Trump: 'Tomorrow negotiations in Islamabad, agreement or we will destroy them'. Tehran 'No to second round of talks'

"The US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is illegal and violates the current ceasefire." So says Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on X after Donald Trump accused Iran of violating the ceasefire agreement. "The blockade of Iranian ports and coastlines not only violates the ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, but also constitutes a criminal act," Baghaei stressed, adding, "It violates the UN Charter, which considers the blockade of a country's ports and coastlines an act of aggression" and "represents collective punishment against the Iranian people."

"My representatives will travel to Islamabad, Pakistan, tomorrow night for negotiations," wrote a short while ago on Truth US President Donald Trump. In an interview with the New York Post on Sunday, Trump said that special envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Pakistan and that his son-in-law Jared Kushner will also be involved. According to Associated Press reports, the White House and the office of Vice President JD Vance, who led the first round of talks, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The European allies fear that an inexperienced US negotiating team is pushing for a quick and media-friendly framework agreement with Iran that could root out deeper problems rather than solve them. This is reported by Reuters in a long article published on its website attributing it to several diplomats with previous experience in dealing with Tehran. The Europeans, the British agency continues, fear that Washington, eager to attribute a diplomatic victory to President Donald Trump, may conclude a superficial agreement on Iran's nuclear programme and sanctions relief, only to be faced with months or years of technically complex negotiations later. "The concern is not that there won't be a deal," said a senior European diplomat, one of eight who spoke to the agency and who have worked on the nuclear dossier in the past or continue to do so. "It is that there will be a bad initial agreement that will create infinite problems downstream." Responding to a series of questions, ranging from negotiating style and team to the goals and potential dangers of a rushed deal, theWhite House dismissed the criticism. "President Trump has a proven track record of making good deals on behalf of the United States and the American people, and he will only accept one that puts America first," said spokeswoman Anna Kelly.

Iranian security forces in the northeastern province of Eastern Azerbaijan have aarrested four people in the city of Jolfa on charges ofespionage on behalf of US and Israeli intelligence services. Among those arrested were two foreign nationals who had imported Starlink satellite system equipment. One of them sent information to dissident television stations based abroad, while the other was active in selling illegal international Internet packages, the provincial prosecutor's office said, quoted by Tasnim.

"Yesterday, Iran decided to fire shots in the Strait of Hormuz, completely violating our ceasefire agreement! Many bullets were directed at a French ship and a UK merchant ship. That was not good, was it? My representatives will travel to Islamabad, Pakistan, tomorrow night for negotiations'. US President Donald Trump writes this on his social Truth. "We are offering a very fair and reasonable deal, and I hope they accept it because if they don't, the US will destroy every single power plant and every single bridge in Iran. NO MORE MR GENTILE! They will collapse quickly, they will collapse easily, and if they do not accept the AGREEMENT, it will be my honour to do what needs to be done, what other Presidents should have done to Iran for the past 47 years. IT IS TIME FOR IRAN'S DEATH MACHINE TO END!". He reiterates: 'Iran recently announced the closure of the Strait, which is strange, because our blockade had already closed it. They are helping us without knowing it, and it is they who are losing out by closing the crossing, 500 million dollars a day! The United States does not lose anything. On the contrary, many ships are on their way right now to the US, to Texas, Louisiana and Alaska, to refuel, thanks to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, always ready to be the tough guys!".

Tehran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz until the lifting of the naval blockade imposed by the United States, accused of violating ceasefire commitments. The Pasdaran warned that any ship moving towards the Strait will be considered an enemy collaborator and may be hit. The measure affects one of the main arteries of global energy traffic and is likely to further escalate tensions in the region. Donald Trump convened a meeting in the Situation Room of the White House with top national security officials and key members of the administration. The focus of the meeting was crisis management and the future of negotiations with Tehran, which are currently without concrete developments. According to American sources, if there is no breakthrough in the peace talks the war could resume within a few days.

'The crisis has gone from a fuel price shock to a dysfunction of operational systems and in particular health systems'. While hospitals, doctors and nurses continue to be targeted: from the beginning of the escalation of the crisis in the Middle East until 15 April, in Lebanon there have been 133 attacks on health facilities certified with 206 injuries and 88 deaths among workers; in Iran 24 attacks and 9 deaths; in Israel 6 facilities hit without injuries or deaths. Updating the data is the fourth global report of the World Health Organisation focusing on countries affected by the ongoing conflict. As for the impact on the population, again according to the WHO data, in Iran there are about 3.2 million displaced people, 32,314 injured and 2,362 dead. In Lebanon 1,049,328 displaced, 6,921 injured and 2,124 dead. In Israel 740 injured and 26 dead. From Gaza to Cuba via Syria, the report reviews problems related to fuel shortages and the ongoing energy crisis, ranging from the failure of the cold chain to interruptions in the supply of medicines and restrictions on patient transport. The cessation of hostilities following the 14-day ceasefire, the WHO concludes, 'remains fragile, highlighting the need to maintain operational readiness in view of a possible worsening of the situation'.

A Teheran, in Iran, il 19 aprile 2026, sono esposti i ritratti delle bambine uccise in un attacco aereo a Minab. Il 28 febbraio 2026 un attacco aereo ha colpito la scuola elementare femminile Shajareh Tayyebeh a Minab, nel sud dell'Iran, uccidendo più di 160 persone, tra cui oltre 100 bambini, secondo i media statali iraniani. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

International flights from Mashhad Airport in northeastern Iran will resume on Monday 20 April. This was announced by the country's Civil Aviation Organisation, stating that 'permission has been granted to operate international passenger flights from Mashhad Airport, starting tomorrow', as reported by state television. Yesterday, the country's airspace was partially reopened and international flights were once again allowed to fly over the eastern part of the country. Passenger air transport in Iran had been interrupted at the beginning of the Israeli-American offensive on 28 February.

Commander of the Revolutionary Guards Aerospace Forces Majid Mousavi said Iran is rebuilding missile and drone stockpiles at a faster pace than before during the ongoing ceasefire with the US. "During the ceasefire, our speed of upgrading and replenishing missile and drone launch platforms is faster than before the war. The enemy is unable to take such measures and is forced to send munitions drop by drop from the other side of the world,' he added, quoted by Mehr, emphasising: 'They have also lost this phase of the war. They have lost the Strait, Lebanon and the region'.

"The ongoing negotiations between Iran and the United States seem to overshadow this situation.Israel seems to want to take advantage of this situation by creating a fait accompli". Thus Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, accuses Israel of pursuing the "fait accompli" policy in Lebanon, despite the ceasefire agreement, denouncing what he calls "Israeli expansionism". Yesterday, Fidan accused Israel of trying to occupy new territories.

This morning two oil tankers attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz were forced to turn back following warnings from the Iranian armed forces. This was reported by the Iranian Tasnim news agency. At the time of the continuing US naval blockade against Iran the two oil tankers were flying the flags of Botswana and Angola and intended to transit through this strategic waterway, but thanks to the intervention of the Iranian armed forces they were forced to change course and withdraw.

US PresidentDonald Trump allegedly made key decisions on the Iran war in an impromptu manner, without input from his advisers, and was eager for a ceasefire to deal with rising fuel prices. This is indicated by a reconstruction in the Wall Street Journal.

Throughout the conflict, Trump focused on tactical indicators, such as the number of Iranian targets destroyed, and would have enjoyed watching footage of spectacular explosions in Iran, US officials pointed out, according to the newspaper.

When he learned that two US pilots had been shot down over the skies over Iran, Trump allegedly yelled at staffers 'for hours', the Wall Street Journal wrote. His team allegedly kept himaway from the Situation Room because they 'felt that his impatience would not be helpful', added another senior US administration officialAfter the second pilot was rescued in a dramatic US operation, Trump posted a series of threats on his Truth social network. On Easter Sunday morning, he wrote: "Open the fucking strait, you crazy bastards, or you will live in hell", concluding with a "Praise be to Allah".

Dal profilo Truth Social @realDonaldTrump

According to the reconstruction, Republican senators and Christian leaders contacted the White House that day, concerned about the US president's use of vulgar language and the use of a Muslim expression on Easter Day.

Trump allegedly told an adviser that he personally devised the phrase about Allah to scare the Iranians into coming to the negotiating table, giving the impression of being unpredictable. His threat a few days later that 'an entire civilisation will die tonight' was also improvised and uncoordinated with advisers, according to administration officials, and was yet another attempt to intimidate the Islamic republic into accepting a deal.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a press conference that Iran and the US should extend their ceasefire. This was reported by the Israeli daily Haaretz. "We are optimistic that no one desires a resumption of fighting in the region," Erdogan's minister said, adding that the issues under discussion require more time.

Argentine President Javier Milei landed at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport for a three-day visit to Israel. Milei, one of Israel's most fervent supporters on the international stage, will travel directly to the Wailing Wall to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and will also meet with President Isaac Herzog during the visit. Tomorrow, Milei will receive an honorary degree from Bar-Ilan University. It is the th third visit to Israel as a leader for Milei, a fervent supporter of the policies of both Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump. The Times of Israel reports.

Please take away social media from "The Donald". Take away his Ai, the tools that allow him to 'meme' like a bored high schooler, and probably the wine too. Because, tariffs or no tariffs, it certainly seems to be widely used in the White House, judging by the alcohol content of Trump's social communication. Indeed, among the distinctive figures of the Tycoon's second term as US president is a raffic of trashy posts in which Trump appears, in no particular order, as a Jedi knight, Pope, Superman, Halo videogame character and, last but not least, Jesus Christ. Material on which semiologists and massmediologists have scattered thoughts freely, among those who say that it is a strategy to zero any distance with respect to the Maga electoral base, those who claim that "he does it" but in reality Our Lord would be very lucid and those who are scandalised because so low - but really low - no communication of any head of state or government of any nation - civilised or not - had ever dared to go so far. For the reader's convenience, let us try to summarise here the most sensational chapters of this bizarre story.

Some photographs depicting the situation in Iran, Israel and Lebanon on 19 April 2026.

President Donald Trump will participate in a public Bible reading this week as the administration continues to integrate religion, particularly Christianity, into official business. Cnn writes that. "On 21 April, President Trump will read a passage of Scripture via a videomessage from the Oval Office at 6pm," reads a press release from the organisers. The event is called America Reads the Bible. Trump's participation in the week of readings is particularly noteworthy, given his recent disagreements with Pope Leo over the conflict with Iran and the criticism he received earlier this week for posting - and then deleting - an AI-generated image portraying him as Jesus. In the video message, according to the organisers, Trump will read a passage from the Second Book of Chronicles 7:11-22, which includes the oft-quoted verse 14: 'If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

Over the weekend, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi came under severe and unusual criticism, ending up at the centre of an attack by elements of the Revolutionary Guards. At the same time, there is a growing belief that the Pasdaran commander exerts considerable influence on the decision-making process in negotiations with the United States. This is according to an analysis published by the Israeli news outlet Channel 12.

The storm erupted after Araqchi announced on Friday on X that the Strait of Hormuz was fully open. Minutes later, Donald Trump rushed to declare that Iran had reopened the strait. Media affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, including the Tasnim, Fars and Mehr agencies, attacked the minister, claiming that his tweet had created confusion and offered Trump an opportunity to present himself as a winner.

Any ship approaching the Strait of Hormuz will now be 'targeted'. This is the warning issued by the Guards of the Islamic Revolution, Iran's ideological army.

After more than a month of war that has claimed thousands of lives, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, Tehran's announcement on Friday on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz boosted financial markets and caused a sharp drop in crude oil prices, as 20 per cent of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas usually transits through the Strait.

More than 150 Hezbollah militants, including several commanders, were killed in Israeli air raids the day before the ceasefire came into effect in Lebanon. This was reported by the Jewish state army.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) indicated that they struck some 300 sites of the pro-Iranian Islamic fundamentalist movement on Thursday, including rocket launchers, command centres and weapons depots across Lebanon.

Hussein Kouhail, un residente sfollato, tiene in mano una fotografia di suo figlio, ucciso in un attacco israeliano, mentre recupera i propri effetti personali dalla sua auto, che, secondo quanto da lui riferito, è stata danneggiata da un attacco israeliano il 28 marzo che lo ha costretto a fuggire a Sidone, dopo essere tornato a casa in seguito all’entrata in vigore di una tregua di 10 giorni tra Libano e Israele, a Nabatieh, in Libano, il 18 aprile 2026. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra

The attacks killed over 150 Hezbollah militants, including the commander of the Bint Jbeil area, Ali Reda Abbas, and other commanders, according to the army.

The IDF stated that Abbas is the fourth commander of the Bint Jbeil sector killed by the Jewish state in the course of the war on several fronts in recent years.

The army added that since hostilities with Lebanon have intensified in the context of the conflict with Iran, with the resumption of missile and drone attacks by the Lebanese fundamentalist movement against Israel, more than1,800 Hezbollah militants have been killed in Lebanon.

The Houthis have declared that they are on 'high alert' for any attacks against Yemen. This was stated by Major General Mohammed al-Atifi, Defence Minister of the Houthi-led Yemeni government, emphasising that they are ready "to face any aggression against the Yemeni people"

"The last phase of the conflict with the Zionist and American enemy embodied the unity of the fronts and demonstrated the effectiveness of the military operations of the axis of jihad and resistance against the enemy," al-Atifi said in a statement.

LUANDA - "It is not at all in my interest" to debate with Donald Trump. On the flight from Cameroon to Angola, the penultimate leg of his African tour de force, Pope Leo dismissed the controversy with the White House, relegating it to the background of his main objective: to stimulate attention on Africa, the continent with the fastest growing demographic and Catholic population. The four-country, 11-city mission was accompanied by sparks with the US leader, who lashed out at a Pope described as "terrible" and "weak" for his anti-war remarks. "Could someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent people," Trump reiterated on Truth, his social network, while his deputy JD Vance urged the pontiff to "prudence" on theological issues.

Leone attempted yesterday to dismiss the chapter, speaking of a 'narrative that was not entirely accurate' and of 'comments on comments', as in the case of his attack on the international 'handful of tyrants': 'It was interpreted as if I was trying to have another debate with the president,' Leone objected, 'when it had been prepared two weeks earlier' and should have been understood in its most pointed dimension: that of the city where it was pronounced, Cameroonian Bamenda, epicentre of the Anglophone crisis that has been plaguing the country for a decade and pitting English-speaking independentists against the government of 93-year-old Paul Biya.

Two Pakistani security sources say that the second round of negotiations between the US and Iran will probably be held by Friday. Speaking to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity, they said they came to this conclusion based on several elements. First, they cited the fact that 'two US heavy transport aircraft, C-17 Globemasters, landed at Noor Khan airbase in Rawalpindi', near the Pakistani capital Islamabad. Sources said that 'roads from the airport to Islamabad's Red Zone have been temporarily closed, indicating a tightening of security measures'. Finally, according to the sources, 'both the Serena Hotel and the Marriott in Islamabad have been evacuated and no new bookings will be allowed until Friday' The first round of negotiations between the US and Iran took place atthe Serena Hotel in Islamabad on 11 April..,

In Islamabad, Pakistan, extraordinary security measures have been put in place ahead of the expected second round of talks between Iran and the United States. At the moment the new round of talks is unconfirmed, with Tehran saying yesterday that a precise date had not yet been set. Meanwhile, more than 10,000 police officers have been deployed in the capital and in the 'twin city' of Rawalpindi and more than 600 checkpoints have been set up. The authorities announced that several sensitive areas around the Nur Khan Airbase and Islamabad International Airport would be sealed off. In addition, an absolute ban on drone flights has been imposed to ensure the safety of planes carrying high-level foreign delegations. This was reported by local media.

Traffic in theStrait of Hormuz came to a standstill again after two ships came under attack on Saturday. Cnn writes this, citing data from Marine Traffic, according to which most ships in the area have moved further inland in the Persian Gulf or towards the Gulf of Oman, where the situation is relatively safer.

On Saturday, Iranian patrol boats opened fire at an oil tanker transiting the strait and, according to reports from the British Maritime Traffic Organisation, a second ship was hit by an 'unidentified projectile'.

"Trump claims that Iran cannot make use of its nuclear rights, but he does not specify for what crime. Who is he to deprive a nation of its rights?" said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, asserting that Trump has no justification for depriving Iran of its nuclear rights.

According to Reuters reports, the Iranian student news agency quoted the Iranian president on Sunday regarding Donald Trump and attempts to dismantle Iran's nuclear capabilities.

Donald Trump "went to war, dragged in by Bibi Netanyahu, we have to be clear about this: he went into a war that Americans don't want, putting American servicemen at risk". Thus Kamala Harris, the former vice president and Dem candidate defeated by Trump in the 2024 presidential election, joined those who in these weeks of conflict with Iran are accusing the president of getting involved by the Israeli premier in a war that is not in the national interest of the US. Shortly after the statements made by the Democrat at a fundraising event were reported, Trump published a post stating that Israel is "a great ally of the United States".

"We are here for peace and these are the everyday dangers. The mission continues": speaking, to Corriere della Sera, is Lieutenant General Diodato Abagnara, at the head of the UN contingent, from the base of Naqoura, in Lebanon, in the aftermath of the ambush that cost the life of a French soldier from Unifil.

'The situation we are experiencing in south Lebanon is very complex,' he says, 'characterised by increasing volatility. But we do not believe that the attack on the French military, only the latest against Unifil, is connected to a systematic and deliberate campaign against the mission. For my part,' the commander reiterates, 'I continue to believe that a stable and lasting peace is possible in Lebanon'.

According to US intelligence assessments, Iran probably still has access to about70% of its pre-war ballistic missile stocks and about 60% of its missile launchers, as reported by the New York Times.

In addition, it still retains about40% of its drone arsenal, says the US newspaper, citing US intelligence and military officials. According to the NYT, when the two-week ceasefire between Iran and the US came into effect on 8 April, Tehran had access to about half of its ballistic missile launchers. Since then, it has reportedly managed to dig up another 100 launchers, bringing the total number of operational missile launchers to about 60% of the pre-war level. In addition to the launchers, the headline states that Iran is also working to recover any missile stockpiles buried under the debris of US and Israeli attacks. Once completed, according to US intelligence officials, Tehran will have missile arsenals of about 70% of the pre-war level.

US President Donald Trump did not support the idea of conquering the Iranian island of Kharg, fearing a significant number of casualties among American soldiers. This was revealed by the Wall Street Journal, quoted and picked up by several international media outlets including Russia's Tass and Ukraine's Rbc. Trump opposed sending soldiers despite being assured that the mission would be successful and that conquering the territory would grant the US access to the strait. But he feared unacceptably high American losses. 'They would be easy targets,' Trump allegedly said, according to sources cited by the Wall Street Journal. The same sources said Trump allegedly yelled at his aides for several hours after learning that a US plane had been shot down in Iran and that two pilots were missing. He demanded that the army intervene immediately to capture them because, again according to the same sources, images of the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979 were constantly present in his mind.

"There has been progress in negotiations with the United States, but significant divergences remain". This was stated by the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, to the Iranian news agency Tasnim, according to Ynet reports. 'We have reached conclusions on some issues,' he continued, 'but not on others, and several proposals have been made. We are still far from a final discussion. We insist on several issues that are non-negotiable for us." Ghalibaf, who led the Iranian negotiating delegation in the failed talks in the Pakistani capital a week ago, added: "The Islamabad negotiations have not eliminated our distrust towards the United States, but I believe that the mutual understanding between the two sides has become more realistic."

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei criticised statements by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, who said that under international law, transit through the main waterways must remain open and free of charge. "Enough of this rhetoric. Europe's chronic inability to enforce the norms of international law has turned its rhetoric about 'international law' into a blatant display of hypocrisy,' Baghaei told the X programme on Saturday night. "Which 'international law' are you talking about? The one that allows the EU to be satisfied with the Israeli-American aggression against Iran and ignore the crimes committed against Iran?" he stressed, adding, "After the US aggression against Iran from their military bases and installations around the Strait of Hormuz, unconditional passage through the Strait of Hormuz is no longer an issue, and the US is undoubtedly responsible for this situation."

"Ah, that 'international law'! The one the EU pulls out of its dusty drawer to lecture others while, behind the scenes, it gives the green light to a war of aggression between the US and Israel and turns a blind eye to atrocities committed against Iranians?" said the spokesman for Iran's foreign minister, Esmaeil Baqaei. "Spare us the sermons; Europe's chronic inability to practise what it preaches has made its talk of "international law" the height of hypocrisy," the Iranian spokesman continued, defending Tehran's ability to act in the tight, crucial global energy transit. 'No rule' of international law, Baqaei argued, prohibits Tehran from 'taking the necessary measures to prevent the Strait of Hormuz from being used to launch military aggression against Iran'. And finally, he questioned the principle of free transit in the area, stating that in the current military context, it is difficult to speak of 'unconditional innocent transit': 'this fiction disappeared the moment US and Israeli aggression brought US military assets into the Strait's backyard'.

"Like it or not, Israel has proven to be a great ally of the United States of America. They are brave, bold, loyal, and smart, and unlike others they have shown their true colors in times of conflict and stress'. The President of the United States, Donald Trump, wrote this in a post on his social Truth. "Israel fights with tenacity and knows how to win," he added.

Further reading

Ghalibaf: 'Progress, but agreement far away'. Trump: 'Without breakthrough the war resumes'. French Unifil soldier killed in Lebanon

18 April 2026