Iran live updates: US blockade of Iran's Strait of Hormuz ports to begin Monday

CENTCOM said it will block all traffic 'entering and exiting Iranian ports.'

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Last updated: Monday, April 13, 2026 6:12PM GMT
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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.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi then said that "safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran's Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he supported the ceasefire with Iran, but that Lebanon -- where intense Israeli strikes continued -- was not covered by the agreement, despite Iranian protests.

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Apr 08, 2026, 7:25 PM GMT

Israel 'prepared to return to fighting at any moment necessary,' Netanyahu says

Israeli Prime Minister Benhamin Netanyahu said despite Iran being "weaker than ever," Israel still has "more goals to complete and we will achieve them, either by an agreement or by a return to fighting."

"We are prepared to return to fighting at any moment necessary. Our finger is on the trigger," Netanyahu said in Hebrew at a press conference Wednesday.

Netanyahu said of the ceasefire, "this is not the end, but a station on the way to reaching our aims."

Netanyahu also said that the ceasefire agreement does not include Hezbollah, saying: "We will continue to go after them." He also said Israeli strikes on Lebanon today were the "hardest since the beeper attack," referencing the 2024 attack on Hezbollah members using exploding electronic devices.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

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Apr 08, 2026, 6:09 PM GMT

Vance, Kushner and Witkoff to head to Islamabad this weekend, Leavitt says

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that "the President is dispatching his negotiating team, led by the Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, Special Envoy Witkoff and (Jared) Kushner to Islamabad for talks this weekend.

The first round of these talks will take place on Saturday morning local time."

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Apr 08, 2026, 6:15 PM GMT

Oil tankers passage halted in Hormuz after Israeli strikes on Lebanon, Fars reports

Following Israel's attacks on Lebanon, oil tankers are suspended from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency reported on Wednesday.

"This morning, after Trump accepted Iran's terms and a ceasefire was formed, two oil tankers were able to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz with permission from Iran," Fars added.

"Simultaneously with the Israeli attacks on Lebanon, the passage of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz has been halted," according to Fars.

Fars News Agency is affiliated with the IRGC but did not attribute the report to a specific source.

-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian

Apr 08, 2026, 4:02 PM GMT

Trump says Lebanon not included in deal: 'That's a separate skirmish'

President Donald Trump said that Lebanon is not included in the two-week ceasefire with Iran, in a phone interview with PBS.

"Yeah they were not included in the deal," Trump told PBS.

Asked why, Trump said, "because of Hezbollah. They were not included in the deal."

"That'll get taken care of too. It's alright," Trump said.

Asked if he is comfortable with Israel continuing to strike Lebanon, the president claimed this is a "separate skirmish."

"It's part of the deal - everyone knows that. That's a separate skirmish," Trump said, according to PBS.