Day 53 of Middle East conflict - Trump extends ceasefire

Our live coverage has ended • Get the latest updates on the war with Iran here. Read more All catch up Ship tracker 65 Posts Link Copied! Key developments • Truce extended: US President Donald Trump said he extended the ceasefire with Iran until peace talks have ended — despite his prior vow not to prolong the truce . He said the US would continue to blockade Iranian ports, which Iran’s foreign minister previously said amounted to an “act of war.” • Iran pushes back: An Iranian senior adviser said the extension “means nothing” and Tehran should respond militarily . Iran’s UN envoy, meanwhile, said he believes talks will happen if the US ends its blockade . • Pakistan trip canceled: Following Trump’s announcement , Vice President JD Vance’s trip to Islamabad to lead talks with Iran was called off for the day, according to a White House official. Read more Link Copied! IRGC threatens oil production sites of Gulf neighbors who help Iran's enemies By Jessie Yeung Residents walk near the petroleum pipelines near State-run Bahrain Petroleum Co (Bapco) refinery in Ma'ameer village, Bahrain, on August 22, 2017. Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters An Iranian military commander has warned the country’s southern neighbors that if their land or facilities are used by enemies to attack Iran, “they should say goodbye to oil production in the Middle East region,” according to state media. “This warning comes as some Persian Gulf countries had previously allowed their territory to be used by Iran’s enemies,” reported state-affiliated Fars News, citing the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force. “Now, if this continues, their economic lifeline will be at serious risk,” it added, without specifying which countries it was addressing. The commander also announced that Iran’s “target list” had expanded beyond military installations and that it now included major oil fields and refineries across the Middle East, naming specific sites in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain, according to Fars News. Many of those Gulf nations are US allies, some of which host American military bases. Read more Link Copied! How Trump's ceasefire extension unfolded By Kaitlan Collins , Kevin Liptak , Kristen Holmes and Alayna Treene Mountains are pictured behind buildings late evening in Islamabad on Tuesday. Asif Hassan/AFP/Getty Images Ahead of now-canceled talks in Pakistan, the Trump administration was dealing with virtual silence from the Iranians . The US had sent Iran a list of broad deal points that they wanted the Iranians to agree to in advance of the next round of talks. But days went by without a response, raising suspicions about how much Vice President JD Vance and others could achieve by heading to Pakistan for talks, according to three officials. Trump’s top aides believe a main reason they didn’t hear back was fractures within the current Iranian leadership, their understanding based partly on dispatches from Pakistani intermediaries, according to the three officials. The administration’s sense is that the Iranians don’t have consensus on their position or how much to empower the negotiators on uranium enrichment and the country’s current stockpile of enriched uranium — a major sticking point in negotiations. Part of that complicating factor, the US believes, is whether the new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is giving his subordinates clear directions — or if they’re simply having to guess what he wants without specific instruction. US officials believe his efforts to remain hidden have disrupted internal Iranian government discussions. Pakistani officials, who scrambled to convince Iran to join the talks, were also encouraging Trump to extend the ceasefire. Trump determined that extending the ceasefire could, in theory, allow Iran more time to coalesce around a single position with sign-off from Khamenei, though officials said there was little guarantee. Read the full story here. Read more Link Copied! China isn’t fighting the Iran war. But online, it’s already "winning" By Will Ripley Video Ad Feedback Chinese social media mocks Trump, touts China’s rise 2:40 • Source: CNN Chinese social media mocks Trump, touts China’s rise 2:40 On Chinese social media, many users are already framing Beijing as the real “winner” of the Iran war. AI-generated videos circulating online mock President Donald Trump and portray the conflict as a strategic opportunity for China. Influencers on platforms like Weibo argue that while the United States is entangled in conflict, China is gaining leverage without firing a shot. Online reaction in China has also been sharply critical of Trump ahead of his expected meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing next month. One user wrote: “No need to come — without credibility, what are you coming for?” Another mocked shifting US messaging, saying the White House’s “credit score” wouldn’t be enough “to unlock a shared bike.” Analysts say China’s advantage lies in long-term planning. Years of investment in energy security, including stockpiling oil and expanding electric vehicles and renewables, have reduced its vulnerability to global shocks. There are also early signs of pressure on the US dollar’s dominance in oil markets. Iranian officials have explored pricing some oil shipments in Chinese yuan, and some Chinese influencers are amplifying that shift. In one widely shared Weibo video, a commentator claimed, “the petrodollar is ending, and the Chinese renminbi has won this key round.” While Washington is all eyes on the war, Beijing appears focused on what comes next, and how to turn global disruption into influence. Read more Link Copied! Trump says Iran wants Strait of Hormuz open, but warns lifting blockade ends chances of deal By Alejandra Jaramillo US forces patrol the Arabian Sea near M/V Touska, Monday, April 20, after a Iranian-flagged vessel attempted to violate the US naval blockade. US Navy President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Iran ultimately wants the Strait of Hormuz reopened but argued that lifting the US blockade of Iranian ports would undermine the prospects of a peace deal, unless “we blow up” the rest of the country. “Iran doesn’t want the Strait of Hormuz closed, they want it open so they can make $500 Million Dollars a day,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “They only say they want it closed because I have it totally BLOCKADED (CLOSED!), so they merely want to ‘save face.’” The president continued: “People approached me four days ago, saying, ‘Sir, Iran wants to open up the Strait, immediately.’” “But if we do that,” Trump said, “there can never be a Deal with Iran, unless we blow up the rest of their Country, their leaders included! ” The comments come after Trump earlier said he was extending a ceasefire with Iran until Tehran submits a proposal aimed at permanently ending the conflict. He said the US would continue to blockade Iranian ports. Read more Link Copied! Iran's UN envoy says he believes talks will take place after US lifts blockade By Helen Regan Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations, addresses the General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in New York on April 16. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters/File Iran’s United Nations envoy has said he believes negotiations will be held in Pakistan’s capital once the United States ends its blockade of Iranian ports. “As soon as Washington ends the naval blockade, I think the next round of negotiations will be held in Islamabad,” Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s permanent representative to the UN, told reporters Tuesday at UN headquarters in New York, according to Iranian state media IRNA. His comments came as US President Donald Trump said the ceasefire with Iran will be extended until Tehran submits a proposal to end the conflict permanently, though he said the US would continue to blockade Iranian ports. CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reports on Trump’s decision. Video Ad Feedback Trump extends the ceasefire with Iran a day before its expiration President Trump said he’s extended the ceasefire with Iran until Tehran has submitted a proposal to end the conflict permanently. He said the US would continue to blockade Iranian ports. CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports. 1:09 • Source: CNN Trump extends the ceasefire with Iran a day before its expiration 1:09 Read more Link Copied! Trump extends the ceasefire with Iran a day before its expiration. Catch up on the latest By Tori B. Powell Video Ad Feedback Trump says he will extend ceasefire with Iran 5:10 • Source: CNN Trump says he will extend ceasefire with Iran 5:10 President Donald Trump on Tuesday extended a ceasefire with Iran until he said a proposal to end the conflict permanently is submitted. In a Truth Social post, the president said the extension was due to Iran’s government being “seriously fractured” and said Pakistani officials requested the move. Trump also said the US will continue the blockade of Iranian ports. Earlier Tuesday, Trump said in a TV interview that he expected to resume bombing Iran if the US didn’t reach a deal to extend the ceasefire by a Wednesday evening ET deadline. Catch up on the latest: Iran reacts to ceasefire extension: Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser to Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, dismissed Trump’s announcement, saying it “means nothing. ” Ghalibaf had led the first round of negotiations with the US in Islamabad and was expected to attend opposite Vice President JD Vance for a second round of talks. On peace talks: Vance’s expected trip to Islamabad to lead the second round was called off following Trump’s announcement, according to a White House official. Vance had been slated to travel alongside special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner to lead a US delegation. US blockade: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said oil storage in Iran’s Kharg Island will be full in days, emphasizing the continued US blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports and other efforts to financially weaken the Tehran regime. A warning from Iran: Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, a member of Iran’s Interim Leadership Council, warned that any attacks on his country that took place while negotiations were ongoing would set a dangerous global precedent. CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Max Feliu, Alejandra Jaramillo, Jonny Hallam, and Sophia Saifi contributed reporting. Read more Link Copied! UK and France to convene multinational coalition meeting on reopening Strait of Hormuz By James Frater and Issy Ronald The UK and France will convene military planners from over 30 nations in London on Wednesday to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed for almost two months. Over the course of a two-day conference, military planners will discuss their countries’ capabilities, command and control structures as well as “how military forces can deploy to the region,” the UK’s defense ministry said. Any military plans drawn up from the sessions will be advanced “as soon as conditions permit, following a sustainable ceasefire agreement,” the ministry added. The sessions at the UK’s Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood, north London, are the latest step in the UK and France’s efforts to convene a coalition willing to help reopen the strait. Last Friday, Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a virtual international summit attended by 51 countries where they confirmed their intention to establish “an independent and strictly defensive multinational mission,” said the UK’s defense ministry. “The task, today and tomorrow, is to translate the diplomatic consensus into a joint plan to safeguard freedom of navigation in the Strait and support a lasting ceasefire,” said John Healey, Britain’s defense minister. Very few vessels have passed through the crucial waterway since Iran effectively closed it in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes on the country, choking off a considerable portion of the world’s oil and gas supply from global energy markets. Read more Link Copied! Bessent says Kharg Island oil storage capacity "will be full" in days By Kit Maher and David Goldman Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said oil storage in Kharg Island will be full in days, emphasizing the continued US blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports and other efforts to financially weaken the Iranian regime. “As @POTUS has made clear, the United States Navy will continue the