zondag 19 april 2026

Hormuz Strait ‘closed’ as Tehran says no date for US talks

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Iran war live: Hormuz Strait ‘closed’ as Tehran says no date for US talks

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Tankers anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, Saturday, April 18, 2026.

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Al Jazeera Live

By Mariamne Everett and Nils Adler

Iran and the US have made progress in negotiations but are still a long way from a deal, according to Iran’s chief negotiator – amplifying concerns about a possible return to war when their ceasefire expires on Wednesday.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh says no date has been set for a new round of face-to-face talks with the US and slams Washington’s refusal to abandon its “maximalist” demands.

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7m ago
(11:30 GMT)
Turkiye says US-Iran ceasefire must be extended
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says both Iran and the United States have the will to continue talks to end the war.
Speaking to reporters at a diplomacy forum in the southern province of Antalya, he said that while negotiations between Washington and Iran are “largely complete”, there are still a number of disagreements.
Fidan also said the ceasefire, set to expire on Wednesday, should be extended.
“The ongoing Iran-United States negotiations seem to be overshadowing this situation [in Lebanon],” Fidan added. “Israel appears to be trying to take advantage of this distraction to create a fait accompli.”
On Saturday, Fidan accused Israel of land-grabs in southern Lebanon, despite the ceasefire.
2:53
How the Israeli military targets the people who save lives
12m ago
(11:25 GMT)
Argentinian President Milei lands in Israel
The Times of Israel reports President Javier Milei has landed in Israel for a three-day visit during which he’ll visit the Western Wall in occupied East Jerusalem and meet Netanyahu.
Milei, who is a staunch supporter of Israel, will receive an honorary doctorate from Bar-Ilan University, the newspaper said.
Argentinian President Javier Milei, centre, visits the Western Wall [Ohad Zwigenberg/AP]
22m ago
(11:15 GMT)
Iran is in breach of international maritime law over Strait of Hormuz ‘total closure’
Jennifer Parker, adjunct professor at the University of Western Australia, says Iran announcing “the total closure” of the Strait of Hormuz is in breach of international maritime law.
She told Al Jazeera, however, regardless of the terms used by Iranian officials or US President Donald Trump, “the strait isn’t open or closed – it’s not like a gate that you can just shut”.
Speaking from Canberra, Parker explained “what has happened is that the Iranian attacks on innocent civilian merchant vessels – which are technically in most circumstances considered a war crime – have deterred ships from being safe to go through”.
Parker added Iran’s firing last night “on ships that it had previously approved to go through will further impact that”.
Two international maritime laws apply to the US-Israel war on Iran, said Parker.
The first is the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea as the Strait of Hormuz is “an international strait and all ships are entitled to transit passage”.
The second is the Law of Naval Warfare, which “doesn’t allow you to impede the passage of ships that are not related to the conflict, unless you have declared contraband which the US has but Iran hasn’t”, said Parker.
32m ago
(11:05 GMT)
Iran’s military chief says troops ‘will confront the enemy until the last breath’
Iran’s army chief Amir Hatami has pledged to continue to defend the country’s “independence, territorial integrity, and security across land, air, and sea”.
Hatami said the army, alongside other branches of the armed forces, remains prepared to confront “enemies decisively while advancing military capabilities”.
Iranian forces are motivated by a spirit of sacrifice and “jihad” and have pledged “unwavering commitment to their mission”, he added.
“Our forces will confront the enemy until the last breath with their finger on the trigger, ready for confrontation and to make sacrifices,” Hatami said.
Soldiers stand guard as funerals are held for IRGC troops killed during the US-Israel war on Iran [File: Majid Saeedi/Getty Images]
42m ago
(10:55 GMT)
Iran replenishes launchers at higher rate than pre-war: IRGC commander
Iran now ⁠updates ⁠and replenishes its missile and drone launchers at a ⁠higher speed than it did prior to the attack by the US and Israel, a military official says.
Majid Mousavi, the Revolutionary Guard’s Aerospace Force commander, made the comments on Nournews, which were shared alongside an edited video ⁠of him inspecting an unspecified ⁠underground missile facility.
“Unlike Iran, the enemy has not been able to rebuild its ammunition during the ceasefire,” he said.
“During the ceasefire, our speed in updating and replenishing missile and drone launch pads is even faster than before the war. We know that the enemy is incapable of creating these conditions for themselves, and they are forced to bring ammunition from the other side of the world in a trickle,” Mousavi added.
“They lost this stage of the war. They lost the Strait [of Hormuz], Lebanon, and the region.”
52m ago
(10:45 GMT)
Sea robots employed by US military to clear Hormuz mines: Report
The US military is using sea drones and other means to scan the Strait of Hormuz for mines in an effort to get commercial traffic flowing, a news report says.
The Wall Street Journal newspaper quoted an unnamed US defence official as saying the military is using a combination of “manned and unmanned capabilities in the countermine operation”.
The military could do an initial scan for mines quickly in the strait, military analysts told the Journal. After finding any ordnance, other “sea robots could be sent out to destroy them”, it reported.
“You can get a small channel in that area surveyed in days not weeks using Unmanned Underwater Vehicles,” Kevin Donegan, a former US Navy vice admiral, told the newspaper.
1h ago
(10:30 GMT)
US war on Iran pushes UK towards Europe
Britain’s government is set to announce legislation next month to move the country closer to the European Union, as the Iran war sours the UK’s so-called special relationship with the United States.
Donald Trump’s unpredictability, and stream of insults towards America’s historic ally, are adding impetus to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s bid to deepen ties with the 27-nation bloc, a decade after Britons narrowly voted to leave the EU.
Trump has lashed out at his NATO allies, including Starmer, for not joining US efforts to break Iran’s effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of global oil normally passes.
The US president last month called the NATO countries “cowards” for their refusal to join the US-Israel war on Iran.
1h ago
(10:15 GMT)
Trump in praising Israel may be shoring up support for Netanyahu
By Tony Cheng
Reporting from Amman, Jordan
We’ve seen demonstrations against the government in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, and we’re expecting protests in Kiryat Shmona, one of the communities right on the border with Lebanon, later on Sunday.
We’ve also heard many comments from mayors and leaders of these communities that they feel this is a position Israel has been forced into.
I think more generally, around the country, there’s a feeling, particularly after Trump tweeted he “prohibited Israel” from dropping any further bombs on Lebanon, that its goals in the war are being hindered in this ceasefire process.
This may be in part why Trump felt earlier today that he needed to express his support and praise for Israel on social media posts.
This suggests he’s shoring up support for an ally who has entered this process rather more reluctantly, and he’s acutely aware Prime Minister Netanyahu needs to increase his support in the polls, particularly with an election anticipated later this year.https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/4/19/iran-war-live-tehran-says-no-date-set-for-us-talks-hormuz-strait-closed