries.

14 Apr 2026, 09:45:17 PM IST. Rubio says Israel-Lebanon talks a long process, not quick deal. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the Israel-Lebanon peace talks as a “process, not an event.”. Rubio downplayed expectations of any immediate or major breakthrough.. The talks are being mediated by the United States at the State Department.. Participants included the ambassadors of Israel and Lebanon to the US, along with the US ambassador to Lebanon..Rubio said the Trump administration is “very happy” to facilitate the discussions. He called the negotiations a “historic opportunity.” Rubio acknowledged the challenge of overcoming “decades of history and complexities.” . He indicated that progress will take time, with no quick resolution expected.

14 Apr 2026, 09:31:46 PM IST : Bessent backs short-term pain as Iran war drives energy costs higher. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said rising energy costs due to the Iran war are a short-term economic trade-off.. He argued that “a small bit of economic pain for a few weeks” is justified to avoid the risk of a nuclear-armed Iran.. Bessent downplayed concerns over soaring gas prices, calling the current spike “transient.”. He expressed confidence that energy prices will fall once the conflict ends.. Bessent added that easing energy costs would help bring down headline inflation.. He said gasoline prices are also expected to decline as inflation cools post-conflict.

14 Apr 2026, 09:08:22 PM IST : Trump says Iran talks could happen within next two days. As the two-week ceasefire deadline looms, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that Iran talks could happen in the next two days in Pakistan's Islamabad, a decision that could renew hopes of ending the six-week-long conflict.

14 Apr 2026, 08:55:27 PM IST : ‘Historic Opportunity’, says Marco Rubio as Israel-Lebanon talks begin in Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday (local time) described the Israel-Lebanon negotiations talks as a ‘historic opportunity’.

14 Apr 2026, 08:46:23 PM IST : Isael-Lebanon talks at the US State Department begin A week after a ceasefire was announced between the US and Iran, Israeli and Lebanese delegations are now negotiating at the US State Department, to bring an end to Tel Aviv's offensive in Beirut.

14 Apr 2026, 08:43:54 PM IST: Iran US War LIVE: Tehran blockade involves over 10,000 personnel, as well as ships, planes, says US. The US Central Command on Tuesday said that the US blockade of Iranian ports involves over 10,000 US military personnel and more than a dozen warships and aircraft.

14 Apr 2026, 08:32:45 PM IST : Trump-Modi discuss bilateral cooperation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held discussions with US President Donald Trump on bilateral co-operation, including several big-ticket deals, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said.

14 Apr 2026, 08:15:40 PM IST :‘I just want you to know we all love you’, Trump tells PM Modi, says report
Sergio Gor, the US Ambassador to India, on Tuesday said that US President Donald Trump, in a 40-minute conversation with PM Modi, said, “I just want you to know we all love you.”

14 Apr 2026, 08:08:33 PM IST : Modi, Trump discussed the issue of blockade of Strait of Hormuz, says US Ambassador Sergio Gor. US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump held a 40-minute conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the two discussed the issue of blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

14 Apr 2026, 07:49:29 PM IST M Modi speaks with President Trump, says ambassador Sergio Gor
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Tuesday announced that PM Modi spoke with US President Donald Trump. The phone call lasted for over 40 mins and marks the third call between the two leaders this year.

14 Apr 2026, 07:32:04 PM IST: At least 20 personnel remain at Iran's Bushehr plant, says Russia's nuclear chief. The head of the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom on Tuesday said that only 20 of its staff remained at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran, a day after the company said it had started a final stage of evacuations.

14 Apr 2026, 07:17:45 PM IST : Zambia takes $100 million hit to counter Iran war fuel shock
Zambia's Foreign Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane on Tuesday said the country will forgo about $100 million in revenue after suspending fuel taxes for three months to shield consumers from a surge in oil prices driven by the war in Iran, Bloomberg reported.

14 Apr 2026, 06:59:10 PM IST : Red Cross makes first aid shipments into Iran since start of war
The international Red Cross movement on Tuesday said that a shipment of life-saving medical supplies and other aid has crossed the border into Iran, its first since the start of the war.

14 Apr 2026, 06:49:43 PM IST : Macron urges US-Iran talks, demands ceasefire compliance and free Strait of Hormuz access. French President Emmanuel Macron said he held talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and US: President Donald Trump.. Macron called for the resumption of negotiations that were previously suspended in Islamabad.. He urged efforts to clarify misunderstandings and prevent further escalation of tensions.. Macron stressed the importance of strictly respecting the ceasefire.. He said the ceasefire framework should also include Lebanon.. Macron demanded the unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, without restrictions or tolls.

14 Apr 2026, 06:40:36 PM IST: International Monetary Fund trims 2026 global growth forecast on account of Mideast war: The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday cut its 2026 global growth projection , warning that the world economy could be "thrown off course" by the war in the Middle East, as the conflict roils commodity markets and sparks higher prices, AFP reported.

14 Apr 2026, 06:22:46 PM IST: Pakistan proposes new talks between Tehran and Washington as Vance and Trump hint at progress
Pakistani officials said Tuesday that Islamabad has proposed a second round of talks to the U.S. and Iran, while U.S. Vice President JD Vance earlier said negotiations with Iran “did make some progress," and U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday, “we’ve been called by the other side” and “they want to work a deal.”
14 Apr 2026, 06:03:54 PM IST : Italy suspends defence pact with Israel amid the ongoing Middle East conflict. Italy's government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of a defence cooperation deal with Israel, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday, citing the conflicts in the Middle East. Meloni's right-wing government has been one of Israel's closest allies in Europe, but in recent weeks it has criticised Israeli attacks on Lebanon. Those affected have included Italian troops serving there under a U.N. mandate, Reuters reported.

14 Apr 2026, 05:38:25 PM IST : Tehran weighs halting its Hormuz shipping to avoid derailing talks
According to a Bloomberg report, Tehran is now considering pausing its Hormuz shipping in a move to avoid derailing talks

14 Apr 2026, 05:16:11 PM IST: US-sanctioned tanker tests Trump blockade with Hormuz exit
Bloomberg on Tuesday reported that a US-sanctioned tanker linked to China is sailing out of the Strait of Hormuz and into the Gulf of Oman, testing US President Donald Trump's naval blockade.

14 Apr 2026, 05:05:56 PM IST : French President Macron calls for ceasefire talks between Washington and Tehran to resume. French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said he had spoken with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and US President Donald Trump on Monday and called for talks to restart between Washington and Iran and for a halt to any possible escalation.

14 Apr 2026, 04:54:55 PM IST: Efforts underway for second round of US-Iran talks as ships reported transiting Strait of Hormuz, says report. The standoff between the United States and Iran deepened Tuesday after Washington declared it had blockaded Iran's ports. In retaliation, Tehra threatened to strike targets across the region. Amidst increasing tensions, Pakistan said it was racing to bring the sides together for more talks.
14 Apr 2026, 04:37:06 PM IST : South Korea to ban petrochemical hoarding amid Iran crisis, says industry ministry. South Korea's industry ministry on Tuesday said the country will ban the hoarding of key petrochemical feedstocks and introduce emergency supply-demand controls as authorities move to stabilise supply chains amid the ongoing crisis.
14 Apr 2026, 04:22:57 PM IST : Qatari official says no discussions between Doha and Tehran over payments of funds to halt attacks. A Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson on Tuesday said that there have been no discussions between Qatar and Iran over the payment of funds to stop Iranian attacks on Qatar, and any suggestions that such discussions took place are untrue.
14 Apr 2026, 03:58:14 PM IST : France, UK to host Hormuz talks Friday, says French presidency
The French President's office on Tuesday (local time) said that France and the UK are set to co-host a video conference on Friday of countries that are ready to contribute to a "purely defensive mission" to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
14 Apr 2026, 03:38:58 PM IST : Israel and Lebanon gear up for US talks to defuse war with Hezbollah
Lebanon is set to begin US-hosted negotiations with Israel in an effort to pause a war with Hezbollah that’s wreaking havoc in the country, Bloomberg reported.
14 Apr 2026, 03:23:11 PM IST: : War in Tehran wipes out 2026 global oil demand growth, says IEA
The International Energy Agency on Tuesday (local time) noted that the global oil demand will decline this year for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic as a price surge caused by the Middle East conflict wipes out growth.
14 Apr 2026, 03:02:56 PM IST : Pope Leo vows to continue Iran war critiques after Trump attacks
Pope Leo XIV vowed to keep criticising the US-Israeli war on Iran, hours after President Donald Trump blasted the pontiff and opened up a fresh political rift with his Italian political allies.
“I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialog and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems,” Leo told reporters Monday as he flew to Algeria for the start of a tour through Africa, according to Reuters.
The comments are likely to further escalate tensions between the president and the US-born pope, who has been denouncing the war in Iran with increasing frequency.
Leo insisted he wasn’t seeking to engage Trump, hours after the president attacked him as “WEAK on crime.”. “I don’t want to get into a debate with ⁠him,” he said. “I don’t think that the message of the Gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing.”
14 Apr 2026, 02:51:10 PM IST : Pakistan proposes second round of talks as US signals progress in Iran negotiations. Iran US War LIVE: Pakistani officials said Tuesday that Islamabad has proposed a second round of talks to the U.S. and Iran, while U.S. Vice President JD Vance earlier said negotiations with Iran “did make some progress" and U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday “we’ve been called by the other side” and “they want to work a deal.”. The Pakistani officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the press.

(AP)
14 Apr 2026, 02:27:59 PM IST: Xi's 4-point proposal on promoting Middle East peace . Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward a four-point proposal on promoting peace and stability in the Middle East, during a meeting with Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in Beijing on Tuesday. According to Xinhua news agency, Xi said:
1. Xi called for adherence to the principle of peaceful coexistence.
2. He urged adherence to the principle of national sovereignty.
3. Xi said the authority of international rule of law should be upheld to prevent the world from falling back into the law of the jungle.
4. He added that the development and security should be coordinated.
14 Apr 2026, 01:26:53 PM IST : Iran and US teams likely to return to Islamabad for talks this week
Negotiating teams from the US.and Iran could return to Islamabad later this week, five sources said on Tuesday.. A source involved in the talks said a date was not yet decided, but both countries could return as early as the end of this week. "No firm date has been set, with the delegations keeping Friday through Sunday open," a senior Iranian source said.
14 Apr 2026, 01:07:19 PM IST : China says US blockade of Iran ports is 'dangerous and irresponsible'
Foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that despite a temporary ceasefire agreed by relevant parties, the United States had increased military deployments and imposed a targeted blockade, a move that would exacerbate the conflict, undermine the fragile truce and further jeopardise the safety of navigation through the strait.. China urges all parties to respect the ceasefire, stay committed to dialogue and peace talks, take practical steps to ease regional tensions and restore normal passage in the strait as soon as possible, Guo added
14 Apr 2026, 12:49:41 PM IST : China says, ‘It will make efforts to help restore peace in Middle East’
China foreign ministry said, it will make efforts to help restore peace, stabilty in the Middle East.
It further said, the news of China supplying weapons to Middle East is made up
China calls US blockade of Iran ports 'dangerous and irresponsible'
14 Apr 2026, 12:44:04 PM IST: China says, ‘the situation at critical juncture’.
On Iran war, China says, ‘the situation at critical juncture’
Differing with the US on Iran port blockade, it said, ‘Only full ceasefire can ease the situation’
14 Apr 2026, 12:33:05 PM IST: Emerging-market currencies currencies rebound as oil eases on Iran deal hopes. Most emerging-market currencies climbed on Monday after oil retreated from session highs when President Donald Trump said Iran had reached out seeking a deal, even as the US began enforcing a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, a Bloomberg report said
Emerging-market currencies had opened sharply lower following news of the blockade but most pared their declines through the session, led by gains in the Hungarian forint and several Latin American peers. An MSCI index for EM currencies ended the day 0.2% lower, however, after a last-minute adjustment before the close.
14 Apr 2026, 12:20:22 PM IST : China can play 'important role' in ending Mideast war. says Spanish PM
As the Middle East conflict continues to escalate, Spanish PM says China can play 'important role' in ending Mideast war
14 Apr 2026, 11:55:47 AM IST : ‘Middle East war shock could push 2.5 million Indians into poverty’
The conflict and military escalation in West Asia threatens to push 2.5 million people in India into poverty and the country is projected to experience some loss in its human development progress, according to estimates and projections by the United Nations.
The United Nations Development Programme, in a report titled 'Military Escalation In The Middle East: Human Development Impacts Across Asia And The Pacific' noted that the conflict is "widening human development pressures across Asia and the Pacific.
Through higher fuel, freight, and input costs, the shock is diminishing household purchasing power, raising food insecurity, straining public budgets, and weakening livelihoods."
14 Apr 2026, 11:45:11 AM IST : Australia to establish its own strategic reserves of diesel fuel amid Middle East conflict As Middle East conflict continues, Western Australia will establish its own strategic reserves of diesel fuel to ease “acute shortages,” the state’s government said.
The government signed a deal with Cambridge Gulf Ltd. to buy and store 4 million liters of diesel, which is expected to arrive in the coming weeks, according to a statement. The inventory may be expanded to 12 million liters.

 

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

Iran live updates: Nearly 400 US service members wounded in war, official says​

U.S.-Iran talks have so far failed to reach a peace deal. 15042026:1:33
US proposes 20-year minimum suspension on Iranian uranium enrichment: Source. The source said that in addition to the suspension, the U.S. also suggested "all kinds" of other restrictions but did not immediately elaborate on what they were.
: April 15, 2026, 5:22 AM IST
President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military and government sites.
Trump set a deadline for Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face broad strikes on its critical infrastructure. Hours before the deadline expired, Trump said he had agreed to suspend planned bombing for two weeks if Iran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
But subsequent U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan failed to reach a peace deal. Trump said that Iran's nuclear program was the key sticking point, and said the U.S. would respond with a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz starting at 10 a.m. ET on Monday.
Israel, meanwhile, has continued ground operations and intense strikes in Lebanon, where it is engaged with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he supported the ceasefire with Iran, but that Lebanon was not covered by the agreement, despite Iranian protests.

Key Headlines​

• Apr 14, 2026, 4:08 PM IST ;Apr 14, 2026, 3:54 PM IST :US-sanctioned tankers pass Strait of Hormuz, tracking data suggests : Iran president says 'lack of US will' prevented Islamabad deal
• Apr 14, 2026, 12:51 PM IST Xi says world cannot regress to 'law of the jungle'
• Apr 14, 2026, 2:15 PM IST China says US Strait of Hormuz blockade 'dangerous and irresponsible'
• Apr 14, 2026, 8:57 AM IST: US proposes 20-year minimum suspension on Iranian uranium enrichment: Source
• 38 minutes ago : Vance says 'mistrust' between Iran and US cannot be solved overnight

After being unable to secure a deal with Iran, Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that there is a lot of mistrust between the U.S. and Tehran that cannot be solved "overnight," but that he does feel good about where things currently stand.. "We had never had a meeting like that, where you have, you know, the person who's effectively running the country in Iran sitting across from the vice president of the United States, that had never happened," Vance said during a Turning Point USA college event in Athens, Georgia.

Vice President JD Vance speaks at a Turning Point USA tour stop at the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga., Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
Erik S. Lesser/AP
"After 49 years, there's a lot of, of course, mistrust between Iran and the United States of America. You're not going to solve that problem overnight. But yeah, I think the people we're sitting across from wanted to make a deal, and I know the president of the United States told us to go out there and negotiate in good faith. That's what we did. That's what we're going to keep on doing," Vance continued.
Vance says he feels "very good about where we are."
-ABC News' Hannah Demissie
1:57 AM IST:

Over 2,100 killed in Lebanon: Health ministry​

At least 35 people were killed and another 159 wounded in Lebanon on Tuesday, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.

The death toll in Lebanon now stands at 2,124, and 6,921 people have been injured since March 2, according to the ministry.

Israeli soldiers stand among destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon, near the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from the Israeli side of the border in northern Israel, April 14, 2026.
Florion Goga/Reuters


1:37 AM IST

Sanctions on Iranian oil at sea will resume Sunday: Treasury​

The Treasury Department confirmed Tuesday that it would not renew the short-term authorization license waiving U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil already at sea. The sanctions will go back into effect on Sunday at 12:01 a.m. ET.
In a post on social media, the Treasury Department said that it was "moving aggressively with Economic Fury" to apply pressure to Iran and put financial institutions "on notice" that the department is prepared to implement secondary sanctions against foreign financial institutions doing business with Iran.
The sanctions were temporarily lifted as part of the administration's larger effort to increase supply and help drive global oil prices down. The U.S. also provided a waiver for Russian oil at sea to be temporarily unsanctioned amid the war. That license expired on April 11.
-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart and Nicholas Kerr


1:00 AM IST

Nearly 400 US service members wounded in war with Iran: Official​

As of Tuesday, 399 service members have been wounded in the war with Iran, according to a U.S. official.
The number has risen slightly since the ceasefire. That can be attributed to delayed reporting of traumatic brain injuries, as symptoms for those wounds can sometimes take a few days to manifest, according to the official.
Three service members are considered "seriously wounded," though it's unclear if those troops are the same who have been included in previous counts.
In total, 354 service members have been returned to duty.
-ABC News' Steven Beynon


1:00 AM IST

State Department says Israel and Lebanon agreed to launch direct negotiations​

Following the meeting with the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the U.S., the State Department said there were "productive discussions on steps toward launching direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon."
The department said that it seeks to lock the U.S. into a mediator role -- saying negotiations between the parties can't happen "through any separate track."
The parties agreed that direct talks would happen at a "mutually agreed time and venue," the department said, but gave no further details on when and where those talks might take place.
-ABC News' Shannon K. Kingston


12:48 AM IST

Israel-Lebanon meeting wraps, Israeli ambassador to US touts progress​

The meeting at the State Department between Israel's ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, and his Lebanese counterpart, Ambassador Nada Hamadeh, wrapped after more than two hours, according to a department official.

Before departing, Leiter told reporters that he and Hamadeh had discovered during the talks that Lebanon and Israel are "on the same side of the equation" and united against Hezbollah.
He said the two had envisioned a future where the only reason to cross over each other's borders was to conduct business or go on vacation -- scenarios that would be a remarkable turn of events from the current Israeli military action in Lebanon and decades of opposition to the normalization of ties between the nations.

State Department Counselor Michael Needham, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, Lebanon's Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh Moawad, and Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter stand together before meeting at the State Department in Washington, April 14, 2026.
Oliver Contreras/AFP via Getty Images

Leiter stressed that Israel would not compromise on the security of its citizens and said Hamadeh had emphasized that Lebanon would no longer be occupied by Hezbollah.
Leiter did not suggest Israel would abandon its campaign against the Iranian proxy, saying, "It's imperative that there’s a complete de-linkage between Lebanon and Iran. Iran is the malign influence in the region and around the world, and Hezbollah is their proxy next to Israel."
Regarding a possible treaty with Lebanon, Leiter said that "we are working on the agreement on every front," but that "the security issue" would have to be resolved before there could be anything like the diplomatic agreements between Israel and other Abraham Accord countries.
Leiter did not discuss plans to fully disarm Hezbollah but said that Israel's action against the group had enabled Lebanon's government to take "bold" actions -- citing the direct talks that took place today as an example.
-ABC News' Shannon K. Kingston

Apr 14, 2026, 10:39 PM IST

State Department announces reward for info on Kata'ib Hezbollah leader​

The State Department's Rewards for Justice program announced Tuesday it would pay out up to $10 million for information on Ahmad al-Hamidawi, the leader of Kata'ib Hezbollah -- a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization closely aligned with Lebanese Hezbollah that is considered to be the most powerful militia in Iraq.
The department said al-Hamidawi directed Kata'ib Hezbollah attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities last month, and that for years the group has "repeatedly targeted U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq with IEDs, rockets, and unmanned aircraft systems, kidnapped U.S. citizens, and killed innocent Iraqi civilians."
Al-Hamidawi received "political, military, and intelligence training from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," the release stated.
Kata’ib Hezbollah recently admitted to kidnapping American freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson and detaining her for a week before ultimately freeing her in a prisoner exchange with Iraqi authorities.
-ABC News' Shannon K. Kingston


Apr 14, 2026, 10:16 PM IST : Half of Americans say military action in Iran not worth it: Poll
A new poll from Ipsos found that half (51%) of Americans say the decision to take military action in Iran has not been worth it. Another 24% say it has been worth it and 22% are unsure.
The poll found that 54% say the military action the U.S. has taken in Iran has had a mostly negative impact on their personal financial situation, while 29% say it has not had an impact.
On long-term U.S. security, the poll found that 41% of Americans think it will get worse due to the military action in Iran, 26% think it will improve, and 29% say it will not have an impact either way.
The poll, conducted from April 10 to 12, found that 60% of Americans disapprove of the U.S. military strikes against Iran and 35% approve -- little changed from when Ipsos last asked earlier this month and throughout March.

 

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

Iran-US talks may resume in Pakistan within two days: Report​

April 15, 2026 00:52 IST

Pakistan is actively mediating between the US and Iran, striving to host a second round of crucial negotiations in Islamabad to de-escalate tensions and foster regional peace.

Key Points​

• Pakistan is actively working to bring the US and Iran back to the negotiating table for further discussions.
• High-level Pakistani officials, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, are involved in efforts to facilitate a second round of US-Iran talks.
• The first direct negotiations between the US and Iran in 47 years recently took place in Islamabad.
• Pakistan's government views its role in facilitating US-Iran talks as crucial for promoting lasting peace and stability in the region.
• Despite previous failed attempts to reach an agreement, Pakistan remains optimistic about a constructive outcome from ongoing negotiations between the US and Iran.

President Donald Trump has said that a second round of talks with Iran could be held in Islamabad "over the next two days", according to a US media report on Tuesday.
"You should stay there, really, because something could be happening over the next two days, and we're more inclined to go there," Trump told The New York Post.
Trump attributed the possibility of a second round of talks to the "great job" done by Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.
"It's more likely, you know why? Because the field marshal is doing a great job," the US President said.
Fox News reported that the US decision on the blockade of Iranian ports was one of the reasons for Tehran returning to the negotiating table.
"A lot is happening today and tomorrow. We have all the ingredients of a deal, but it's not all there yet," an unnamed US official told Fox News.
Earlier in the day, a media report said that Pakistan is engaged in high-level contacts to bring Iran and the US back to the negotiating table and the two sides may meet again in Islamabad for a second round of talks by next week.
The contacts are ongoing for the revival of stalled negotiations between the US and Iran, and talks may be held again before the end of the two-week ceasefire on April 21, The Express Tribune newspaper reported, citing highly placed sources.

They said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Field Marshal Asim Munir are making hectic efforts to ensure the second round of talks, which may end the Gulf war.
In some high-level meetings held in Islamabad, indications have been given to prepare for the next round of talks between the top leadership of the two warring sides, who held the first direct negotiations in 47 years over the weekend.
According to certain sources, the next round of negotiations could take place in Islamabad on Thursday.
However, on the same date, Prime Minister Shehbaz is also scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The prime minister will undertake short visits to Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
After almost six weeks of the West Asia conflict and with less than two hours before US President Donald Trump's deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, PM Shehbaz announced on April 8 that both sides had agreed to a two-week ceasefire.
On April 11, a US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance and an Iranian delegation led by Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf held a marathon session in Islamabad to find a peaceful resolution of a conflict that started on February 28.
The US and Iran failed to reach an agreement.

Pakistan's Commitment to Regional Peace​

On Monday, Prime Minister Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to playing a key role in promoting lasting peace in the region, while expressing hope that the recent direct talks between the US and Iran would yield positive results.
Chairing an emergency meeting of the cabinet, the prime minister voiced satisfaction over progress in the negotiations and said Pakistan remained optimistic about a constructive outcome.
The prime minister said the Islamabad talks helped dispel the clouds of war hovering over the region and created prospects for peace amid global economic uncertainty.
He added that throughout history, agreements such as the Oslo Accords, Geneva Accords and Good Friday Agreement had taken years to materialise, but Pakistan's efforts facilitated a breakthrough dialogue between two adversaries.
The federal cabinet on Monday also unanimously passed a resolution to pay tribute to the country's leadership for bringing the two sides together and ending nearly half a century of deadlock, and expressed hope that these sincere efforts would lead to lasting peace worldwide.

 

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

Iranian tanker transits Hormuz despite US blockade​

Wed, 15 April 2026
17:52

A sanctioned Iranian supertanker has reportedly transited the Strait of Hormuz, navigating towards Iran's Imam Khomeini Port despite an active US blockade, according to claims by Iran's Fars News Agency on Wednesday.

The vessel, identified as a Very Large Crude Carrier, is said to possess the capacity to transport 'two million barrels of crude.'

However, the agency reportedly noted that it was 'not clear if the tanker was returning with its cargo on board or was empty.'

Further reports from Iran's semiofficial Fars News Agency, citing ship-tracking data, claim that another vessel transporting food supplies has entered the Gulf.

This ship is reportedly 'en route to Imam Khomeini port,' as Tehran appears to be attempting to maintain its supply lines for both commodities and essential goods amid the ongoing naval restrictions.

However, these reports of successful transit stand in stark contrast to official military assessments from Washington.

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) on Wednesday announced that a full blockade of Iran's ports has been successfully implemented, with US forces asserting maritime dominance across key regional waterways, particularly the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement, CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper stated that, within just 36 hours of initiating the blockade, US forces had effectively stopped all maritime trade flowing in and out of Iran.

'A blockade of Iranian ports has been fully implemented as US forces maintain maritime superiority in the Middle East. An estimated 90 per cent of Iran's economy is fueled by international trade by sea. In less than 36 hours since the blockade was implemented, US forces have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea,' the statement read.

CENTCOM, in a separate statement on X, stated that US Navy guided-missile destroyers are actively enforcing the blockade, with the mission being carried out impartially, targeting vessels of all nations entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas.

'A typical destroyer has a crew of more than 300 Sailors that are highly trained in conducting offensive and defensive maritime operations,' the statement added, highlighting the scale and preparedness of the deployed naval assets.

Earlier, CENTCOM revealed that more than 10,000 US personnel, including Sailors, Marines, and airmen, alongside over a dozen warships and dozens of aircraft, are involved in the blockade operation.

Providing a progress report on the enforcement, the command noted that, within the first 24 hours, no ships reportedly breached the blockade, while six merchant vessels complied with US directives to turn back and re-enter an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman.

The blockade extends across all Iranian ports along the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, with US forces maintaining strict enforcement measures.

CENTCOM further noted that, while the blockade restricts access to Iranian ports, US forces continue to support freedom of navigation for vessels.
transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.

The development marks a significant escalation in US-Iran tensions, with potential implications for global trade and regional stability. -- ANI

 

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

Will Trump Attend Islamabad Peace Talks? April 15, 2026 15:05 IST​

The intriguing bit is that Trump is likely to attend the talks in Islamabad this weekend -- if he does, it will be the clearest signal yet that the US is ready to exit the war with some sort of win to show, since he cannot afford to go for the talks and return empty-handed, notes Prem Panicker in his must read blog on the Iran War.

IMAGE: United States President Donald John Trump gives a thumbs up as he arrives at the Miami international airport in Florida, April 11, 2026. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
'The Strait of Hormuz isn't social media,' the Iran consulate in Hyderabad snarked (external link). 'If someone blocks you, you can't just block them back.'
Donald Trump is finding that out. Multiple reports say that Saudi Arabia has been talking (external link) to Trump, asking that the US blockade of Hormuz be lifted forthwith. And the reason why is written on the map of the region.

IMAGE: As Iran's Foreign Minister Seyyid Abbas Araghchi said, Ship traffic faces technical restrictions and must coordinate with Iranian armed forces, passing only through designated routes with official permission. Photograph: Kind courtesy @iribnews_irib

Hormuz Blockade Disrupts Oil Flows​

If the Hormuz is completely shut -- the tracker indicates (external link) that a mere three ships crossed the Strait in the past 24 hours against the pre-war rate of around 60, though Reuters reports (external link) that at least eight ships including three Iran-linked tankers crossed the waterway -- and the Houthis and their proxies deliver on their threat to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Saudi Arabia's main oil export routes will be severed.

Key Points​

• Shipping through Hormuz has collapsed sharply, disrupting global oil flows and exposing limits of US blockade strategy.
• Saudi Arabia faces severe export constraints as alternative routes remain vulnerable to Houthi threats and regional instability.
• Mounting pressure from allies is pushing the US towards renewed talks with Iran as a potential war exit strategy.
• European nations are increasingly distancing from Israel, suspending defence ties and tightening diplomatic and economic pressure.
• War costs, supply depletion, and rising geopolitical risks are straining the US while China's role adds strategic complexity.

IMAGE: The Strait of Hormuz is the world's most important oil chokepoint due to massive volumes of global oil passing through it. Photograph: Kind courtesy US Energy Information Administration/Wikimedia Commons

Saudi Oil Routes Under Threat​

The kingdom has one theoretical escape route -- the East-West Pipeline running to the Red Sea port of Yanbu.
But with the Houthis threatening the Bab el-Mandeb, tankers leaving Yanbu have no easy route -- north through a contested Red Sea to the Suez Canal, or a grinding 10-plus-day detour around the Cape. Saudi Arabia's Asian customers, its largest market, would be the hardest hit.
Recent events underscore vulnerabilities: The East-West Pipeline itself was hit by a drone (external link) (attributed to Iran) on a pumping station just hours after a US-Iran ceasefire in early April 2026, temporarily reducing throughput before quick repairs restored flows.

IMAGE: A vessel sails through the Strait of Hormuz, off Oman's Musandam province, April 12, 2026. Photograph: Reuters

US-Iran Talks Back in Focus​

Saudi Arabia would likely need to cut crude production to match reduced export capacity, ramp up Red Sea refining to export products where possible, and draw on strategic storage.
Overall, the Asian markets that are Saudi Arabia's largest customers suffer severe disruptions, with only a fraction of normal export volumes reaching Western buyers at much higher costs and logistical strain.
With Saudi Arabia in his ear, Trump needs an off-ramp.
On cue, there are reports that US-Iran talks (external link) could resume in Islamabad by the weekend.
The intriguing bit is that Trump is likely to attend -- if he does, it will be the clearest signal yet that the US is ready to exit the war with some sort of win to show, since he cannot afford to go for the talks and return empty-handed.
Where could that notional win come from?
Nuclear enrichment is the most likely option: The US has demanded a 20-year moratorium while Iran, in recent reports, has offered five years (external link).
Somewhere between these two positions lies the off-ramp, assuming the US delegation is willing to negotiate rather than draw unilateral 'red lines'.

IMAGE: Trump meets Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the White House, April 17, 2025. Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

Europe Hardens Against Israel​

From Verona to Brussels, the doors are closing
Much of the war coverage, including on this blog, has tended to focus on the US.
Less noticed is that Israel's diplomatic and military isolation across Europe is hardening by the week.
The latest crack came Tuesday when Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced (external link) that Rome would not renew (external link) its longstanding defence cooperation agreement (external link) with Jerusalem. The pact, signed in 2005 and renewed automatically every five years, covered joint military training, equipment exchanges, and technology research. It expired Monday. Trump is 'shocked', he says (external link).
Meloni's terse explanation: 'In view of the current situation.'
Translation: The escalation in Lebanon, including an incident in which Israeli forces fired warning shots (external link) at a convoy of Italian UN peacekeepers, made automatic renewal politically impossible.
The symbolism is hard to overstate.
The hard-right Meloni had positioned herself as one of Netanyahu's staunchest backers in Western Europe.
Her reversal is the clearest sign yet that even former allies are peeling away, which in turn indicates that popular opinion is hardening against Israel.
The rest of the continent is moving in the same direction, if at varying speeds. Spain has enacted a total arms embargo -- exports, imports, and transit -- and written it into law.
Slovenia became the first EU member to ban all weapons trade with Israel outright.
France has faced an outright Israeli boycott of its defence exports after Paris's increasingly sharp criticism.
Germany, long Israel's biggest European arms customer, has quietly frozen new licences for anything that could be used in Gaza or Lebanon.
Belgium and The Netherlands have imposed partial restrictions; Ireland and Norway have gone further rhetorically, pushing for sanctions inside the EU.
At the bloc level, a citizens' petition (external link) to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement has gathered more than a million signatures (external link).
The European Council's latest statements are blunt: repeated calls for compliance with international law, an immediate ceasefire, and unimpeded humanitarian access.
Eurovision-style cultural boycotts and campus protests add to the ambient pressure. To be sure, not every transaction has stopped.
A handful of Eastern and Central European governments still buy Israeli drones and missile-defence tech for their own Russian border worries.
But those deals are pragmatic exceptions, not strategic partnerships.
The overall trend is unmistakable: The diplomatic cordon around Israel is tightening, and the military one is fraying.

IMAGE: Rescuers work at the site of an Israeli strike on a vehicle in Saadiyat, Lebanon, April 15, 2026. Photograph: Mohamad Zanaty/Reuters
The geography that won't move:
Despite the ceasefire, shipping through Hormuz has fallen to a fraction of pre-war levels -- roughly nine vessels a day against a pre-war rate of over 130, and the WaPo's cartographers explain why geography, not just politics, is the reason.
Iran's rugged coastline, shallow funnelling lanes, and the psychological weight of mines give Tehran leverage that no blockade announcement dissolves.
Essential reading for understanding why 'opening the strait' is easier declared than done. [Washington Post (external link)

IMAGE: Israeli soldiers stand among destroyed buildings near the Israel-Lebanon border, northern Israel, April 14, 2026. Photograph: Florion Goga/Reuters
The commander in chief, after midnight:
Tom Nichols in The Atlantic on Trump's Truth Social binges -- attacking the Pope, positioning himself as Christ, announcing a naval blockade as a casual news-feed item at 12:43 am.
The president is the sole steward of the codes to a massive nuclear {censored}nal, US forces have been at war for almost six weeks, and China is reportedly helping Iran rearm.
Nichols is asking the question elected representatives should be asking. [The Atlantic (external link)]

IMAGE: Damaged belongings lie scattered after an Israeli strike in Choueifat, Lebanon, April 13, 2026. Photograph: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters
The bill coming due:
The New Yorker's Garrett Graff on what the war has cost America's {censored}nal.
The US used more than 850 Tomahawks in just the first month of fighting, against a total estimated stockpile of 3,000 to 4,000, while the 2026 defence budget funds the purchase of only 57 new ones.
Elbridge Colby spent years warning that Middle East adventures would hollow out America's China deterrence. He wasn't wrong. [New Yorker (external link)]

IMAGE: People gather as journalists cover damage at a residential building hit by a strike in Tehran, April 14, 2026. Photograph: Thaier Al Sudani/Reuters
The nuclear dominoes are wobbling:
The Economist's interview with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi is the clearest public statement yet of where proliferation risk stands.
Grossi confirms that countries across the Gulf, Europe, and Asia are privately debating nuclear options, and warns that if a race begins, a domino effect will 'inevitably' lead a good number of countries to follow.
The cynical counter-argument, that Kim Jong Un is alive and Gaddafi isn't, is also in here, and it's not easily dismissed. [The Economist (external link)]

IMAGE: Mohamed El Junayd, a survivor of an Israeli strike, sits near damaged vehicles in Beirut, April 13, 2026. Photograph: Zohra Bensemra/Reuters
Beijing's fingerprints:
The Financial Times' investigation into TEE-01B, the Chinese spy satellite secretly acquired by the IRGC, is the week's most significant piece of original reporting.
Leaked Iranian military documents show the satellite monitored Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia on the days US refueling planes were struck, and conducted surveillance of US facilities in Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Djibouti, and Oman.
The New Yorker piece worries in the abstract about China watching American stockpiles deplete. This piece shows China doing something about it. [Financial Times (external link)]

IMAGE: A relative mourns at a temporary cemetery for victims of Israeli attacks in Choueifat, Lebanon, April 13, 2026. Photograph: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters

Global Economic Risks Rise Sharply​

The numbers behind the fog:
Martin Wolf in the Financial Times uses the IMF's new World Economic Outlook to put hard figures on what chaos costs.
In the fund's adverse scenario, global growth slows to 2.5 per cent this year with inflation at 5.4 per cent; in its severe scenario, growth falls to around 2 per cent.
Wolf's framing -- how long can a resilient economy coexist with farcical politics -- is the right question, and he doesn't pretend to have a reassuring answer. [Financial Times (external link)]

IMAGE: A man paints a Hezbollah flag on a board in Tyre, southern Lebanon, April 14, 2026. Photograph: Louisa Gouliamaki/Reuters
The Lebanon thread:
The New York Times on the Rubio-hosted Israel-Lebanon talks -- significant less for what was agreed (nothing firm) than for what it signals: Both Israel and Lebanon now share the goal of disarming Hezbollah, and the US is insisting this track remain separate from the Iran negotiations, explicitly refusing continued Iranian influence over Lebanon.
Iran will resist. Worth watching. [New York Times (external link)]

Aakar Patel in the Asian Age with the sharpest India-specific piece of the week: India is possibly the only country with functioning relations with all three parties to this war, and has chosen to do nothing with that position.
Patel frames this against Manmohan Singh's 2013 foreign policy doctrine -- development-first, good-neighbourly, pluralist -- and the distance between that compass and the current government's instincts is the argument.
The line about Israel being India's 49th largest trade partner, yet somehow a foreign policy obsession, is the kind of thing that should make readers uncomfortable. [Asian Age (external link)]

Will Self in Le Monde examines war through the Pizza Index, the informal intelligence that spikes in late-night delivery orders near the Pentagon precede crises. It sounds like a joke.
Self uses it to build a serious argument about what he calls 'orbital history': Events that descend from technological systems operating beyond human scale, legible only as weak signals in mundane data.
Baudrillard, McLuhan, Ballard, and a delivery driver in Arlington all make appearances.
Read this one when the news has exhausted you.
It won't make things better, but it will make them more interesting, and the writing alone is worth the price of entry.[Le Monde (external link)]
In passing...
So here is where things stand midway through the week:
The ceasefire is a ceasefire in name only -- nine ships a day through Hormuz against a pre-war rate of over 130 tells you everything about the gap between announcement and reality.
The blockade Trump declared in a midnight Truth Social post has added legal jeopardy to physical danger for any shipping company contemplating the transit.
Saudi Arabia, watching its main export routes tighten like a noose, is in Trump's ear asking for relief.
Iran is collecting tolls and sitting on geography that no executive order can redraw.
Into this, reportedly, comes the weekend and with it, the possibility of resumed US-Iran talks in Islamabad.
The signals are there if you choose to read them: Trump's approval ratings are falling, the economy is softening, the munitions cupboard is barer than anyone in Washington wants to admit publicly, and even Giorgia Meloni has found her limit.
The pressure for an off-ramp is real and growing from multiple directions simultaneously.
But the gap between pressure and deal remains wide.
Iran has offered five years on enrichment; the US has demanded twenty.
Somewhere in that fifteen-year chasm lies either a negotiation or a continued war. And hovering over all of it, as the Financial Times's satellite investigation makes plain this week, is China -- not a passive observer counting Tomahawks on a clicker, but an active participant providing the intelligence architecture that helped Iran find and strike American assets.
Any deal that doesn't address that dimension is a deal that solves less than it appears to.
The weekend will tell us whether the Islamabad channel is real or theatre.
Trump going to the talks himself would be the clearest possible signal that Washington is serious about an exit. Trump staying home would tell a different story.

 

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

Is China providing military aid to Iran?​

Source: ANI - April 15, 2026 14:54 IST
China vehemently denies providing military assistance to Iran and threatens countermeasures against the US if tariffs are imposed based on these allegations, amidst rising tensions and a rescheduled summit between Presidents Trump and Xi Jinping.

IMAGE: China warns the US of countermeasures if tariffs are imposed based on accusations of military aid to Iran. Photograph: @SpoxCHN_LinJian/X

Key Points​

• China denies providing military support to Iran, dismissing media reports as fabricated.
• China warns the US of countermeasures if tariffs are imposed based on accusations of military aid to Iran.
• The denial follows reports of Iran acquiring a Chinese satellite, TEE-01B, allegedly for targeting US military bases.
• President Trump says he hasn't spoken to Xi Jinping about the Middle East conflict but wants it to end.
• Trump confirms his postponed visit to China has been rescheduled for May, with plans for reciprocal diplomatic engagement.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Lin Jian, called the claims of military cooperation between Beijing and Tehran as "purely fabricated" and warned that China would defend its economic interests against any punitive American trade policies.
"Media reports accusing China of providing military support to Iran are purely fabricated. If the U.S. goes ahead with tariff hikes on China on the basis of these accusations, China will respond with countermeasures," Lin Jian said on X.

China's statement came after a report by the Financial Times which claimed that Iran had acquired a Chinese satellite, identified as TEE-01B, to target US military bases in the Middle East.

US Concerns and Diplomatic Efforts​

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that Chinese President Xi Jinping has not reached out to him yet over the Middle East conflict, but he would like to see the war ended.
Talking to reporters, Trump said, "No, but we have a very good relationship with China. He would like to see this ended also. He certainly wants it ended. Everyone, I want to see it ended too, but we can't give a nuclear weapon to a group of people that have caused nothing but havoc for 47 years."
Responding to a question regarding US intelligence inputs and possible communication with the Chinese leadership, Trump clarified that he had not directly spoken to Xi on the matter but cautioned that Beijing would face consequences if it extended military support to Tehran.
"If China does that, China will have big problems, OK?" Trump said.

Rescheduled Meeting Between Trump and Xi​

Amid these developments, Trump confirmed that his previously postponed visit to China has been rescheduled for next month. In a detailed post on Truth Social, Trump confirmed the revised schedule and outlined plans for reciprocal diplomatic engagement between Washington and Beijing.
"My meeting with the highly respected President of China, President Xi Jinping, which was originally postponed due to our military operation in Iran, has been rescheduled and will take place in Beijing on May 14th and 15th. First Lady Melania and I will also host President Xi and Madame Peng for a reciprocal visit in Washington, D.C., at a later date this year," he stated.

 

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

‘I am permanently opening Strait of Hormuz’, says Trump​

Donald Trump's letter to Xi Jinping comes even as Iran said if the US continues its blockade its armed forces would not allow "any exports or imports to continue in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Red Sea".​

Apr 15, 2026 06:03 PM IST

A man flashes a victory sign as he carries an Iranian flag in front of an anti-US billboard depicting the American aircrafts into the Iranian armed forces fishing net with signs that read in Farsi: "The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed. (Photo: AP)
Mediators moved closer Wednesday to extending the ceasefire between the United States and Iran and resuming negotiations to salvage the fragile truce before it expires next week. The US blockade on Iranian ports and renewed Iranian threats have imperilled the week-old agreement. Still, regional officials said Wednesday they were making progress, telling The Associated Press that the United States and Iran had given an “in principle agreement” to extend it to allow for more diplomacy.
Iran is also exploring alternative ports and shipping routes to bypass disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz amid a US blockade, according to Mehr News.
Story continues below. Subscribe to see fewer ads.

US enforces Iran port blockade: US Central Command said that it has enforced a blockade on Iranian ports, halting maritime trade within 36 hours and asserting control over key Middle East sea routes. “A blockade of Iranian ports has been fully implemented as US forces maintain maritime superiority in the Middle East. An estimated 90% of Iran’s economy is fueled by international trade by sea. In less than 36 hours since the blockade was implemented, U.S. forces have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM Commander.
Trump says war ‘close to over’: In an interview with Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria,” United States President Donald Trump, speaking of the Iran war, said, “I think it’s close to over, yeah. I mean, I view it as very close to over.” He further said that Iran wants to make a deal “very badly”. “If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild that country. And we’re not finished. We’ll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly,” he said.
Vance says Trump wants ‘grand bargain’ with Iran: US Vice President JD Vance, while addressing a Turning Point USA event in Georgia, discussed the 20-plus hours of talks with Iran in Islamabad, stating that Trump “doesn’t want to make, like, a small deal. He wants to make the grand bargain.” “We’re going to make it economically prosperous, and we’re going to invite the Iranian people into the world economy in a way they haven’t been in my entire life,” the US vice president added.
Stay with The Indian Express Global Desk for real-time updates, geolocated footage of the crash sites, and live reactions from the Pentagon and Tehran.
Apr 15, 2026 05:50 PM IST
Iran-US-Israel War News Live: Trump says China is happy he is permanently opening Strait of Hormuz
US ‌President Donald Trump ‌said Wednesday that ⁠China and the ⁠United States are working together and that Beijing is happy that he ‌is opening the Strait ‌of Hormuz.
“China is very happy that I am permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz. I am doing it for ⁠them, also – And the World. This situation ‌will never ⁠happen ‌again. They have agreed not to send weapons to ⁠Iran,” Trump said in a post on Truth ‌Social.

Apr 15, 2026 05:39 PM IST: Iran threatens shipping in Gulf, Red Sea and Gulf of Oman if US blockade continues
Ali Abdollahi – the commander for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the country’s highest operational command coordinating the armed forces – said if the US continues its blockade and creates “insecurity for Iran’s commercial vessels and oil tankers”, it will “constitute a prelude to a violation of the ceasefire”.
Abdollahi added that Iran’s armed forces would consequently not allow “any exports or imports to continue in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Red Sea”.
He did not specify which countries’ exports and imports could be affected, although the bodies of water he mentions cover a vast area.
The US blockade of Iranian ports began on Monday. On Wednesday, the US military said “no ships made it past the blockade” in the first 24 hours, with six merchant vessels forced to turn around in the Gulf of Oman. (BBC)


Apr 15, 2026 04:51 PM IST
Iran-US-Israel War News Live: US, Iran give 'in principle agreement' to extend ceasefire, reports AP
Mediators moved closer Wednesday to extending the ceasefire between the United States and Iran and restarting negotiations to salvage the fragile truce before it expires next week. The US blockade on Iranian ports and renewed Iranian threats have imperilled the week-old agreement, but regional officials said Wednesday they were making progress, telling The Associated Press that the United States and Iran had given an “in principle agreement” to extend it to allow for more diplomacy.

Apr 15, 2026 04:24 PM IST
Donald Trump said he asked Chinese President Xi not to give Iran weapons
Trump asked Chinese ⁠President Xi Jinping in a letter not ⁠to supply Iran with ‌weapons, and that Xi ⁠responded “that, ⁠essentially, he’s not ⁠doing ‌that,” the US ‌president told ‌Fox Business Network in an interview that aired on ⁠Wednesday. (Reuters)


Apr 15, 2026 04:11 PM IST
Iran-US-Israel War News Live: Hezbollah says Israel tried to ‘compensate’ for its defeat through negotiations
Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said Israel has tried to “compensate” for what he called its defeat at the hands of the Lebanese group by holding negotiations with Lebanon in the US.
“The Lebanese authorities must reconsider their actions and return to the embrace of the people,” said Fadlallah in a statement.
“The authorities withdrew the army from the south, leaving it vulnerable to occupation and giving the enemy [Israel] free rein.” (Al Jazeera)

Apr 15, 2026 04:08 PM IST
Iran-US-Israel War News Live: Trump says talks with Iran could resume soon, as US blockades Iranian ports
Iran-US-Israel War News Live: President Donald Trump said talks with Iran to end the war could soon resume and end in a deal, telling the world to watch out for an “amazing two days”, while US forces imposing a blockade turned back vessels leaving Iranian ports.
With the prospect of US and Iranian officials returning to Pakistan for more talks, Vice President JD Vance, who led negotiations that ended on Sunday with no breakthrough, said he felt positive about where things stood.
“I think you’re going to be watching an amazing two days ahead,” Trump told ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl, adding he did not think it would be necessary to extend a two-week ceasefire that ends on April 21.
(Reuters)


Apr 15, 2026 02:13 PM IST: Three injured in Tehran by improvised explosive device: Two improvised explosive devices detonated in Tehran early today, according to Iran’s state media reports. A Revolutionary Guard security source said that the explosions slightly wounded three people including a member of the paramilitary Basij, an all-volunteer force loyal to the Islamic Republic, said the Islamic Republic News Agency.
Apr 15, 2026 01:38 PM IST
Iran to use alternate ports to bypass US Hormuz blockade
Iran is exploring alternative ports and shipping routes to bypass Strait of Hormuz disruptions amid US blockade, according to Mehr Ne

Apr 15, 2026 01:20 PM IST
: UN watchdog urges strict Iran checks in deal to end war
The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog said Wednesday that “very detailed” measures to verify Iran’s nuclear activities must be included in a potential US-Iran agreement to end their war in the Middle East.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi stressed the need for the thorough verification regime for Iran’s nuclear programme, as US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a second round of talks with Iran could happen over the next two days. (AP

Apr 15, 2026 12:37 PM IST : Israeli attacks hit two vehicles near Beirut
At least two vehicles were hit in Israeli strikes on a coastal highway south of Beirut, said Lebanese media reports.

Apr 15, 2026 12:14 PM IST : Hezbollah fires 40 rockets targeting Israel since morning
Iran-US-Israel War News Live: Hezbollah has fired 40 rockets targeting Israel since morning, according to The Times Of Israel.

Apr 15, 2026 11:35 AM IST
Iran-US-Israel War News Live: Hezbollah launches 10 rockets at northern Israel
Hezbollah launched a missile salvo targeting Israel’s Western Galilee. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), three rockets fired from Lebanon were intercepted, while the others hit open areas.

Apr 15, 2026 10:57 AM IST : Meloni says Trump’s remarks on holy Father are unacceptable
Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni strongly criticised remarks made by US President Donald Trump regarding the Holy Father, calling them unacceptable and drawing wider political attention. “Trump’s remarks toward the Holy Father are unacceptable,” she said.


Apr 15, 2026 10:38 AM IST
Iran-US-Israel War News Live: Iran used Chinese spy satellite to target US bases in Middle East, says report
Iran used Chinese spy satellite to gain targeting capability against US military bases across the Middle East during recent war, according to the Financial Times reports.

Apr 15, 2026 10:08 AM IST
Iran-US-Israel War News Live: Trump says no decision on extending ceasefire with Iran
Iran-US-Israel War News Live: US President Donald Trump said that he is not considering extending a ceasefire with Iran but indicated that a negotiated deal would be the preferable outcome.
“It could end ⁠either ⁠way, but ⁠I ‌think a ‌deal is preferable because ‌then they can rebuild,” Trump told ABC News ⁠reporter Jonathan Karl on Tuesday.

Apr 15, 2026 09:56 AM IST
Iran-US-Israel War News Live: Trump lambasts Pope Leo again, says 'Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable'
Iran-US-Israel War News Live: US President Donald Trump lashed out at Pope Leo XIV again over his stance on the ongoing tensions between Iran and the United States. Trump said that Iran killed at least “42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months” and that it was “unacceptable” for Iran to have a nuclear bomb.
“Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable. Thank you for your attention to this matter. AMERICA IS BACK!!! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” he said in a post on his Truth Social account.

Apr 15, 2026 09:49 AM IST : US imposes Iran port blockade, says maritime trade halted : US Central Command said that it has enforced a blockade on Iranian ports, halting maritime trade within 36 hours and asserting control over key Middle East sea routes. “A blockade of Iranian ports has been fully implemented as U.S. forces maintain maritime superiority in the Middle East. An estimated 90% of Iran’s economy is fueled by international trade by sea. In less than 36 hours since the blockade was implemented, U.S. forces have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM Commander.
Apr 15, 2026 09:48 AM IST
Iran-US-Israel War News Live: US says no ships made it past in first 24 hours of Hormuz blockade
In the first 24 hours of US’ naval restriction in the Strait of Hormuz, no ships made it past the blockade and six merchant vessels were sent back to an Iranian port, US Central Command (Centcom) said on Wednesday. Centcom said that US forces are supporting freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait to and from non-Iranian ports. The blockade, which came into effect on Monday 7.30 pm (IST), applies to all ships transiting the crucial maritime route to access Iranian ports and shores.
Express

 

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

US enforces strict naval blockade on Iran, halts maritime trade​

Source: ANI
April 16, 2026 01:21 IST
The US Navy has initiated a strict naval blockade on Iranian ports in the Gulf of Oman, significantly impacting maritime trade and escalating US-Iran tensions amid ongoing efforts to isolate Iran's economy.

Image used only for representation. Photograph: US Navy/Handout via Reuters

Key Points​

• The US Navy has implemented a full blockade on Iranian ports in the Gulf of Oman, halting maritime trade.
• US Central Command (CENTCOM) is actively enforcing the blockade with naval vessels and over 10,000 personnel.
• The blockade aims to isolate the Iranian economy by cutting off its primary sea trade routes.
• US forces are maintaining a high state of readiness to ensure compliance with the embargo, targeting all vessels.
• The US blockade restricts access to Iranian ports but supports freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.

United States Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that its naval assets are actively patrolling the Gulf of Oman, enforcing a strict blockade on all vessels entering or departing Iranian ports.
The announcement marks a significant hardening of the US military posture following the collapse of the Islamabad peace talks earlier this month.
In a post shared on X, US Central Command said, 'U.S. naval vessels are on patrol in the Gulf of Oman as CENTCOM continues to execute a U.S. blockade on ships entering and departing Iranian ports. U.S. forces are present, vigilant, and ready to ensure compliance.'
The blockade is designed to isolate the Iranian economy by severing its primary maritime trade routes.
According to official military communications, US forces are maintaining a high state of readiness to ensure total compliance with the embargo.
The escalation comes at a delicate moment. While President Trump has hinted that a 'great deal' could be on the horizon, the presence of heavy naval hardware in the Gulf of Oman suggests that the US is prepared to maintain the squeeze until a definitive agreement is reached.

Blockade Implementation and Impact​

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) earlier today announced that a full blockade of Iran's ports has been successfully implemented, with US forces asserting maritime dominance across key regional waterways, particularly the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement, CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper stated that within just 36 hours of initiating the blockade, US forces had effectively stopped all maritime trade flowing in and out of Iran.
'A blockade of Iranian ports has been fully implemented as US forces maintain maritime superiority in the Middle East. An estimated 90 per cent of Iran's economy is fueled by international trade by sea. In less than 36 hours since the blockade was implemented, US forces have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea,' the statement read.
CENTCOM, in a separate statement on X, stated that US Navy guided-missile destroyers are actively enforcing the blockade, with the mission being carried out impartially, targeting vessels of all nations entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas.
'A typical destroyer has a crew of more than 300 Sailors that are highly trained in conducting offensive and defensive maritime operations,' the statement added, highlighting the scale and preparedness of the deployed naval assets.

Over 10,000 US Personnel Involved in Blockade​

Earlier, CENTCOM revealed that more than 10,000 US personnel, including Sailors, Marines, and airmen, alongside over a dozen warships and dozens of aircraft, are involved in the blockade operation.
Within the first 24 hours, no ships reportedly breached the blockade, while six merchant vessels complied with US directives to turn back and re-enter an Iranian port in the Gulf of Oman.
The blockade extends across all Iranian ports along the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, with US forces maintaining strict enforcement measures.
CENTCOM further noted that while the blockade restricts access to Iranian ports, US forces continue to support freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.
The development marks a significant escalation in US-Iran tensions, with potential implications for global trade and regional stability.

 

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

Munir-led Pak delegation reaches Tehran for peace talks​

16, 2026 01:12 IST
Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir is leading a delegation to Tehran in an effort to mediate the ongoing conflict between the US and Iran after initial talks in Islamabad failed to produce an agreement.

IMAGE: Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshall Asim Munir speaks with US Vice President J D Vance, as the latter prepares to board Air Force Two after attending talks on Iran in Islamabad on Sunday, April 12, 2026. Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via Reuters

Key Points​

• A Pakistani delegation, including the Army Chief, is in Tehran to mediate the conflict between the US and Iran.
• The visit follows initial US-Iran talks in Islamabad that ended without an agreement due to disagreements over Iran's nuclear program.
• Pakistan is making administrative and security arrangements for a potential second round of talks in Islamabad.
• The US and Iran blame each other for the failure of the initial Islamabad talks, citing 'excessive demands' and Iran's nuclear ambitions.
• The conflict between the US and Iran has disrupted global energy markets and trade.

Pakistan's Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir reached Tehran on Wednesday for talks with the Iranian leadership as part of his country's efforts to resolve the conflict between the US and Iran.
Munir is part of a delegation that includes Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, the Inter-Services Public Relations, the media wing of the military, said in a statement.
"Field Marshal Asim Munir... and Mr. Mohsin Naqvi, Interior Minister, along with the delegation, arrive at Tehran as part of the ongoing mediation efforts," it said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi welcomed the delegation members upon their arrival in Tehran, according to the Iranian media.
"The purpose of the visit is to deliver a US message to the Iranian leadership and to plan the next round of negotiations," Iran's state-run Press TV reported.

Iran Confirms Exchange of Messages Through Pak​

Earlier on Wednesday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei in Tehran confirmed that the exchange of messages continued with the United States through Pakistan after Islamabad talks over the weekend ended without a breakthrough.
"Since Sunday, when the Iranian delegation returned to Tehran, several messages have been exchanged through Pakistan," he was quoted as saying by the state-run Irna news agency.
He said that if negotiations are 'based on one side imposing conditions on the other, that is not negotiation; that is dictation and imposition.' The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Iranian nation will never accept such imposition.'
The diplomatic push comes as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif embarks on official visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Türkiye on Wednesday.
Citing sources, Geo News reported that officials and security agencies in Pakistan have been instructed to make necessary administrative and security arrangements ahead of the next round of talks.
A day earlier, US President Donald Trump said that a second round of talks with Iran could be held in Islamabad "over the next two days."
"You should stay there, really, because something could be happening over the next two days, and we're more inclined to go there," Trump told The New York Post.

Sticking Points in US-Iran Negotiations​

Shehbaz's visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar will be in the bilateral context, where the Prime Minister will meet the leadership of the two countries to discuss ongoing bilateral cooperation as well as regional peace and security, the Foreign Office said.
The visits are part of an effort to facilitate the US and Iran reaching a deal to end the ongoing conflict.
The US and Iran held rare direct talks in Pakistan over the weekend aimed at ending their conflict, but the talks ended early Sunday without any agreement.
US Vice President J.D. Vance, who led the American delegation, said the talks failed to reach a deal, citing Tehran not forgoing its nuclear program as one of the key sticking points.
Iran, however, said that the Islamabad talks failed due to 'excessive demands' made by the American side.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Iranian Parliament Speaker who led his country's delegation in marathon peace talks, said that his team raised 'forward-looking initiatives, but the opposite side ultimately failed to win the trust of the Iranian delegation in this round of negotiations.'
According to Pakistani officials, the second round is expected in the coming days, for which Pakistan has been making all-out efforts.
The conflict began after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, paralysing global energy markets and disrupting trade.

 

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

Hormuz Crisis Hits India Hard​

April 14, 2026 15:13 IST
The cost of the war is affecting the cpmmon man in India and even on other parts of the world.

IMAGE: A billboard depicting the Strait of Hormuz on a building in Tehran, April 13, 2026. Photograph: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Reuters

The fragile two-week truce between the US and Iran staggers into its second week.
The point of a ceasefire is to facilitate talks aimed at a resolution, but after the US delegation abruptly aborted the Islamabad talks and walked out, leaving four 'red lines' in place, there has been no movement on that front.

IMAGE: A sign reading 'China's plastic trade town welcomes you' in Zhangmutou Town, Dongguan, Guangdong province, as rising oil prices impact manufacturing costs, April 2, 2026. Photograph: Go Nakamura/Reuters

China Defies US Sanctions Move​

On the ground, the US navy's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is now in force, choking tanker traffic and sending ripples through global energy lanes.
China has issued a sharp warning: 'Don't meddle in our affairs'.
Beijing says it intends to keep honouring its trade and energy deals with Tehran and has demanded unimpeded passage for its ships. (In news that is breaking as I write this, Al Jazeera reports (external link) that a US-sanctioned Chinese tanker, the Rich Starry, has passed through the Strait of Hormuz despite the US blockade.)
Meanwhile, Israeli strikes continue hammering targets in Lebanon, keeping the region on a hair-trigger.

IMAGE: A roadside barber attends to a customer on a pavement in Surat. Photograph: ANI Photo

War Impact Hits Indian Workers​

Back home, the conflict isn't some abstract headline from the Gulf. I went for a beard trim last evening and ended up waiting for over an hour.
It turns out that several workers in the salon have gone back to their respective home states, because with cooking gas in short supply and no provision for wood fires in the apartment they share, their daily meal has become a problem.
A direct connection between a war in the Gulf and my sadly overgrown beard? Who knew?
At a larger level, what Business Standard's reporting (more on this later) from Punjab to Howrah shows is that the war has already arrived on Indian shop floors and in Indian fields, not as headlines but as empty fertiliser bags, idle furnaces, and migrant workers quietly going home.

Key Points​

• US naval blockade of Hormuz disrupts tanker movement, escalating global energy uncertainty and impacting supply chains worldwide.
• China challenges US sanctions, continuing oil trade with Iran and raising geopolitical tensions in already volatile region.
• Indian industries face gas shortages, labour migration, rising input costs, and production slowdowns across multiple manufacturing clusters.
• Fertiliser scarcity and fuel disruptions threaten agricultural output, potentially affecting upcoming sowing cycles and rural incomes.
• Inflation pressures are rising in India, with broader economic risks including supply chain disruptions, reduced industrial output, and demand slowdown.

IMAGE: An Indian Oil petrol station during fuel and LPG shortages in Churachandpur, Manipur, April 10. Photograph: ANI Video Grab

Inflation Risks Rise in India​

All of this has consequences for the Indian economy, which fetishizes GDP as the ultimate scorecard.
What looks like a distant war in the Gulf is already eroding the foundations: Fertiliser shortages that will hit next season's output, factory slowdowns that shrink industrial production, labor flight that disrupts supply chains, and rising input costs that feed into broader inflation. (Note that inflation has already begun edging upwards (external link) in March, and the full impact is yet to be felt.)
These aren't headline-grabbing shocks, but they are the kind that quietly dent growth, widen the current account gap, and leave rural and small-town India paying the bill long after the blockade lifts.

IMAGE: People queue with empty LPG cylinders in Ranchi, April 8. Photograph: ANI Photo
Wars in the Gulf have always touched India through oil prices and remittances.
This one is reaching deeper, into fertiliser bags in Karnal, LPG cylinders in Pune worker colonies, glass furnaces in Firozabad, and casting sheds in Howrah.
In times of all-encompassing crisis, we look to our government to calm our nerves, to keep us informed, to reassure us that our leaders are seized of the magnitude of issues we are facing and are taking concrete steps towards alleviation.
But our government has not been heard from much on these mounting ground-level disruptions, busy as it is with electioneering in multiple states.

IMAGE: Migrant labourers rush to board trains to return home amid LPG shortages in Ahmedabad, April 3, 2026. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters
Meanwhile, the human costs mount. And that, ultimately, is the tragedy of such conflicts: Waged for reasons that remain opaque even to those prosecuting them, they bring measurable hardship to nations and people thousands of kilometres away.

IMAGE: Migrant families crowd a railway platform while boarding trains due to supply disruptions in Ahmedabad, April 3, 2026. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters
Here in India, the war's reach is already visible not in headlines, but in fertiliser shortages, factory slowdowns and the quiet dread settling over fields and industrial clusters.
And as if all this weren't enough, India now faces a risk to its monsoon (external link), which will further exacerbate the threat to crops.

On The Ground in India​

The national picture is being assembled, piece by piece, by reporters on the ground across India.
Business Standard's coverage -- from Punjab's fertiliser mandis to Howrah's foundry belts -- is among the most systematic so far, and what it shows is a country absorbing the war's aftershocks in ways that no single headline can capture. (And for the big picture, check out the India Energy Crisis dashboard (external link) by Core.)

IMAGE: Farmers queue to purchase fertiliser at a Krishak Seva Kendra in Mathura. Photograph: ANI Photo
In Haryana and Punjab, fear arrived early (external link) in the rabi season's tail-end and is now shadowing the next sowing cycle.
Villages report no DAP or urea deliveries for three months in some pockets; wholesalers say 80% of farmers are panic-buying for eight to nine months ahead, hoarding far beyond the usual two-three bags per acre.

IMAGE: A labourer unloads fertiliser material at a factory in Kolkata producing nitrogen-rich inputs, February 14, 2014. Photograph: Ahmad Masood/Reuters
Smallholders like Baljeet Singh in Ludhiana are driving 50-60 km hunting supplies, while others like Mandeep Singh in Gohana stare at an immediate Rs 25,000+ hit for the next wheat crop on just five acres.
Pesticide prices have jumped over 20 per cent in weeks, with whispers of profiteering.
Diesel hoarding is damaging tractors and pumps.
One fertiliser seller in Khanna mandi put it bluntly: Even if things calm, normalisation could take a year.

IMAGE: People queue for LPG cylinders under police presence after protests linked to rising costs in Noida, April 14, 2026. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters
Head south to Pune's industrial belts -- Chakan, Bhosari, Pimpri-Chinchwad -- and the shadow falls on shop floors (external link). The government has doubled supplies (external link) of 5-kg Free Trade LPG cylinders specifically for migrant laborers across states, in a bid to stem the exodus triggered by the deepening shortages.
And yet LPG shortages have hit canteens hard; workers are hoarding small cylinders, with supervisors already cutting portions in March.

IMAGE: Workers raise slogans during protests demanding wage hikes amid rising living costs in Noida, April 13, 2026. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters
25-40 per cent of the labour force has left or is threatening to head back to UP, Bihar, or Assam, echoing pandemic-era migrations.

IMAGE: Workers handle molten aluminium in an extrusion factory in Dahegam, March 19, 2026. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters
MSMEs in auto components, farm equipment, fabrication and powder coating are seeing dispatches drop 20 per cent, raw material costs (steel, polymers) rise 10 to 15 per cent, and margins compress because OEMs won't let prices pass through.
One director noted that core steps -- metal cutting, hardening, coating -- have slowed because gas is scarce. Firms are scrambling to add 10 per cent extra capacity just to cover attrition, while voltage fluctuations from electricity backups bring units to a standstill.

IMAGE: A worker sits near LPG cylinders inside a glass factory in Firozabad amid fuel disruptions, March 26, 2026. Photograph: Bhawika Chhabra/Reuters
Further east, Firozabad -- the 'City of Glass' -- is cracking under the distant heat (external link).

IMAGE: Workers pack glass bangles inside a factory in Firozabad amid fuel supply disruptions, March 26, 2026. Photograph: Bhawika Chhabra/Reuters
This Uttar Pradesh cluster, famous for bangles, beads and glassware, runs on energy-intensive furnaces fed by natural gas and LNG.

IMAGE: A worker carries molten glass on a metal rod inside a factory in Firozabad, March 26, 2026. Photograph: Bhawika Chhabra/Reuters
Supplies have been rationed (cuts of hundreds of thousands of cubic metres), forcing factories to run at 30 to 70 per cent capacity, shut machines to avoid costly restarts, and lay off or call daily-wage workers only on alternate days.

IMAGE: A worker checks bottle quality inside a glass factory in Firozabad amid fuel disruptions, March 26, 2026. Photograph: Bhawika Chhabra/Reuters
Streets are quieter, roadside eateries serve a fraction of the usual rotis, and one owner captured the mood: 'There is darkness here now, with no light visible ahead.'

IMAGE: People attempt to push an overturned vehicle damaged during worker protests in Noida, April 13, 2026. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters
In Balasore, Odisha, plastic factories are watching machines fall silent (external link).
Units making pipes, fittings and household goods have cut production 50-70 per cent; some lines are cold, a few factories have shuttered entirely.
Polymers (tied directly to naphtha and crude derivatives) have spiked dramatically -- HDPE and LLDPE up 75-77 per cent in a month.
Government schemes like Jal Jeevan Mission have seen allocations slashed, drying up demand.
Contract workers sit idle at tea stalls, wondering how long they can manage before 'children will starve.'
One production in-charge said uncertainty is more frightening than the immediate income loss.
And in West Bengal's Howrah belt -- the 'Sheffield of the East' (external link) home to nearly all the state's foundries and forging units -- the industry is simply waiting and watching.
Exports to West Asia have collapsed, containers are stranded or returned, shipping costs to other markets have soared, and gas shortages are forcing 10 to 20 per cent (sometimes far steeper) production cuts.
Heat treatment and fabrication lines are throttled; owners track every Trump statement or diplomatic hint, hoping for resolution before Poila Baisakh brings fresh pressures.
Up to 90,000 jobs (direct and ancillary) hang in the balance.
Taken together, these are not isolated disruptions.
They are the first instalments of a bill that India did not run up and has no power to dispute, and whose full cost will not be known until long after the guns fall silent -- if they ever do.

IMAGE: A satellite image of the USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship at sea amid the conflict, March 12, 2026. Photograph: European Union/COPERNICUS Sentinel-2/Handout/Reuters
The Blockade: What It Means and What It Risks
The Bloomberg explainer (external link) is the cleanest starting point for understanding the mechanics of the US naval blockade now in force: What exactly the navy is doing, how Iran has responded, and what it means for the Asian nations that bear the heaviest burden of the energy disruption.
A companion piece in the same outlet tracks the first test (external link) of the blockade's resolve: A Chinese-linked sanctioned tanker, the Rich Starry, transiting the Strait while broadcasting its Chinese ownership -- a provocation calibrated to force Washington's hand without triggering a direct confrontation.
The Economist takes the harder analytical line.
The blockade is a dangerous gamble (external link), it argues, that compounds the global energy crisis without a clear theory of victory.
Iran survived near-total export collapse in 2020 and has reason to believe it can outlast this pressure too.
The piece raises the question that every blockade eventually confronts: You don't blockade for a week.
If the objective is to bring Iran to the table on better terms, the timeline required may outlast American political patience, and the collateral damage to friendly nations, including India, may prove deeply corrosive to the alliances Washington needs.
Robert Pape, one of the most rigorous analysts of coercive military strategy, makes the case (external link) in a video interview that the entire approach is backfiring.
Military pressure is not breaking Iran's will; rather, it is consolidating it, bonding population and government through nationalism in ways that make the regime harder to dislodge.
His warning about the escalation trap, where neither side can back down without appearing to lose, is the frame through which everything else in this conflict should be read.
The Weekend's Other War: Trump, Leo, and the Question of Divine Sanction
Robin Wright's New Yorker dispatch (external link) captures the sheer accumulation of the weekend -- failed talks, a blockade announcement, a UFC ringside, a papal broadside, an AI Christ image -- and renders it as something close to a portrait of a presidency in free fall.
While Vance was in Islamabad for twenty-one hours trying to salvage a deal, Trump was watching heavyweights batter each other in Miami with Marco Rubio at his side.
The juxtaposition is not incidental.
The Financial Times's account of Vance (external link) returning empty-handed, from Islamabad and from Budapest, where Orbán was swept from power days after Vance appeared at a stadium rally on his behalf, raises the question of what exactly the vice president's foreign policy role amounts to.
He is dispatched on missions where the odds are structurally against him, and returns to find his boss deepening a war with the Pope.
The phrase one analyst uses -- 'poisoned chalice' -- may be the most on-point summary of Vance's current position.
The Washington Post covers both fronts of the Trump-Leo confrontation: the Christ image (Philip Kennicott's sharp reading (external link) of its visual semiotics and what its uncontrolled excess reveals about the coalition it was meant to serve) and the broader collision (external link) between two of the most influential Americans on the world stage.
The Post's reporting makes clear that Leo is not the opponent Trump expected -- not Francis's instinctive Global South scepticism of American power, but a South Side Chicago boy delivering his rebukes with the quiet authority of a parish priest.
Conservative Catholic leaders, including members of Trump's own Religious Liberty Commission, called on the president to apologise.
David Graham in the Atlantic (external link) cuts to the theological core: Trump's attack on Leo reveals that for him, religion is entirely instrumental.
It is a source of iconographic power and voter loyalty, not a set of obligations.
His vision of Christianity, descended from Norman Vincent Peale's prosperity gospel, asks nothing of its followers and certainly nothing of its presidents.
The moment Leo suggested otherwise, he became an adversary.
The NYT closes this thread (external link) with the detail that gives it its sharpest edge.
JD Vance -- Catholic convert, a man about to publish a book on his faith -- went on Fox News to tell the Pope to stay in his lane.
"Stick to matters of morality," he said, "and let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy."
For a faith whose entire moral tradition insists that war, poverty and human dignity are precisely matters of morality, it was a distinction without a difference.
Politics trumps religion. Except, as this weekend showed, when Trump needs religion to trump everything else.

IMAGE: A child sits at the yard of an all-girls high school, turned into a shelter for displaced people, in Tyre, Lebanon, April 12, 2026. Photograph: Louisa Gouliamaki/Reuters
The ceasefire staggers on, but the blockade has changed its character.
Hormuz is now a pressure cooker, with the US squeezing Iran's economic lifeline while Iran has every incentive to restart attacks on neutral shipping and none to reopen the Strait.
The talking has not stopped entirely; Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt are scrambling to arrange another round before the clock runs out.
But the distance between the two sides' positions, and the mistrust that now encases them, makes a second round feel more like a formality than a genuine opening.
Meanwhile, the weekend produced a peculiar subplot that may yet have consequences.
A president who wrapped himself in divine sanction picked a fight with the one American whose moral authority he cannot out-post or outlast.
Pope Leo said he had no fear of the Trump administration.
What he has, and what Trump conspicuously lacks, is a coherent account of what this war is for, and who it is costing.
That cost, as this blog has tried to show, is being counted not in the corridors of power in Washington or Tehran, but in Firozabad's darkened furnace rooms, Howrah's idle casting sheds, and a barbershop in Kochi where the wait is suddenly, inexplicably, an hour long.

 

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

Amid US blockade of Hormuz, India emphasises safe maritime passage​

Source: PTI, April 16, 2026, 01:06 IST
Amidst the escalating West Asia conflict, India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar champions the critical need for safe and unimpeded maritime transit.

IMAGE: A vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman's Musandam province, on April 12, 2026. Photograph: File Photo/Reuters

Key Points​

• India strongly advocates for the safe and unimpeded transit of maritime shipping amidst the West Asia conflict, condemning attacks on merchant vessels.
• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar highlighted India's commitment during the 'AZEC Plus' meeting, addressing energy market supply chain disruptions.
• India emphasizes de-escalation, dialogue, and diplomacy as essential for resolving the West Asia conflict and ensuring regional stability.
• India is closely monitoring developments in the Gulf and West Asia, prioritising the welfare of Indian seafarers and maintaining flight operations to the region.
• The ongoing conflict and restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz are impacting global oil and gas prices, highlighting the importance of maritime security for energy supply chains.

Against the backdrop of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, India on Wednesday made a strong pitch for unimpeded transit of merchant vessels, with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar asserting that attacks on shipping are 'completely unacceptable.'
In his remarks at a Japan-hosted meeting that focused on disruptions in energy supplies in the wake of the West Asia crisis, Jaishankar said global growth demands that energy markets are 'not constricted.'
The external affairs minister represented India at the 'Asia Zero-Emission Community (AZEC) plus' meeting while joining it through virtual mode.
The meeting was chaired by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
'Underlined India's strong commitment to safe and unimpeded transit passage of maritime shipping. Attacks on merchant shipping are completely unacceptable. Global growth demands that energy markets are not constricted,' Jaishankar said on social media.
'As a major energy consumer, India will work with like-minded partners to develop supply chain resilience,' he said.
The meeting was joined by 11 members of AZEC such as Australia and Singapore and the grouping's partner nations India, Bangladesh, and South Korea.
At the meeting, Japan released a new initiative called Partnership On Wide Energy and Resources Resilience (POWERR) Asia to provide financial cooperation to Asian countries impacted by fuel supply shortages and supply chain disruptions.
The financial support totaling about $10 billion will be used to provide fiscal support to Asian governments, strengthening energy supply systems and diversifying energy sources, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
"This framework aims to cooperate in emergency responses through financing procurement of crude oil and petroleum products and maintaining supply chains in Asia and addressing structural responses such as establishing stockpiling and release systems as well as the construction and utilization of storage tanks," it said.
The foreign ministry said the initiative is also aimed at securing critical minerals and diversifying energy sources.
"The support involves financial cooperation of approximately 10 billion dollars," it said.
Takaichi said the countries most affected by disruptions in the supply of energy and other resources through the Strait of Hormuz are located in Asia, and it is necessary for them to work together to respond to this shared challenge.
She said POWERR Asia is a new cooperation framework of emergency and structural responses with medium to long-term perspectives.

India's Diplomatic Efforts and Maritime Security​

Meanwhile, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing that Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz 'open, safe, and secure' during a phone call with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
"We are talking with several countries about the Strait of Hormuz to ensure that the rest of our vessels can transit in a safe manner and come to India," he said.
Japan's initiative to address the energy supply chain disruptions came amid increasing global concerns over the US naval blockade of Iran's ports.
The US action is in response to Iran partially blocking the flow of shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Global oil and gas prices surged after Iran restricted the transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that handles roughly 20 percent of global oil and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas).
West Asia has been a major source of India's energy procurement.

 

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

Trump declares 10-day Israel-Lebanon ceasefire for 'lasting peace'​

Source: ANI
April 16, 2026 23:48 IST
The US President said he held "excellent conversations" with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, confirming that both leaders have committed to the temporary truce.

IMAGE: Smoke rises in Lebanon following an Israeli strike, as seen from the Israeli side of the border with Lebanon, April 16, 2026. Photograph: Florion Goga/Reuters
US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that Israel and Lebanon have reached an agreement to initiate a 10-day ceasefire, following intensified diplomatic efforts to reduce hostilities in the region.

Key Points​

• The US President shared that he held "excellent conversations" with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
• Trump noted that the two nations recently participated in high-level discussions in the American capital for the first time in more than thirty years.
• Trump has tasked Vice President JD Vance and his top security team with facilitating ongoing dialogue between the two countries for permanent peace.

The US President shared that he held "excellent conversations" with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, confirming that both leaders have committed to the temporary truce as a step towards a broader resolution.
Highlighting the historic nature of the recent diplomatic engagement, Trump noted that the two nations recently participated in high-level discussions in the American capital for the first time in more than thirty years. These talks involved senior US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
To maintain the momentum of the ceasefire, Trump has tasked Vice President JD Vance and his top security team with facilitating ongoing dialogue between the two countries to secure a permanent settlement.
"I just had excellent conversations with the highly respected President Joseph Aoun of Lebanon and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu of Israel. These two leaders have agreed that, in order to achieve peace between their countries, they will formally begin a 10-day ceasefire at 5 p.m. EST," Trump stated in a post on social media.
Reflecting on the significance of the earlier trilateral meeting, he added: "On Tuesday, the two countries met for the first time in 34 years here in Washington, D.C., with our great Secretary of State, Marco Rubio."

President Trump further outlined the administration's commitment to the peace process, stating: "I have directed Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Rubio, together with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan 'Razin' Caine, to work with Israel and Lebanon to achieve a lasting peace. It has been my honor to solve 9 wars across the world, and this will be my 10th, so let's get it done!"
The ceasefire comes at a critical juncture for West Asia, following a period of significant volatility along the Israel-Lebanon border.

 

[Dalvinder Singh Grewal]

Can Asim Munir seal a US-Iran deal after Sharif's failed effort?April 17, 2026 00:20 IST​

Pakistan's Field Marshal Asim Munir is in Tehran to mediate between the US and Iran, aiming to resolve the ongoing conflict and facilitate nuclear negotiations following a recent ceasefire.

IMAGE: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi (right) welcomes Pakistan army chief Asim Munir (left) at an airport in Tehran, Iran, April 15, 2026. Photograph: Iranian Foreign Ministry/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters

Key Points​

• The visit follows a two-week ceasefire agreement between Iran and the US, with Pakistan aiming to bridge differences on nuclear issues.
• Munir met with top Iranian leaders, including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and the commander of the Revolutionary Guards.
• Pakistan is reportedly working to facilitate a draft agreement on nuclear issues for finalization in future talks.
• Reports suggest Iran may consider third-party monitoring of its nuclear program as part of the negotiations.

Pakistan's chief of defense forces, Field Marshal Asim Munir, on Thursday held talks with top Iranian leadership in Tehran as part of Islamabad's efforts to resolve the conflict between the US and Iran.
Munir, who is heading a high-level political-security delegation to Iran, landed in Tehran on Wednesday, becoming the first foreign military leader to visit the country since a two-week ceasefire was agreed between Iran and the US last week.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf met Chief of the army staff of the Pakistan Army Field Marshal Munir in Tehran on Thursday, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was also part of the Pakistani delegation.
Ghalibaf had led the Iranian delegation to Pakistan for talks with the US over the weekend.
Munir also visited the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards, where he met with its commander, according to IRNA.
During the meeting, he discussed with the commander of the IRGC the steps taken under the framework for ending the war and their recent talks in Tehran. The two sides discussed the situation in the region and the prospects for peace and stability, Iranian official media reported.
Munir stressed that ongoing efforts to end the war should continue.
On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi received the Pakistani delegation.
In a post on X, Araghchi said he was delighted to welcome Field Marshal Munir to Iran.
"Expressed gratitude for Pakistan's gracious hosting of dialogue, emphasising that it reflects our deep and great bilateral relationship. Our commitment to promoting peace and stability in the region remains strong—and shared," said Araghchi.
The delegation later held a meeting with Araghchi and other Iranian officials.
Iran's state-run Press TV on Wednesday said the purpose of the visit is to deliver a US message to the Iranian leadership and to plan the next round of negotiations.
According to informed sources, Pakistan was working to bridge differences between Iran and the US on the nuclear issues so that a draft could be agreed upon for finalisation at the second round of talks.
There are also reports that Iran may agree to third-party monitoring of its nuclear program, possibly by four nations along with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Sources said that Munir may undertake a visit to the US and meet with President Donald Trump to convince him of a final deal.
Earlier, Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, confirmed that the exchange of messages continued with the US through Pakistan after Islamabad talks over the weekend ended without a breakthrough.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that a second round of talks with Iran could be held in Islamabad "over the next two days."
The US and Iran held rare direct talks in Pakistan over the weekend aimed at ending their conflict, but the talks ended early Sunday without any agreement.
US Vice President JD Vance, who led the American delegation, said the talks failed to reach a deal, citing Tehran not forgoing its nuclear programme as one of the key sticking points.
Iran, however, said that the Islamabad talks failed due to "excessive demands" made by the American side.
Ghalibaf, who led the Iranian delegation in marathon peace talks, said that his team raised "forward-looking initiatives, but the opposite side ultimately failed to win the trust of the Iranian delegation in this round of negotiations."
The conflict began after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, paralysing global energy markets and disrupting trade.
The ceasefire between the US and Iran would expire on April 22.